Radio City Music Hall
1260 Avenue of the Americas,
New York,
NY
10020
1260 Avenue of the Americas,
New York,
NY
10020
93 people
favorited this theater
One of the greatest Art Deco style structures ever built, Radio City Music Hall is one of the most well known landmarks of New York City. Opened on December 27, 1932, with a variety show, it screened its first film Barbara Stanwyck in “The Bitter Tea of General Yen” on January 11, 1933. The proscenium is 100 feet wide, the stage 66 feet deep. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer organ, which has twin 4 manual consoles and 58 ranks. The organ was opened by organists Dick Leibert and Dr. C.A.J. Parmentier.
Showing a mixture of movies and stage shows in the program for 45 years, the format was ended in September 1978 with Anthony Quinn in “Caravans”. In 1979 the programming changed to concerts, stage shows and special events.
Reborn after a $70 million renovation in 1999, Radio City has been restored to all of its original opulence.
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Recent comments (view all 3,189 comments)
Michael Deskey, architect-son of Donald Deskey of RCMH fame, recently died: nytimes
Sad news indeed. On a lighter note, Delta Airlines is now the official airline of the Christmas show. Is Chase still a sponsor?
The Chase logo is EVERYWHERE in the building including the Chase logo shaped wreaths in the basement so I guess they still are….lol….
On this day in 1939, RCMH opened its Christmas package with the world premiere engagement of MGM’s B&W musical, “Balalaika,” teaming Nelson Eddy with new star discovery Ilona Massey. Leon Leonidoff’s stage revue opened with “Peace on Earth,” featuring the pageant of the Nativity, followed by “Old King Cole,” which brought to life many of the beloved Mother Goose characters.
Seventy-three years ago today, RCMH replaced its Christmas presentation with an entirely new screen and stage program, headed by “Topper Takes a Trip,” Hal Roach’s B&W United Artists release starring Roland Young and Constance Bennett. Leonidoff’s revue, “Dawn of a New Day,” paid tribute to the eagerly-awaited World’s Fair that would open in New York in the spring. By design, RCMH’s Christmas bill had been limited to one week only, with MGM’s B&W adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” as the film.
Sixty years ago today, Cecil B. DeMille’s Technicolor spectacular, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” opened its world premiere engagement at RCMH. Due to the Paramount release’s running time of two hours and 33 minutes, Leonidoff’s stage revue, “Star-Spangled,” was alloted only 29 minutes in the program schedule.
Half a century ago today, Mervyn LeRoy’s “A Majority of One,” a sentimental comedy teaming Rosalind Russell and Alec Guinness, opened its NYC premiere engagement at RCMH. The WB Technicolor release was based on a hit Broadway play that had been specially written as a showcase for the beloved radio and TV star Gertrude Berg (opposite Cedric Hardwicke). RCMH’s stage show consisted of “Salut a la France,” which included the entire resident company performing the Moulin Rouge nightclub’s version of “Le Can-Can” in the spectacular finale.
Seventy-three years ago today, George Stevens' B&W epic “Gunga Din,” now considered one of the classics of Hollywood’s Golden Age, opened its world premiere engagement at RCMH. The RKO release was the first of three Cary Grant films to open at RCMH in 1939, followed by Columbia’s “Only Angels Have Wings” and RKO’s “In Name Only.” The Music Hall’s stage revue with “Gunga Din” was Leon Leonidoff’s “The Waltz King,” a spectacular tribute to the beloved melodies of Johann Strauss.
I’m going nuts trying to remember which film played at the RCMH during Dec. 1954. My family went every December when I was a kid to visit the RCMH or the Roxy. We never saw “"There’s No Business Like Show Business” that December so we must have visited RCMH. What was playing? Where can I find a complete list of films which played at both theatres? I have a nice collection of programs given at both theatres. Unfortunately, I’m a pack rat and it would be quite a job to find them.
The 1954 Christmas film at RCMH was MGM’s all-star Technicolor biomusical, “Deep in My Heart,” with Jose Ferrer as composer Sigmund Romberg.