Radio City Music Hall

“The Littlest Horse Theives” did indeed play the Hall as a replacement for “Mr. Millions”. I remember that engagement for several reasons. We had installed Dolby single channel decoders and E.Q. for up to six tracks of 70mm mag sound (note—I didn’t say we BOUGHT six channels of Dolby equipment, we more or less “borrowed” them from Dolby since we were doing testing for them), but we couldn’t play the new Dolby stereo/optical tracks. Fox was planning to release “Star Wars” in stereo/optical, and did “Mr. Millions” in that format. Because of the status of the Hall, we were able to “borrow” a CP-100 processor from them which we kept until we re-did the whole system for the premiere of “The Lion King”. Thus we spent a lot of time getting ready for “Mr. Millions”, only to have the picture pulled after a couple of weeks. It was our Easter Show that year, and my parents and their friends came to New York from Illinois for a visit. My parents friends had never seen the Hall, and the first thing they saw there was the short-lived “Millions”! I don’t know all of the details, but pulling “Millions” soured relations with Fox because the picture didn’t do enough business to even make the portion of the advertising costs the Hall was supposed to pay, and there was discussion as to who was resposible. The replacement picture was “Theives”, but it doesn’t show up on a lot of the lists of the Hall’s pictures because the booking was for “Millions”.

Here’s a Program from June, 1957:

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Seeing “The Prince and the Showgirl” at the 10:30 am showing on opening day remains one of my favorite memories of RCMH. Maybe it’s because the school year had just ended the day before and I looked forward to an endless summer of reading and seeing movies, the last before I’d be tied down by seasonal jobs. Maybe it’s because at the age of fifteen I felt myself sprouting wings and entering a new kind of grown-up world. Only two years earlier I had lied to my parents about seeing the tsk-tsked “The Seven-Year Itch” at the RKO Dyker, though I really didn’t fathom the fuss over Monroe. Now in the summer of ’57, I understood.

I shall never forget the enormous roar from 6,000 patrons at RCMH during the first encounter between Olivier and Monroe when the strap on her dress breaks loose and his monacle pops into her cleavage. My friend and I stayed to see the film twice. I realize that both stars made much better movies, and that later reports about tensions on the set proved disheartening. But this film pleased me immensely. And the stage show celebrating NYC was an eye-popper.

As Vincent pointed out last week, Melissa Haydenâ€"a principal dancer from the City Balletâ€"joined the Corps de Ballet, already augmented by tutu-fitted Rockettes, to flood the stage with a Chopin extravaganza. Ronnie Ronalde, still performing today at the age of eighty-two, was an English music-hall star who’d been billed as the world’s greatest whistler and whose whistling-cum-accordion-playing was said to have made Marilyn Monroe shiver with excitementâ€"a kinky stage accompaniment for the film. The Morlidor Trio featured a male contortionist who wore a black mask and was assisted by two female attendants. Also kinky. A grotesquely garbed figure of Father Knickerbocker linked the various acts and swelled to unimaginable proportions at the Finale. Kinkiest.

By R.C. do you all mean Radio City or was that Rothaphel’s (Roxy’s) first two initials?

Sorry, but “The Littest Horse thieves” did not play the hall. The only Disney/BV film that tear was “Pete’s Dragon”

The Hall primarily played MGM films, I believe, at least in their heyday. Until movies began losing their luster, the Hall played quality films. Abbott and Costello just didn’t cut it, although they would have been better than those bombs that played there in the late 50’s-60’s. Even Abbott and Costello and Martin and Lewis would have been better bookings, that is if A&B were still making movies. I do believe that both teams had better represntation playing in their proper venues.

Would that be “The Littlest Horse Theives,” Vincent? About the kids who steal the ponies when the owner decides to close the mine and sell them to make glue (or something like that)? Very dark for a Buena Vista release. Took place in England, didn’t it? Gosh… I haven’t thought about this movie in 30 years!

Also speaking of Universal Airport was the only genuine 70mm film to ever play at the Music Hall during its premiere engagement.

Maybe at that time in the 40’s Universal was low rent but going into the 60’s Universal started having some big hit movies at the Hall.
One of the movies which I wish the Hall could have premiered was The Sting.
When I first saw the film I wasn’t too crazy about it. But when I saw it re-released at the Hall it worked like magic. And the score never sounded better!

I believe RC would have died for a Martin and Lewis picture but the Paramount was still going strong at the time and had them as a live act.
Abbot and Costello were maybe a little too crude (although I was crazy for them) for Radio City. But they did have the Andrew Sisters in a lot of their films and also Dick Powell and
Carmen Miranda which gave them so called class so it wasn’t all 3 Stooges stuff. Abbot and Costello were also big box-office in the early and middle forties. How many early Universal pictures ever played RC anyway?

Well, didn’t mean to be inappropriate, but the Hall ususally played prestiages A movies…DOUBLE might be considered one, but not the other two. They were more or less B films, wonderful as they were, especially BUCK PRIVATES. I know of many A flicks that have played the Hall that shouldn’t have, however.

I agree with most of these titles….but BUCK PRIVATES and ARTISTS AND MODELS? Don’t think so. I’m a big fan of Abbott and Costello and Martin and Lewis, but their flicks at the RCMH would not be a good choice. Even have doubts on DOUBLE INDEMNITY.

Denpiano, thanks for that story, your love for that ole organ is obvious from your other posts. Here is hoping it will entertain and thrill millions of people in the years to come. Take good care of her

Today as the Music Hall crew was setting up the stage for a concert tonight by Ben Folds? , the stage manager asked if I would take her behind the scenes of the Wurlitzer. Well, OF COURSE ! was my reply.
I took her all over the building and to her credit, she crawled around in the chambers to experience what our crew has to do to keep the Old Lady in tip top shape. She was amazed at how it works and how powerful it is when in the chambers. To make a long story short,
it was this small education that gave her a new appreciation of the instrument, she had not realized how important the instrument like
the orchestra is! I hope she will speak up on our behalf, now that she understands its importance to be heard and seen!