Capitol Theatre
1645 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1645 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
36 people
favorited this theater
The Capitol Theatre was located where the Paramount Plaza stands today, directly across from the Winter Garden Theatre.
Opened in 1919, the Capitol Theatre in 1924 was taken over by Loew’s Inc. and became the flagship movie palace for MGM Films. The Capitol Theatre hosted World Premiere’s of many now ‘classic’ films. The theatre presented movies and stage shows except from 1935 to 1943 when no stage shows were included in the program. The shows were too expensive to produce during the Great Depression and were only revived when World War II brought an economic boom. In 1952 stage shows ceased to be held. A larger, 25 foot x 60 foot wide screen was installed for the June 1953 engagement of “Never Let Me Go” starring Clark Gable.
In 1959 the Capitol Theatre was ‘modernized’ and re-opened as Loew’s Capitol Theatre with “Solomon and Sheba”. The movie palace became a Cinerama showplace.
World Premieres of 70mm films included “Cheyenne Autumn”(December 23, 1964), “Doctor Zhivago”(December 22nd, 1965), “The Dirty Dozen”(June 15, 1967) and “Far From the Madding Crowd”(October 18, 1967).
The Loew’s Capitol Theatre was never twinned or divided into more than one theatre. At the conclusion of the Roadshow engagement of “2001:A Space Odyssey” in 1968. the Loew’s Capitol Theatre closed, and was demolished.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 808 comments)
I say we hit image three from Tinseltoes.
I first complained about that photo being positioned in the introduction in a post here on September 6, 2011, at 6:39am, which is MORE THAN A YEAR AGO! Check it out if you don’t believe it.
You’ll have a better shot of jacking up the numbers on one of the older photos. Like the marquee shot from the “2001” engagement. The current curved screen image has 355 hits!
What I really like about the photo selection system here on CT is that it is basically democratic; the photo that comes up is the one most visitors are currently choosing to look at as the photographic memory of choice, rather than just a fixed arbitrary view of what one person believes is the most representative view of the theater.
That shot of the Cinerama screen and the ones of its marquee showing “2001” are my favorite photos of the Capitol, so I am not going to join any crusade to change it. One can always click on the photos tab and savor any other photo one likes for as long as one likes. If the lead photo changes later on, I think that is just fine, but I do not think any photo should be locked in there as being the best or most representative way the theater should be remembered.
Pictured in a two-page 1944 trade ad starting here: Boxoffice
Hello To My Fellow Posters-
i have a request i hope you can help me with. the Oscar winning classic film “The Diary of Anne Frank” opened on an exclusive reserved seat engagement the fall of 1959 at the RKO Palace. how could i find out how long that exclusive reserved seat engagement at the RKO Palace lasted? thanks in advance.
bigjoe59: Your inquiry has received responses on the Palace Theater page.
Sixty-five years ago today, Frank Sinatra left his traditional berth at the Paramount Theatre to headline the 28th anniversary program at the Capitol Theatre. Sinatra was now contracted for movies to MGM, whose parent company controlled the Capitol. Sharing the stage bill were comedienne Lorraine Rognan, Skitch Henderson & His Orchestra, and the Will Mastin Trio (with a future member of the Sinatra Rat Pack). Occupying the Capitol’s screen was Columbia’s B&W comedy, “Her Husband’s Affairs,” starring Lucille Ball and Franchot Tone. Doors opened daily (except Sunday) at 9:30am, with resident organist Ted Meyn performing at intermissions.
Excerpt from Bosley Crowthers' NY Times' review of 11/14/47:
“What with Frank Sinatra as the star of the Capitol’s stage show, it wasn’t likely that much attention would be paid to the film on the screen. So the management has graciously provided the least temptation in this respect — a feather-weight farce, from Columbia, entitled ‘Her Husband’s Affairs’…But in nonsense as well as serious drama, there must be a pattern, a plan, to sustain the humor. This film has none. Mr. Sinatra, take it away!”
Who knew that within a few years time, Lucille Ball would become Queen of the entertainment medium known as television?