Radio City Music Hall

1260 6th Avenue,
New York, NY 10020

Unfavorite 116 people favorited this theater

Showing 151 - 175 of 3,322 comments

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese on March 12, 2018 at 4:46 pm

The RCMH and the Roxy did humongous business:

https://immortalephemera.com/58216/king-kong-1933/

vindanpar
vindanpar on March 12, 2018 at 1:12 pm

Supposedly King Kong did very poorly at the Music Hall because that was the week Roosevelt closed the banks. Just saw this recently in a documentary on the Roosevelts. This was news to me. I thought it had been a hit.

Very bad timing indeed. Anybody have access to Variety on microfilm to see what the week’s gross was?

curmudgeon
curmudgeon on February 22, 2018 at 11:54 pm

I agree vindanpar, that false proscenium within the original proscenium just looks tacky and cheap. Clearly, the glory days are over.

vindanpar
vindanpar on February 21, 2018 at 3:19 pm

And eventually in the 70s after the ballet company was eliminated the number of Rockettes on stage was reduced to 30 and they started selling popcorn which of course ended up all over the place.

The Rockefellers were doing everything they could to run the place into the ground. But then the entire way of marketing films had changed and exclusive city engagements would no longer even be considered. I just wish the inevitable end of the Music Hall as a stage show and movie palace had been a bit more dignified.

Jay Franklin Mould
Jay Franklin Mould on February 21, 2018 at 10:24 am

Regarding the number of Rocketts. During my time at the Music Hall 61 to 64 & 67 to 70. The number on the payroll was 46. There were always 36 on stage, and the rest were on days off.

michaelkaplan
michaelkaplan on February 21, 2018 at 9:55 am

Those hanging speakers really look bad. I agree about “A Chorus Line.” Miserable screen adaptation. Was a natural for 3D, too. Speaking of 3D: the Music Hall never showed it in the 50s. The theater was too large, and the projectors just couldn’t put out enough light. “Kiss Me, Kate” was shown flat, while it later toured in 3D. (The restoration on Blu-ray is stunning.)

vindanpar
vindanpar on February 21, 2018 at 5:12 am

May I point out that once when I said the Music Hall opened with 48 Roxyettes was slapped down by a poster who said from the beginning the Music Hall opened with 36 Roxyettes and he said with firm authority it was always 36. I even pointed to a photo with 48 though I must admit I might have said 46.

And there you have it in the opening ad posted by NYer 48 Roxyettes though yes it was soon to be reduced to 36.

Don’t toy with me fellas when it comes to Music Hall history.

Scherzo.

And see General Yen. A wonderful early Capra talkie. The kind of beautiful poetic commercial film beyond any of today’s directors.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on February 11, 2018 at 7:38 am

I meant to research that a bit — but from my memory, didn’t Larry Hart see Garbo’s Camille, which was released in 1936 and was not a silent picture. The 1921 silent Camille starred Valentino and Nazimova…

vindanpar
vindanpar on February 10, 2018 at 2:53 pm

Annie gets it wrong.

Camille opened at the Capitol. Attention to detail is everything.

However in Words and Music which indeed opened at the Music Hall Tom Drake as Richard Rodgers gets it right and finds his way to the Capitol to see the Garbo film.

What I’m not sure of did a stage show accompany Camille at the theater where we see Cyd Charisse dance. Or was this the interim period when the Capitol stopped stage shows before the war?

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on February 3, 2018 at 10:02 am

Last Sundays grammy awards at the garden were the first in nyc since it was held 8 years ago at the hall.

Comfortably Cool
Comfortably Cool on February 3, 2018 at 8:19 am

Drone views of the auditorium taken last year can be seen here

vindanpar
vindanpar on December 29, 2017 at 7:55 pm

I did not see Evita as a film. Madonna kept me away.

It’s worse really? I guess I’ll have to give it a look. Though not a favorite musical the Prince staging was great.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on December 29, 2017 at 7:14 pm

Vindanpar, you must have missed “EVITA”.

vindanpar
vindanpar on December 29, 2017 at 7:48 am

A Chorus Line might win by miles worst film adaption of a Broadway musical.

Really astonishing in its ineptitude and bad choices. I’d rather sit through Top Banana at least in memory of RM.

MSC77
MSC77 on December 26, 2017 at 10:44 am

Since “1776” was brought up I thought I’d share the link to an article I put together a couple years ago for the film’s Blu-ray release but which includes a mention of the Radio City run and a director interview.

vindanpar
vindanpar on December 26, 2017 at 9:35 am

Per the 1776 ad. Another Music Hall ‘70s hit film that was a flop everywhere else like Darling Lili and Mame. Had On a Clear Day and Lost Horizon opened there it would have been the same thing. Instead they were flops everywhere.

mulder
mulder on December 21, 2017 at 8:39 am

@Simon L. Saltzman – Dear Mr Saltzman, I just rode all your exciting comments (!) but I didn’t find what I’m looking for about the RCMH and the Roxy. Do you know what were their yearly Records in terms of receipts and admissions ? I’m looking for these datas for so many years… Many thanks !

markp
markp on November 10, 2017 at 8:27 pm

Saw it last night. Awesome as always

vindanpar
vindanpar on October 31, 2017 at 5:54 pm

This is the exact same problem the Music Hall had when it opened in ‘32. Nobody was interested in the stage show or the Roxyettes. It was a huge fiasco from which Roxy never recovered.

They had to add movies. And as was noted by Variety at the time crowds varied according to the popularity of the movie. Of course the stage show was a big plus and made going to see the film at the Hall an incentive but without a popular film the Hall had acres of empty seats.

And at todays prices it is ludicrous to think anybody outside of a big musical concert star is going to get people into the place.

vindanpar
vindanpar on October 18, 2017 at 4:48 am

As per How To Succeed ad NYer just posted'Coffee Break' filmed but cut and lost.

Stereo track also lost which is most unfortunate because what you hear of it on soundtrack album is terrific. So no stereo first run prints were saved. If anything has been found since I was told this years ago let me know.

vindanpar
vindanpar on October 13, 2017 at 5:13 am

Harry and Walter ended exclusive area bookings at the Hall. An old time cashier said that was it the place was over. She went back quite a ways. I asked her if she ever thought the place would come to this(hardly any audience, pathetic stage shows) and she said never.

vindanpar
vindanpar on September 18, 2017 at 10:14 am

Bullitt was in terms of its violence and gore a ‘freaky’ movie for the Hall especially as a Thanksgiving film. It doesn’t help that the plot if there is any is impossible to follow. They just cut out ‘bullshit’ for the theater which was put right back in after this engagement.

vindanpar
vindanpar on September 12, 2017 at 4:14 am

Barefoot is still a very funny film. Fonda and Redford are one of the best looking romantic couples ever in the movies. Maybe the last bright Technicolor New York comedy before they became gritty.

vindanpar
vindanpar on August 29, 2017 at 12:23 pm

NYer posted two Airport ads.

Did that last of its kind Ross Hunter glossy Hollywood production ever look great in the Music Hall. The kind of film the Music Hall was meant to play rather than the blown up made for TV looking films it would show through much of the 70s.

Though there are those who question the idea of the Music Hall showing a disaster film for Easter.

rcdt55b
rcdt55b on August 25, 2017 at 6:18 pm

No Dolby Atmos installed.