Seventy-four years ago today, RCMH opened its 1939 Easter holiday show with the world premiere engagement of “The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle,” a B&W musical biopic that marked the final RKO teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Leon Leonidoff’s spectacular revue, “Easter Greetings,” opened with the religious “Glory of Easter,” followed by “In Quaint Old Williamsburg.” Walt Disney provided a screen bonus with the Technicolor cartoon, “The Ugly Ducking.”
The article seems to disprove industry gossip at the time that WB gutted the Roxy Midway auditorium and replaced it with a new one designed by Rapp & Rapp.
Architect of the Stahl Theatre was Victor A. Rigaumont, who used a plain, contemporary style that would not detract from the screen or stage offerings.
Sixty-eight years ago today, RCMH opened its 1945 Easter holiday show with the world premiere engagement of MGM’s B&W comedy, “Without Love,” which reunited Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy and provided Lucille Ball with a scene-stealing supporting role. The two-part stage spectacular opened with the religious “Glory of Easter,” followed by the secular “Spring Is Here.”
The great American stage star David Warfield was a close friend and business associate of Marcus Loew.
Note “In Person” appearances by the Virgin Mary (portrayed by Dolores Bridges).
Renovation update: dailytidings
Seventy-four years ago today, RCMH opened its 1939 Easter holiday show with the world premiere engagement of “The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle,” a B&W musical biopic that marked the final RKO teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Leon Leonidoff’s spectacular revue, “Easter Greetings,” opened with the religious “Glory of Easter,” followed by “In Quaint Old Williamsburg.” Walt Disney provided a screen bonus with the Technicolor cartoon, “The Ugly Ducking.”
Renovation video: youtube
The article seems to disprove industry gossip at the time that WB gutted the Roxy Midway auditorium and replaced it with a new one designed by Rapp & Rapp.
Greatly enlarged here. The tiny ad would be hard to find at the bottom of a full page of cinema advertising.
Renovations update: dailytitan
Curiously, no marquee mention for the film’s top-billed star, Errol (“In Like”) Flynn.
Made by pantheon director Howard Hawks, the silent B&W comedy is now believed “lost.”
Robert Seidel was the Park’s original organist.
The Community was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Krokyn, Browne, and Rosenstein.
The Paramount had a small balcony, with about 450 seats.
With a cast of 75, “Parisian Gaieties” was a mini-musical that provided atmospheric support to Universal’s B&W “The Phantom of the Opera.”
A souvenir booklet on the “twin” Selwyn and Harris playhouses starts here: archive
A souvenir booklet about the “twin” Selwyn and Harris Theatres can be found here: archive
Ad sponsored by Heywood-Wakefield, with credit to W.H. Lee as the theatre’s architect.
I suspect that this photo shows another Central Theatre, and not this one.
Architect of the Stahl Theatre was Victor A. Rigaumont, who used a plain, contemporary style that would not detract from the screen or stage offerings.
Seated 2,800 and located two miles from the business district of Columbus.
Project was taken over by Warner Bros. Theatres, which changed the name to Beacon.
All of those images of Astoria theatres have been posted here before, either in the Photos Section or linked in the comments pages.
With inevitable loudspeakers spoiling the view!
At that time, the Strand had about 1,400 seats.
Sixty-eight years ago today, RCMH opened its 1945 Easter holiday show with the world premiere engagement of MGM’s B&W comedy, “Without Love,” which reunited Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy and provided Lucille Ball with a scene-stealing supporting role. The two-part stage spectacular opened with the religious “Glory of Easter,” followed by the secular “Spring Is Here.”