Radio City Music Hall

Yep. Shirley Temple was a great child actor, compared with others who take drugs like Heath Ledger, Macaulay Culkin, and Brad Renfro.

Here is a December 1996 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6xmboy

That’s a great word, “zingiest”. You don’t hear it anymore these days.

TheatreOrgan, the memories from 39 years ago come back easily – it’s the stuff that happened last week that I have trouble with :) You mentioned the Capitol in your earlier post – that’s where the original “Planet of the Apes” opened in 1968.

Thanks to all for the comments regarding my recollections of 1969 at RCMH. Naturally, my primary reason for going to RCMH as an 18 year old organist, for the first time, was to see/hear the Wurlitzer. Now that I’ve read your comments Bill H., it could have been the Loew’s State where I actually saw the Apes I or II movie. It is good to hear your collective memories from a period that was 39 years ago!

Wasn’t “The Magic of Lassie” one of James Stewart’s last films?

TheatreOrgan is probably remembering the shot of the destroyed Radio City in “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” when he says he actually saw the movie there. That was the best shot in the picture, for my money.

My cousin and I saw “Beneath” at Loew’s State 2, then went to Radio City for “The Out-of-Towners” later that day. He said we should get there quick “before the apes get to it”.

In some cases all too well! In the case of “Caravans” Universal picked up distribution just so we would have a picture to play. In the final years of the movie/stage show policy, Universal was the most supportive studio.

In all due fairness, one of the above films was a “hit” selling out almost every performance over the opening weekend. That was “Magic of Lassie” which hit the right combination by featuring Lassie on stage in the show which accompanied the film. Bonita Granville Wrather was a charming lady whose husband had the rights to both “Lassie” and “The Lone Ranger”. She visited us in the booth, and not only sent recording tapes to me when she found out it was an interest, but sent a “tip” to the crew and “autographed” pictures of Lassie. From the evidence at the Hall, she thought the film was going to be a huge success, and we heard she was devastated when in opened later to minimal crowds.

I was reading the comments on the Ziegfeld Theatre page here and noticed that they were talking about the return of The Planet of the Apes movies to the Ziegfeld Theatre. I recalled seeing Planet of the Apes (1) or maybe (2) I can’t remember which, in the spring of 1969, when I graduated from high school and made my first trip to NYC to see RCMH and the Big Wurlitzer. I remember finding it odd that those in the audience laughed when they saw parts of NYC abandoned in some of the scenes. Apparently the RCMH didn’t have the solo run of this movie, as they mentioned it was also at the Capitol and perhaps other theatres. Anyway, always enjoyed RCMH on that trip and many since. Would love to get my fingers on that well/overly guarded Wurlitzer!

Yes, Lady Vanishes was from his Gaumont British studio days.

Interesting to see how they were calling Hitchcock the master of suspense on his very first American film.

Webmaster: This string, among many for CT theaters in various cities, has been enlightening and informative, but please unsubscribe me from this one now.

That film and the Easter show maybe the best program to ever appear at the Hall. Wish I were on one of those lines this week. And the doors would open at 7:30 am for an extra complete performance every day through this Sunday!
Anybody see this combo? Would love any description of the stage show you have.