Roxy Theatre
153 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
153 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
83 people
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Yes Bill, I can remember all those great Variety mispellings. it got a bit strange, but fun, when people would use them in their everyday language. Ahh show folk, just a bunch of wild and crazy people.
Thanks Sam. Vodvil does sound like one of those Variety terms, like Stix Nix Hix Pix. I just saw Cagney in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” recently, in which he translates that phrase.
I too loved that ad. Any more Robert?
Possibly the spelling of ‘Vodvil’ as opposed to vaudeville was a way of being ‘with it’ or somehow current. I think that Variety started the trend with mispellings in the trade paper headlines. It goes along with ‘Burlesk’ rather than burlesque. There are numerous other examples.
RobertR: That’s a great Peter Pan ad. I especially like “VODVIL Tonight at Orpheum”. Was Vodvil supposed to be a modern, futuristic way to say vaudeville, to show that vaudeville wasn’t dead and could change with the times?
Warren, who knows more than anyone on the subject, posted this info here last January, in answer to Myrtle’s question above… the last movie was “The Wind Cannot Read” which opened on March 9th…..and the Roxy finally closed forever on March 29, 1960.
dose anyone know the last movie
that played at the roxy
and what day and year
I never knew that Peter Pan opened at the Roxy.
View link
I checked out “Windjammer” on the IMDB site and there’s link to a site dedicated to Cinemamiracle.
http://www1.tripnet.se/~adler/wide2.html
Bob Furmanek: scroll above to Warren’s comments dated February 13, 2004 as he and others touch upon the subject of the damage done to the theater (seems both physical and economical) by the “Windjammer” film.
Bob, like most nighmares most of us would rather not remember anything about it. Just be happy you did not see it.
Kindly elaborate. What was done?
Do I ever.
Does anyone remember how badly the theater was altered for this engagement?
Here is an ad for the Cinemiracle engagement of “Windjammer”. This is actually the second ad they used. The first one was disgusting very dark and grey.
View link
Ahhh — except for “The Cockeyed World” (August ‘29) and “Alexander’s RTB” (August '38), the others played between September '41 and August '44, largely the War Years and, consequently, until the mid-'50s the Roxy’s glory years.
And is it true that Alice Faye : Roxy :: Greer Garson :: RCMH + Tyrone Power : Roxy :: Cary Grant : RCMH, so that “Alexander’s RTB” and “Yank in the RAF” emerge as the Roxy’s archetypal films?
Thanks, Warren, for your wonderful listings of the Roxy’s shows. If I’ve got them straight, you’ve offered the following:
1941, posted on 18 April ‘05
1942, posted on 16 May '05, with comparative cross-reference to RCMH on 9 May '05
1943, posted on 29 May '05
1947 in part, posted on 24 April and 6 May '05
What were the six pre-‘44 films that hit six-week runs? I take it that the standard three-week run might have had somethng to do with signing up big-name performers for a contracted period of time. After '52, “Call Me Madam,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “The Robe,” “Carousel,” “The Kink and I,” “Bus Stop,” “Giant,” and “Anastasia” reached or surpassed that limit, no?
May 20,1938 the Music Hall was playing the all time classic “Robin Hood”, but the Roxy was playing the Ritz Brothers in “Kentucky Moonshine” which co-starred Tony Martin. On stage were the voice stars of Snow White, Adriana Casalotti who voiced Snow White and Harry Stockwell who voiced Prince Charming.
There are also shots of the Roxy’s interior at the Smithsonian in DC, The Museum of the City of New York, The New-York Historical Society and that movie theater archive in Chicago.
If my memory serves me, there are lots of interior shots of the Roxy at the Library at Lincoln Center in the Billy Rose Collection as well as in the Library of Congress. Also, I some some nice ones in my archives…but I don’t have a website so I have no way of posting them, alas.
SimonL:
I’ve also been looking for a few years….there seems to be a real shortage of good interior shots of the Roxy. The Theatre Historical Society has a painting of it on its website. They also put out a booklet on the Roxy several years ago which may have more. If not, they may have stuff in their archives.
I hope someone comes up with something. Thanks for asking the question.
Thanks for the opportunity to see the lobby of the Roxy as photographed and saved in the Getty Images Editorial. However I can’t find Warren’s web link for the Mayfair…can someone help? One more thing: The Roxy photo states it was taken at 12:00 am….I don’t recall the Roxy having midnight shows as did the Paramount, Capitol and Strand. The last stage show usually began at 10 pm (last feature at 11pm)on weekdays and 11pm on Saturday (last feature at midnight). there is also something unique in that there is scaffolding on the right side of rotunda. The crowd also seems to be in an awfully big hurry. On the far right you can also see the bottom step leading to the grand stairway. I remember the steps to the loge were beyond the grand stairway. Does anyone know of any other interior shots…other than in The Best Remaining Seats?
Bob Meyers for many years managed the Gemini for UA. He was truely the old school of theatre managers.
About ten years ago, i saw an ad, I think it was in Variety, wherever it was, a guy named Bob Meyer was offering his mimeographed recollections of his time at the Roxy. And here they are for your viewing pleasure:
An Usher’s Private Thoughts
“Going in now for the last complete stage and screen presentation starring Martha Stewart and the Blackburn Twins and Bette Davis in All About Eve. (One more hour to go. Boy, am I hungry.).
"Good evening, Miss Merman, your tickets are at the executive entrance, just down the street. There is an elevator to take you to your seat. ” (I hope we all go Chinese tonight. I can just taste HO-HO’s dim sum right now.)
“The last stage presentation has just started. The best remaining seats are in the rocking chair loge!” I’ve been out here almost four hours. I hope they assign me to the backstage elevator tomorrow.
“Your tickets are at the executive entrance, Mr. Winchell. You don’t want to walk down the street? Just one moment, I’ll have someone escort you past the ticket-taker.”
(There goes a real pain in the ass.)
“Going in now for the feature presentation only. There is a ten minute wait in the rotunda until the stage presentation ends. (I have to remember to give a quarter to the guy who went to the deli for my share of the bologna and cheese sandwiches and the nickel he loaned me for the Pepsi machine.)
“The last showing of All About Eve starring Bette Davis is about to begin. All remaining seats are in the balcony. Good evening Miss Ritter. Its only been on a few minutes. I’ll walk you in myself. I am just going off duty.” (What a sweetheart. She’s the best thing in the picture. I can’t wait to get out of this damn uniform.)
ODE TO MY AMA MATER
Four horses, five dogs and a monkey encircled
Twin midgets in a cakewalk finale
One horse fell in the pit, the show had to quit
And the monkey bit a dog in the alley
Liz Taylor was trampled at the premiere of Giant
Police came along with the press
It could have been staged, it was promptly front paged
There’s No Business Like Show Business had its stars at the opening
Among them, Johnnie Ray, a nice fella
When those soxers called bobby, tore off his clothes in the lobby
Someone quickly found him an umbrella
A black cape worn over and long-johns worn under our uniform was norm
During those long Winters we waited for Spring
A cardboard collar and shirt, all this stuff really hurt
These were a few of my least favorite things
Our answer to TV was CinemaScope, the entire industry turned out to see
Spyros Skouras lauded its inventor and what he had done
The Frenchman who gave us what promised to save us
Expressed something, but no one understood either one
Jacketless gentlemen and ladies in slacks
Were politely refused admission
One didn’t foxy about out the rules at the Roxy
They were upheld in the finest tradition.
ODE TO MY ALMA MATER IV (and final)
Any gratuities were strictly verboten
All of our services were done with a smile
Sometimes this infuriated those then
With reputations of a generous style
One such was Miss Sophie Tucker
“The Last of the Red Hot Mamas"
Who chased after me with the yell
of a trucker
In a mink coast and lounging pajamas
All I did was show her to a seat
She stuck five dollars into my jacket
I accepted it in quiet defeat
Giving up both the chase and the ticket
Mrs. Sylvia Sullivan, who was Ed’s wife,
Had reported some jewelry lost
The sentiment giving her much strife
She seemed less concerned of its cost
Remembering where she sat was no conquest
I combed the area with my flashlight
Sure enough, between the cushion and armrest
Were the gems which were causing her plight
I turned them in they called her directly
She asked my name and sent a messenger most zealous
Bringing a thank you note and check with him just for me
But the latter through earned was returned by a manager most jealous.
Well, in 1960 it finally came down
Someone had Gloria Swanson pose in a gown
LIFE took a picture, Bosley Crowther wrote a book
When I pass where it was, I still steal a look
And remembering the schooling I got
Make me realize that I owe a lot
To the Roxy which sooner than later
Usher me, to a life in the theater.
Jim and Warren—
I retrieved the photo (and yesterday’s photo of the Mayfair that Warren cited) by going to the “United States” page, then to the “Editorial” listings, then to the “Search All Editorial” thumbnail, and finally entered the photo number in the Search Box — a clumsy trail, but one that got me there. Thanks, Warren, for the posting of this valuable resource.