Radio City Music Hall
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
116 people
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I wouldn’t know this bit of trivia, but think I would prefer red letters over pink letters.
When the marquee of the Radio City Music Hall was renovated several years ago, the letters, which originally were lit in bright red, were changed to hot pink. To this day, it bothers me to see the sign in pink letters ,when the original letters were red. Was this an oversight when they restored the theater?
Radio City Music Hall Bulletin
Published Fortnightly By and For the Employees
Vol. III Wednesday, Nov. 1, 1939 No. 30
SURPRISE PARTY
One day recently – and it was not a Friday, when the usual Music Hall executive luncheon is held up on the Studio Floor – one Music Hall-ite had a real surprise. Informed that he had an engagement with a certain film company executive, this ranking member of the theater’s legion was ushered into our domed dining room to the chorus of a “Happy BIrthday to You” by more than a dozen Music Hall departmental heads.
The recipient of this impromptu party was, in case you haven’t already guessed, our own Mr. Van. And the only person not present-that certain film executive with whom he had been told he was to lunch.
Needless to say, all of us at the theater join with the round table group in wishing our Managing Director many, many happy Music Hall years.
Other headings (followed by text) in this bulletin include:
Spotlight and Sidelights by S. J. Brody
News Notes and Comment
Max!
Service Staff Stuff by the Chief Usher
From the library
THe Glee Clubroom
Projection Room Murmurs
want to read more?
Don’t know the interest of the readers here but we do have a few of these old employee Bulletins.
This one might last forever!
Also enjoyed the photo story as I didn’t know that Jerry Maren went on to become Buster Brown! More neat trivia!
Really enjoyed the Rockefeller letter! Thanks!
Thought I would share this letter with you that was sent to my father in law who was one of the very early violinists in the pit of the RCMH and was with them for many years to follow:
Rockefeller Center Inc
50 Rockefeller Plaza
New York
May 28, 1940
Dear…
When the final rivet in Rockefeller Center was driven last November, signalling the completion of steel construction, Father and I were disappointed that lack of space made it impossible for us to ask all our employees in the Center to be present at the ceremony. Because of this we want you to have as a souvenir of the occasion a book just published by the Columbia University Press.
We trust that the reading of this book will give you the same pride and inspiration that those of us who attended the ceremony received on that occasion.
Sincerely yours,
Nelson A Rockefeller
Mr…
Radio City Music Hall
1260 Sixth Ave
New York, N.Y.
The book is entitled “The Last Rivet"
The story of ROckefeller Center, a city within a city, as told at the ceremony in which John D. Rockefeller, Jr. drove the last rivet of the last building, November 1, 1939.
A little OT- a friend sent me an oz pic not too long ago of Dorothy and the 3 lollipop kids.. well the one lollipop kid, Jerry Maren, who handed Dorothy the lollipop was 17 when he did the movie and it is autographed ;) as my friend wrote to him to get it
Jerry went on to became littlest chef with the oscar meyer wienermobile and was Buster Brown of Buster Brown shoes…
p.s Ringo is expected to tour again next year so a visit to RCMH may again be in order. Obviously I am a fan!
Thanks Dorothy from Oz for your interesing RCMH Ringo story! The Wizard of Oz was recently on TV and I just happened to catch the part where Judy G. sings Over the Rainbow…a very special moment in a very special movie!
My last trip to Radio City was to see Ringo Starr and the All Stars perform! Stood outside the side stage door to meet the artists. Took awhile but they came out eventually. Ringo & wife Barbara Bach (a Bond girl) had already dashed out super quickly at the end of the last song. Guess he didn’t have to wait for me or an elevator.
(giggle)
“There were once lights at every seat so you could read the program.” A very interesting bit of RCMH trivia! Thanks Myron and to all who have contributed their RCMH memories!
Thanks to Ron for bringing back memories by putting a list a films shown at Radio City. I often visited as a boy and fondly remember many of those films with my family. Somebody posted that Greer Garson had more films than any actress at the Music Hall, but it would seem that either Doris Day or Audrey Hepburn had the most films. Also, I remember seeing “The Bridges at Toko-Ri”, “The Teahouse of the August Moon”, “Friendly Persuasion”, and “Sayonnara” there. The films shown as revivals I don’t count as we are interested in films that premiered at the RCMH. I haven’t visited RCMH for 20 years now that movies are not shown anymore and the prices are outlandish. Also, I dislike reserved seats because if you get noisy families next to you, you cannot change seats and I don’t have a good time. In the 50’s and 60’s, you could change seats at will. Also, there were once lights at every seat so you could read the program.
My RCMH interest and subsequent questions have certainly stirred up alot of commentary which is great so I thank all who have contributed to this theatre page as there is only ONE Radio City Music Hall! And if anyone is with 100 miles of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta the place to be on December 26th is THAT theatre for the special open house to commemorate the Fabulous Fox’s 75th anniversary! If anyone does go, please post your thoughts on the Fox page as we’d all love to read them! Thanks.
I think I read in Variety on microfilm years ago the the crowds for Top Hat were so enormous that extra morning perfs were added accounting for 134k. The excitement at the Hall in those days must have been incredible. It’s hard to imagine today the Music Hall being full and having lines around the block all day long during the week.
Don’t forget that that in 1933 this was the very first Christmas show and was not yet a traditon, nor was the holiday time off as extended for school children and workers as it soon became. Also Fred and Ginger didn’t even get top billing in “Flying Down to Rio.” The stars were Raul Julian (?) and Dolores Del Rio. They didn’t sell tickets on their own until “The Gay Divorcee” opened in 1934 and grossed “$96,800 and $80,000 in its two week run Nov 15 – 28. "Roberta” was their next hit there..also two weeks $99,000 and $90,000 (March 7 – 20, 1935). “Top Hat” went through the roof in 1935 with $134,000, $115,000, $98,900 from Aug 29 – Sept 18. Nothing came close in attendance or gross for many years. “Follow the Fleet” and “Swing Time” were also mammoth 3-week hits in 1936. Getting back to “Little Women,” it got raves and was a classic with a waiting public. There were no extra performances, however mornings and afternoon shows were always sold out due to large family attendance. Sorry about the last line in my note above. “Cavalcade” also was a huge hit during Easter week of 1933 grossing $100,00.
It’s amazing that Little Women would beat out Rio by almost 20k. I would have thought that Rio would have played to capacity for both holiday weeks. And considering how cheap seats were that’s a lot of admissions.There must be some reason for this. Extra perfs perhaps?
Answer to Joe Vogel: The RKO Roxy opened on Dec 29. It was soon renamed the Center Theater following a law suit between the orginal Roxy Theater at 7th Ave and 50th Street and the new management at RKO Center (what we now know as Rockefeller Center). The Center theater had 3,700 seats and was operated as a presentation house i.e. film and stage show. The opening attraction was “The Animal Kingdom” starring Leslie Howard and Ann Harding and was a great success grossing $71,000, $60,000 and $40,000 during its three week run. (Most films that opened at the RCMH during the first couple of years rarely went past one week. However all subsequent films died at the Center Theater when the RCMH switched to films and stage shows beginning January 11, 1933. (It was also the Depression).It’s interesting to note that the Center Theater with almost half the seating capacity of the RCMH drew bigger crowds during its opening weeks than did the RCMH. For whatever it’s worth, here are the admission prices for the Center Theater. Prices changed at noon and 6Pm. Mon-Fri $35; $.55; $.72 Saturday $.83 $.94 $.1.10 and $1.65 for mezzanine reserved seats for evening shows.
For all you trivia buffs: “King Kong” played day and date at the Center Theater and the Radio City Music Hall for it first week only. It grossed $88,000 at the RCMH and then played exclusively for the next two weeks at the Center Theater. The grosses there were $35,000; $35,000 and $33,800.
Did you know that “Flying Down to Rio” with Fred and Ginger was the film that accompanied the first Christmas stage show in 1933. It opened on Dec 21 and played two weeks through January 3. It grossed $98,000 and $100,000. Very fine, but it didn’t break the previous house record of $118,000 set during November by “Little Women.” Ittle eber the previous Easter week by “Cavalcade.” Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.
Oh, OK. I only read Benjamin’s recent comment after I posted this question. D'OH! There is my answer. The Center. I’ll be sure to read the latest comments in a thread before posting questions in the future.
Perhaps someone who is familiar with Rockefeller Center can answer a question for me. Many years ago I saw in a book, the name of which I can’t remember, a photograph of a theatre in, or very near, Radio City- a third theatre, besides the Music Hall and the small news theatre which I believe was later called the Guild. This third theatre was a good sized place- 1500 seats, if I recall. It was closed long ago, and the space it had occupied was filled in with floors of offices.
I’ve looked through the New York City theatre listings on this site and can’t find it among them. I don’t remember the name, but I think it must have been operated by RKO. Does anyone know anything about this vanished theatre? I think that its men’s lounge was decorated with aviation-themed photographs by a famous photographer of the 1930s, but that’s about all I can remember of it. Did I just imagine the whole thing?
CConnelly: The Men’s Lounge on the lower level was restored back to its 1930’s look. The mural on the wall, “Men without Women” by Stuart Davis was brought back from Museum of Modern Art, where its was sent to in the early 1970’s.
The Grand Lounge was always that size, although for a number of years, previous management used the space near the elevators to display artifacts from the Music Hall’s past.
The lamps you’re referring to have /SSB in the stock number, the SSB indicating ‘silvered bowl’. They came in several versions, with the /SSB type having a mirror-like bowl that concentrated the reflected beam, while other styles had a dull silver finish that diffused the beam slightly. I used to have track lighting with reflectors that used this type of bulb. Likely you won’t find them at your local Home Depot or hardware store these days. About the only place that would stock them now would be lighting supply houses. In addition to Westinghouse, GE, Sylvania and Osram made them too. Still, if they’re available, you’d think the management would make the effort and relamp with the proper type.
Finally found the Westinghouse lamps catalog on-line and they still make at least four versions of what they now call “½ chrome” lamps up to 100 watts. These are sometimes also called “half silvered” and maybe the Music Hall doesn’t want to invest in this short lived lamp any longer. It is a pity, for the effect described must have been classy.
Regarding the grand lounge in the lower level of RCMH, when I went there for the Christmas show this year, I thought it was MUCH smaller than I remember it. Now you’d think this was because the last time I saw it was as a kid but it wasn’t. I was there in 1986 for an REM concert and I remember the downstairs area being HUGE. And what’s more, the men’s bathroom used to have more, well, facilities….I remember going there at the concert and thinking “Geez…I never saw so many urinals in my life!”. Excuse the bad taste but that’s what I remember. What the HELL did they do to the lounge? Where did the rest of it go?
The light bulbs you are referring to are called “SILVER BOWL LAMPS” and as late as 1986 the Westinghouse brand was listed as selling seven versions of them in both medium and mogul bases. They ranged from 60 to 1000 watts. The ‘silver’ was sprayed into the inside of the glass of the bowl. I am not sure if these are still made, but various dealers around the country still have stocks according to today’s search for them on google. They were once common in ‘moderne’ ceilings and displays where they were often centered in grids of reflector tiles in ceilings, but like all incandescents, they have short life spans and are expensive to operate at today’s rates since only 5% of the energy they consume comes out as light.
Benjamin
Thanks for all this great information. The only time I was ever backstage was during one of those tours. You really got an insiders look. One thing about those light bulbs, I remember they used to be sold with the bottom painted so the light shined upward. I dont know if they still make them but I have seen them up close years ago.