Loew's Capitol Theatre

This following was to be part of a book I was compiling about Times Square. The book never happened, but I thought I would share the some of its contents which I hope will be of interest to the readers of this website:

Ironically, Major Bowes, who was to become one of radio’s most famous personalities, didn’t want to broadcast portions of the Capitol’s stage shows, as he thought that audiences might not come to the theater if they could hear the show for free at home. But it was Roxy who saw radio’s promotional value and prevailed. On November 19, 1922, WEAF broadcast the American premiere of Richard Strauss' tone poem, “Ein Heldenleben,” live from the Capitol’s stage with Erno Rapee conducting. The Capitol’s brass band had been replaced by a symphony orchestra when Roxy took over. The broadcasts were carried on the NBC Blue Network and spawned a series of Sunday night broadcasts from the theater, with Roxy describing the action on stage. Because of these broadcasts, the Capitol became the most famous theater in America and Roxy’s fame grew as well. Roxy’s Gang, as the program was called, stayed on the air until 1926, when he left to oversee the construction of the theater that would bear his name, the radio program became Major Bowes' Capitol Theatre Family Hour with the Major as host.

Writer William A. Schudt’s account of a visit to one of the broadcasts appeared in the Radio Program Weekly in 1927.
“Good evening Capitol Family!” It was just seven-twenty o'clock when the familiar voice of Major Edward Bowes broke the silence of the studio in the basement of the Capitol Theatre on Fifty-first Street and Broadway.
We attempted to enter the Capitol Theatre from the main entrance on Broadway….we say attempted, since that is all we could possibly do. Tell It to the Marines was the picture playing at the time, and although the theatre itself was packed, even to the lobby, a line of people more than a block in length patiently awaited the chance to peer at the renowned Lon Chaney doing his stuff as a super Marine should.
After some little time we decided that we might get somewhere if we consulted one of the prettily uniformed ushers who kept the line of movie fans in a perfect arc twisting itself into Fiftieth Street.
We did consult him, asking “Where, pray tell us, fellow, may we gain entrance to the broadcast studio.” You’d ’ve thought we had just signed his death sentence…he gasped and drew back several paces and stared at us in amazement. “Oh,” he exclaimed, “You cannot get in there…! You will have to obtain a special permit from the National Broadcasting Company before you can get into the studio."
Into the Capitol and behind the scenes we ambled, passing the doorkeeper who eyed use suspiciously. Doorkeepers always did eye us suspiciously. The broadcast studio of the theatre is located in the basement just below the stage. This studio was located in other parts of the building but the engineers of WEAF found that this new location proved acoustically perfect, without draperies of anything that might beautify it. The ceiling is concrete, a pipe here and there passes through the partitioned off section of the studio…."we could beautify it all right,” said one of Major Bowes' assistants after we had questioned him as to the reason for the bare-appearing studio.
As the hour approached seven-twenty o'clock, Major Edward Bowes entered the studio and greeted us cordially. And there, over in the corner was Ralph “Wentworth,” that person behind that popular voice, heard frequently over WEAF and its associated stations. Wentworth introduced the Capitol program, presenting Major Bowes who immediately took up the program, announcing the features appearing at the theatre at the time and then taking up in detail the discussion of selections to be played by the Capitol Grand Orchestra, direct from the stage of the theatre.
For the next few minutes we sat around the studio listening to the loud speaker which is set up for the purpose of letting the Major know just when to prepare for his studio program….this, however, is not really a necessity since the programs are timed during the rehearsal so that every artist broadcasting on the Capitol program knows just how long he, or she, will be on the air. Every announcement is timed with a the aid of a stop-watch, and there is no deviation from this time, either!
After WEAF switched us, by way of microphone, back to the studio, the Major stepped briskly forth, faced the “mike,” and with one hand rested against the concrete wall announced the opening feature of the program which was the well known Tilly Indianer, who rendered on the piano, Tarantella, “Venezia e Napoli” by Franz Liszt. Following this we got a good look at Nina Gorden and then she turned her head toward the microphone and rendered, very beautifully too, the little selection, “Mister Bear.” Miss Gorden always accompanies herself on the piano when she sings this number. And then, along came Westwell Gorden, singing “You In a Gondola,” by Coningsby Clark.“
All the while these artists were rendering various types of entertainment, the studio orchestra was silently setting up in the rear of the spacious studio. The orchestra had just concluded its presentation in the theatre. David Mendoza, the leader of the orchestra, took his place with the baton and immediately following Bowe’s announcement came "The Beautiful Galathea, ” by Von Suppe.
There were so many prominent artists there that we were quite confused at first. We became anxious after a while, even inquisitive. We had just asked one of the members of the Capitol staff where our very versatile Caroline Andrews was keeping herself, when suddenly, as if by magic, she appeared on the scene…. and just in time too, for the Major had her scheduled to do the next number on the program. She sang “The Lark.” This selection, incidently, was the first she sang on the radio some three years ago when she broadcast with Roxy and his Gang.
Dr. Billy Axt….my, we certainly can’t forget him, can we? Dr. Billy was tickling the ivories. We don’t just recall under what circumstances, though, but he did the numbers very well.
And of course there is Marjorie Harcum who sang, “Mammy’s Little Kinky-Headed Boy,” just a little better than we have heard anyone sing it for three and three-fifths years.
Perhaps you’ve listened to the tweet-tweet of the birds in some of the orchestra selections given by the Capitol Studio orchestra….if you have, it certainly will interest you to know that David Gusikoff, the vibraphone player, is the “bird."
While the program continues, now and then, a member, or sometimes several members as the case may be, of the ballet corps peer into the studio between parted portieres. Now and then one will enter and quietly sit on one of the benches on the farther side of the room.
It is the Capitol Family. Everyone is friendly. They are just one large group of happy people working in unison to make everyone else just as happy as they!
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Thanks, Robert. I remember that big balcony from seeing “2001” there in 1968, and according to an earlier post that wasn’t even the whole balcony like in your picture – the top of it had been curtained off.

Here is an awesome shot of the Capitol. Sure looks different from when I saw it in the Cinerama years.

Here’s a New York Times ad from April 1968 for the Capitol’s last feature. If this beautiful theater had to go under, at least it went out on top.:

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Whoops. I didnt realize she had died. Thanks for the info.

With a recitation what exactly would one recite on the stage of a huge movie palace?

OMG, Bonita Granville. Now there’s a blast from the past. I hadn’t heard anything of her in ages. I had the impression that her show business career just faded away. Whatever became of her anyway?

One scene from “The Ten Commandments” always bothered me. Before the final plague, Anne Baxter tells Heston, “I saved your son.” Heston says, “I cannot save yours.” But he could have, very easily, just by telling her about the lamb’s blood. I guess he didn’t really want to save him, Pharaoh needed to be taught the ultimate lesson, etc. Still a great movie.

I watched (again…) most of it when ABC aired it on a Saturday night (3/19). Oh, GOD…the campiness of it all!

I have a new favorite HAM scene: it’s when Ramses summons Moses after the final plague (the one where all the first born of Egypt die). So, Moses finally gets what he wants after all: he and his people can leave Egypt. Ramses tells him so.

Now, you’d think, in a realistic sense, that Moses would be at least somewhat humbled and leave quietly, right? I mean the guy’s gotta know that Ramses son is dead. But noooooooooooooo, not Heston’s (or DeMille’s Moses). He goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on rambling about God. At one point, I expected (HELL would’ve LOVED) to see Ramses scream at Moses: “Oh, for God’s sake! I just let you and your people go! So would you PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP!”

DeMille made films in the sound era. But from his direction, he was still locked in 1925.

That’s quite a parade of films in those seventeen months. A three-week run for the best of them must have meant good b.o. receipts. I’d be curious to check them against competition at the Roxy, Paramount, RCMH, and others in the same weeks. Thanks for the listings, Warren.

That’s probably it. The street looked seedy and back in 1938, from what my Dad used to tell me, 3rd Ave was not a great place.

Is it listed here?

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY was certainly released in 3-channel stereophonic sound. The 35mm magnetic tracks were on a dubber which was interlocked with the picture.

There were a great many films released in stereo during that period, and most of those tracks are lost today.

Warren your post about China Seas was very interesting in that I guess this marked the end of the first road show era. Previously films like Anna Karenina and Camille would have played at the Astor on hard ticket. I wonder what were the exact reasons for this change in distribution practices. When Gone With the Wind was road showed at the Astor it had to share it with the Capitol on contiuous performances. Did MGM by the mid 30’s get tired of not making enough money on an initial Broadway release?