Vito’s post inspired me to recall the many visits I made to the Hall. It began with the 11 times I went with my Grandpa Joe, starting with The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964 and continuing through The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band in 1968. I could never sleep the night before, my excitment keeping me awake.
Then, I would be awakened at some ungodly hour after sleeping for about an hour or two. Grandpa liked to go to the first show of the morning. We would always be among the first 50 patrons to enter the Hall; so early that the asbestos curtain would still be down. It had a nice pattern on it and would rise so slowly, revealing the contour curtain. Prior to finding out it was the fire curtain, I just thought it was part of the show.
Grandpa would send me running down Aisle E in the orchestra to get what I came to refer to as “our seats”. They were the three seats to the left of the light booth. Grandpa would sit behind me and that lone seat at the front would be mine. I recall feeling the rumble of the organ. The first time it actually scared me! After the great movie I would see the lights of the orchestra bandcar get brighter and brighter as it ascended to stage level. I was so small and the bandcar was so big, that I wondered if they were rising or the building was sinking.
From the organ to the stage to the seats to the carpet (4 different patterns!) to the art in the lounges, everything in that glorious theater amazed me. It still does.
There aren’t enough words to describe my feelings every time I see the amazing Rockettes. I get teary just seeing them arrive on stage.
Following Grandpa’s passing, I began to go to the Hall with friends. Most times we would stay for two or three stage shows. I never wanted to leave.
I had the opportunity to work at the Hall in 1979-80. It was a thrill to stand on that stage and introduce the 1979 Christmas Show. I’d get a round of applause by the time I said the words, “Radio City Music Hall”. Everybody should experience getting applause from a full house at the Hall. It is the most energizing feeling.
I might be a bit more critical today, and it does not matter what is playing there. It’s the Music Hall, and that is enough for me. I’ll be in “my seats” for the organ concert in August.
In regard to the the Tony Telecast, even though they are using that damn LED screen, it is nice to see some real scenery on that incredible stage.
I would like to repeat a question from May 15. Does anyone have any color pictures of the Hall in the 1930’s? Was the marquee orignally bulit with red, gold and blue neon? During the 1999 restoration, it was stated that the marquee was originally constructed with the multi-colored neon.
Is that true? I thought it strange that they would have replaced all that neon prior to 1999.
In response to Ed Solero’s post on 2/15/08, the last “Easter Show” at the Hall was the 1997 Spring Spectacular. That show did feature “The Glory of Easter”.
lbnybill – Thanks for the compliment; I can see a short line (30) of Rockettes or a full one with nary a glance. You mention a warehouse in my neighborhood, Harlem. Is the Weehauken warehouse no longer being used? Has all that wonderful scenery from the past been destroyed?
I had the pleasure of seeing the Christmas Show on 12/27, being in the theater at the moment when they opened the doors for the first time in 1932. It was great to see the show “spruced up”. I enjoyed the new numbers, paricularly the way they keep the Rockettes current while honoring the past. I liked the restaging of the “Rag Doll” nummber to accomodate a full Rockette line of 36. I was also happy to see a restaged Nativity and that it did NOT close the show. The curtain call finale was a nice touch. I don’t quite understand why “Wooden Soldiers” is being performed in front of a blue screen or “starfield” backdrop as it has the last two seasons. I would love to see some of the old scenery. Is the scenery still stored in Weehauken, NJ? It was a great show this year; congratulations to all involved.
Thank you Bob for the information about “Saboteur”. I always thought it was filmed there. I still have my Pioneer CLD-3030 as well as many titles on LD. Maybe I’ll attempt to find a copy of “Saboteur”.
With all this talk about lip-synching at the Hall, I just want to say that when I introduced the 1979 Christmas Show at Radio City, I was live. I might have been the only part of the show that was, and it was all me!
Justin: Several movies have scenes set and filmed in the Music Hall. The penultimate scene in Hitchcock’s “Saboteur”; the “Let’s Go To The Movies” number in “Annie” features the Rockettes. There’s a scene in Woody Allen’s “Radio Days” and a virtual Radio City in “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”. There’s also a scene in “The Godfather” where Al Pacino and Diane Keaton are walking out of the Hall. Did I miss anything?
Roadshow: To my knowledge, the link is active. Try typing the site name into your browser. You’ll find a link to my e-mail on the starter page. Thanks again.
Roadshow: A link to my starter web page (site is being built) is in my profile. That page provides my e-mail address. Please send the link to the Roadhsow Message Board and any others you’d like to share.
This is Music Hall related, folks. It looks like the 2007 Christmas Show is going to be a winner. Three brand new Rockette numbers and what sounds like a major re-write for the whole show. This will be a much needed and very welcome change!
REndres: Not too sure about the wall fabric; the 1979 update was awful and I have a few issues with the 1999 remodeling, but the acoustics are still great. I went to the recent New York Theater Organ Society concert and had a friend stand at opposite sides of the auditorium, front to back and 50th to 51st Streets. We carried on a normal conversation and did not ever have to raise our voices. Now if we can just get a movie in there…
REndres: In regard to Dr. Zhivago, it’s a case of, “What goes around the intermittent, comes around the intermittent.” :) On the prints that played the hall, was the soundtrack advance on the 35mm ones as well? We know the Hall did not start playing 70mm until 1970.
I remember the incredible echo a film would make playing the hall. I was four years old the first time I saw a movie there. My grandparents and I always sat in the three seats at the front of Aisle E alongside the lighting console. It was so overwhelming it was hard to tell if the film was in sync or not. By the time I started working there in 1979, films were no longer a part of the show.
REndres: Did the Music Hall get special prints made for films that ran elsewhere as a Roadshow? I was a child when I saw The Great Race and The Happiest Millionaire at the Hall. Did those in the booth cut out the Overture, Intermission, etc. for the Music Hall presentation?
Did the Music Hall play Roadshow prints of films released that way? I don’t recall intermissions, overture and exit music being played. Of course, I was a child at the time? Anyone have any recollections?
When I look at the listings for the Chelsea Classics series, every listing states, “Presented in Digital Format”. Have they made digital prints of all these old titles? I shudder to think about what this MAY mean. Anyone have a theory?
I think the seats at the “Z” are quite comfortable, with first class leg room. Would anyone rather be sitting in a cramped black box at the AMCLoewsCineplexNationalAmusementsEdwardsPacific 2,532-Screen Gigaplex?
PS: A Yahoo search for Leon Leonidoff led me to a 1949 article in Time Magazine about the 1949 Independence Day stage show. Here’s the link:
View link
Vito’s post inspired me to recall the many visits I made to the Hall. It began with the 11 times I went with my Grandpa Joe, starting with The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964 and continuing through The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band in 1968. I could never sleep the night before, my excitment keeping me awake.
Then, I would be awakened at some ungodly hour after sleeping for about an hour or two. Grandpa liked to go to the first show of the morning. We would always be among the first 50 patrons to enter the Hall; so early that the asbestos curtain would still be down. It had a nice pattern on it and would rise so slowly, revealing the contour curtain. Prior to finding out it was the fire curtain, I just thought it was part of the show.
Grandpa would send me running down Aisle E in the orchestra to get what I came to refer to as “our seats”. They were the three seats to the left of the light booth. Grandpa would sit behind me and that lone seat at the front would be mine. I recall feeling the rumble of the organ. The first time it actually scared me! After the great movie I would see the lights of the orchestra bandcar get brighter and brighter as it ascended to stage level. I was so small and the bandcar was so big, that I wondered if they were rising or the building was sinking.
From the organ to the stage to the seats to the carpet (4 different patterns!) to the art in the lounges, everything in that glorious theater amazed me. It still does.
There aren’t enough words to describe my feelings every time I see the amazing Rockettes. I get teary just seeing them arrive on stage.
Following Grandpa’s passing, I began to go to the Hall with friends. Most times we would stay for two or three stage shows. I never wanted to leave.
I had the opportunity to work at the Hall in 1979-80. It was a thrill to stand on that stage and introduce the 1979 Christmas Show. I’d get a round of applause by the time I said the words, “Radio City Music Hall”. Everybody should experience getting applause from a full house at the Hall. It is the most energizing feeling.
I might be a bit more critical today, and it does not matter what is playing there. It’s the Music Hall, and that is enough for me. I’ll be in “my seats” for the organ concert in August.
In regard to the the Tony Telecast, even though they are using that damn LED screen, it is nice to see some real scenery on that incredible stage.
Thanks for the information, oldjoe. Do you happen to know when the marquee lettering was converted to all red neon?
I would like to repeat a question from May 15. Does anyone have any color pictures of the Hall in the 1930’s? Was the marquee orignally bulit with red, gold and blue neon? During the 1999 restoration, it was stated that the marquee was originally constructed with the multi-colored neon.
Is that true? I thought it strange that they would have replaced all that neon prior to 1999.
Does anyone have any color pictures of the Hall in the 1930’s? Was the marquee orignally bulit with red, gold and blue neon?
In response to Ed Solero’s post on 2/15/08, the last “Easter Show” at the Hall was the 1997 Spring Spectacular. That show did feature “The Glory of Easter”.
lbnybill – Thanks for the compliment; I can see a short line (30) of Rockettes or a full one with nary a glance. You mention a warehouse in my neighborhood, Harlem. Is the Weehauken warehouse no longer being used? Has all that wonderful scenery from the past been destroyed?
I had the pleasure of seeing the Christmas Show on 12/27, being in the theater at the moment when they opened the doors for the first time in 1932. It was great to see the show “spruced up”. I enjoyed the new numbers, paricularly the way they keep the Rockettes current while honoring the past. I liked the restaging of the “Rag Doll” nummber to accomodate a full Rockette line of 36. I was also happy to see a restaged Nativity and that it did NOT close the show. The curtain call finale was a nice touch. I don’t quite understand why “Wooden Soldiers” is being performed in front of a blue screen or “starfield” backdrop as it has the last two seasons. I would love to see some of the old scenery. Is the scenery still stored in Weehauken, NJ? It was a great show this year; congratulations to all involved.
Thank you Bob for the information about “Saboteur”. I always thought it was filmed there. I still have my Pioneer CLD-3030 as well as many titles on LD. Maybe I’ll attempt to find a copy of “Saboteur”.
With all this talk about lip-synching at the Hall, I just want to say that when I introduced the 1979 Christmas Show at Radio City, I was live. I might have been the only part of the show that was, and it was all me!
Justin: Several movies have scenes set and filmed in the Music Hall. The penultimate scene in Hitchcock’s “Saboteur”; the “Let’s Go To The Movies” number in “Annie” features the Rockettes. There’s a scene in Woody Allen’s “Radio Days” and a virtual Radio City in “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”. There’s also a scene in “The Godfather” where Al Pacino and Diane Keaton are walking out of the Hall. Did I miss anything?
Roadshow: To my knowledge, the link is active. Try typing the site name into your browser. You’ll find a link to my e-mail on the starter page. Thanks again.
Roadshow: A link to my starter web page (site is being built) is in my profile. That page provides my e-mail address. Please send the link to the Roadhsow Message Board and any others you’d like to share.
Where is this “Roadshow” message board?
I’d like to state my question again. Does anyone recall no logo at the beginning of Porgy and Bess? I recall a “curtain” on the screen.
I recall that Porgy and Bess began with a “curtain” on the screen, which opened to reveal the title card. Was there a studio logo prior to that?
Has Dirty Dancing been cancelled in favor of Spider Man 3?
This is Music Hall related, folks. It looks like the 2007 Christmas Show is going to be a winner. Three brand new Rockette numbers and what sounds like a major re-write for the whole show. This will be a much needed and very welcome change!
REndres: Not too sure about the wall fabric; the 1979 update was awful and I have a few issues with the 1999 remodeling, but the acoustics are still great. I went to the recent New York Theater Organ Society concert and had a friend stand at opposite sides of the auditorium, front to back and 50th to 51st Streets. We carried on a normal conversation and did not ever have to raise our voices. Now if we can just get a movie in there…
REndres: In regard to Dr. Zhivago, it’s a case of, “What goes around the intermittent, comes around the intermittent.” :) On the prints that played the hall, was the soundtrack advance on the 35mm ones as well? We know the Hall did not start playing 70mm until 1970.
I remember the incredible echo a film would make playing the hall. I was four years old the first time I saw a movie there. My grandparents and I always sat in the three seats at the front of Aisle E alongside the lighting console. It was so overwhelming it was hard to tell if the film was in sync or not. By the time I started working there in 1979, films were no longer a part of the show.
REndres: Did the Music Hall get special prints made for films that ran elsewhere as a Roadshow? I was a child when I saw The Great Race and The Happiest Millionaire at the Hall. Did those in the booth cut out the Overture, Intermission, etc. for the Music Hall presentation?
Did the Music Hall play Roadshow prints of films released that way? I don’t recall intermissions, overture and exit music being played. Of course, I was a child at the time? Anyone have any recollections?
Movieguy: Is this true? Is Clearview charging admission, even if it is a reduced one, to watch a DVD at Chelsea Classics?
When I look at the listings for the Chelsea Classics series, every listing states, “Presented in Digital Format”. Have they made digital prints of all these old titles? I shudder to think about what this MAY mean. Anyone have a theory?
I think the seats at the “Z” are quite comfortable, with first class leg room. Would anyone rather be sitting in a cramped black box at the AMCLoewsCineplexNationalAmusementsEdwardsPacific 2,532-Screen Gigaplex?
Have any other constant readers of this page been to the Ziegfeld this week?