Apollo Theater
253 W. 125th Street,
New York,
NY
10027
253 W. 125th Street,
New York,
NY
10027
12 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 55 comments
Wall Street Journal article on 90th anniversary of renaming as the 125th Street Apollo can be viewed here
Alamy link with a 1948 photo.
https://www.alamy.com/125th-street-8th-ave-apollo-theatre-harlem-1948-manhattan-new-york-image500974.html?irclickid=zyzV67R9LxyITpwwqaxcW0ATUkGTc0zqE1xOzI0&irgwc=1&utm_source=77643&utm_campaign=Shop%20Royalty%20Free%20at%20Alamy&utm_medium=impact
Upcoming screening of “Shaft” with a live soundtrack accompaniment.
https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-apollo-theater-shaft-live-music-score-burnt-sugar-greg-tate-20200116-xxltin7g5fdn7i4cscjzie7th4-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1-O1rJh4RHYikGGjISmkxvgdreU0t1l5eNSsN8d9AWchSGo1-NNSHLZEE
CBS Morning News segments from 11/22-23/2019 regarding the documentary Comfortably Cool just mentioned:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/telling-the-story-of-the-apollo-was-an-overwhelming-task-filmmaker/
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/new-hbo-documentary-highlights-apollo-theaters-legacy/
A new feature documentary on the history and significance of the Apollo Theatre can currently be viewed on HBO. Trailer here
According to this link (http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/united-states/new-york/new-york?q=apollo&status=all), there have been no fewer than 3 “Apollo” Theatres in NYC. The “famous” one in Harlem (125th Street) is the only one extant. There was one on 42nd Street (Times Square) and the one I spoke of earlier in these comments, on Clinton Street, west of Williamsburg Bridge, both now demolished.
Here a vintage photo of the Apollo with a fade to the present day, via the What Was There website.
http://www.whatwasthere.com/browse.aspx#!/ll/40.809929,-73.950588/id/745/info/sv/zoom/14/
Ed, sometimes when you type in the name of another theatre, say Victory, Times Square , Lyric etc, and go to that page then it will list nearby theatres. The Apollo might be found that way. I know that’s how I’ve had to do to find certain theatres in New Jersey.
I wonder why, as a longtime member of this site, I can’t find any info whatsoever about the OTHER Apollo in Manhattan, the one that stood on 42nd Street, near the Times Square, Victory, and Lyric Theaters? Can anyone help me out? Sometimes this site is extremely hard to navigate, for even the seasoned user, and I know that one of the reasons is that some theaters operated under a variety of names, and there’s no cross-referencing here. I wanted to help out a friend who had a question regarding the Apollo on 42nd Street, but I can’t refer him here, since even I can’t find it!
I can’t believe that no one posted about the live “Dreamgirls” engagement that occurred at the Apollo back in late 2009! (Myself included) It was incredible to be in the Orchestra seats watching this phenomenal show that actually has, as its opening scene, an amateur night performance set in the world famous Apollo! Though this production didn’t hold a candle to the original Broadway version with Jennifer Holliday, it was very enjoyable nonetheless made that much more special because it WAS the Apollo A wonderful presentation for one of New York’s most historic theaters.
The Apollo is immediately adjacent to the now-closed Victoria Theatre, and half a block west of the site of the noiw demolished Harlem Opera House. As you enter the lobby of the Apollo, the auditorium is off to the right. Likewise as you enter the lobby of the Victoria, the auditorium is off to the left. As a result, the back sides of the respective stage houses back up against each other.
It would be great if the Victoria were also restored and incorporated into the Apollo Theatre complex.
The Apollo Theater, world renoun, and a historic monument. As a musician performing at the Apollo (the first time around in the mid 1970’s) was a dream-come-true, fascinating experience. I recall walking in, admiring the decor, and feeling the echos of past performances by some of the greatest entertainers in the world. May the spirit of the Apollo Theater continue to shine, long live the Apollo.
I found some indications that the Apollo ran movies from 1919-1922, 1934-1953 and 1970-1977, albeit between shows and sometimes matinees only. Does anyone know if they ran any in the fifties and sixties?
According to the book series “HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN CINEMA” (The Talkies, 1926-1931), the Harlem Apollo was briefly converted into a miniature golf location during the depression, known then as TOM THUMB GOLF.
Well even though movies may have been a very unimportant part of it’s history, it’s nice that because of it’s short run with movies, it’s able to be listed on the site. So many “treasures” of theaters can’t be because of course this is CINEMA treasures, but there’s no website to preserve the history of non cinema theaters out there….
Renewing link.
Dang, beat me to it. Great pieces, though. They did postpone the lobby renovation, even though they raised just a bit more than half for the capital campaign.
As per the related article, There is an open house with tours today and tomorrow.
Thanks LM……In the photo, on the right side is “Weisbecker Markets”. It looks like a marquee from a theater. Was this a theater that had already been closed and converted to retail by 1935?
The Apollo shows up in Paramount Week ads as showing movies at least as early as 1919.
According to the NYTimes, black patrons were admitted into the balcony area starting in 1934, concurrent with some black headliners and the amateur nights.
It’s rather poignant that the Apollo is celebrating 75 years with a grand restoration and (if you look closely at the photo) in the background is the marquee for the Victoria which is currently in limbo.
I thought that one day they would make the photo feature operate again. There are MANY really historic or famous theaters that don’t have a photo on the site!!
Speaking of photos, I have been watching this site announcement ever since I became a member in Oct. 2003:
“Add Photo is offline
Due to the enormous number of photo submissions we’ve received at Cinema Treasures (over 3500 photos!), it has become necessary for us to completely overhaul our photo submission system.
“As a result, this feature is offline until we develop a more scalable system. If you have photos to submit to Cinema Treasures, please be patient. This feature will eventually return.
“The new systemâ€"which will offer expanded photo galleries, more browsing options, and other improvements— is worth the wait, but given the size of this website, we must develop this feature carefully.
“(Please do not email us asking when this feature will return. Whenever we have news about this feature, we’ll post it here first.)”
How long does this take? Really?
The “100” number refers only to those who were vocal.