Radio City Music Hall
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
118 people
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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 disagree with that last statement, Ron… Why would A&C or M&L be inappropriate fare for the Hall? Both produced the sort of clean and family-freindly entertainments that were a hallmark of Radio City programming in it’s prime. And “Double Indemnity” is one of the all time great film classics, never mind it’s esteemed place within the film-noir genre. How could these possibly have been bad choices for the Hall during their original release? What would be your criteria for a good choice?
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.
Some movies that could have, should have, but didn’t play at the Music Hall for whatever reasons.
Excluding roadshows and films that would have clashed with another perfect Music Hall choice(such as Summertime which would have conflicted with Love Me or Leave Me and Mr Roberts)
The Wizard of Oz
Pinnochio
Buck Privates
The Magnificent Ambersons
Double Indemnity
The Bishops Wife
Easter Parade
Annie Get Your Gun
Sabrina
Lady and the Tramp
Artists and Models
Sunday in New York
Walk Don’t Run
On a Clear Day
Murder on the Orient Express
Prisoner of Second Avenue
That’s Entertainment Parts 1 and 2
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
sorry my post was repeated 3 times! I had trouble with the site?
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!
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!
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!
I wonder how many folks today would be willing to pay the same $100 for a top priced seat in a typical Broadway musical if they knew going in that there would be no orchestra, only pre-recorded musical accompaniment. With the reduced overhead of not having to provide salary and benefits for, say, a 12 piece orchestra, do you think people would demand a reduction in ticket prices as a trade-off should this become an inevitability? I don’t know that I’d have any interest in attending a production with canned music, but I surely wouldn’t want to pay the same exorbitant prices for such a diminished production.
But, I’m sure the producers would just take the opportunity to line their pockets a bit thicker than before. Just as they are doing with the Radio City Christmas Show. Unless I missed the part about Cablevision arranging for a fair partial refund for those who attended affected performances and a full refund for those ticket holders who elect not to see the show without the orchestra? This is one of the main reasons I see so few movies in theaters these days… It really gets me in a twist that in addition to paying ever-increasing ticket prices, I am forced to sit through several commercials (be it for Reebok, Coca Cola or Fandango.com) before the previews and feature presentation – something I might not mind as much if their inclusion in the program would subsidize reduced admission fees.
EdSolero, As I ponder what you have written I must say I hope you are right. In addition to the demands for live music from the theatre going public, the producers themselves would propably not be so inclined as to allow canned music. This is why it is so important not to allow what is going on at RCMH to continue, so that the new blood of producers present and future will never be tempted to change the way we see, and more importantly hear, live theatre. Once we begin to slide back and allow what is going on at RCMH to continue, it will spread, and sophisticated and demanding as Broadway audiences are, I worry they will begin to shrug their shoulders and begin to accept and get used to it. Then, there will be no turning back.
Now I’m not trying to be a chicken little here but as impossible as it may seem today, I am not so sure that in the future, if push comes to shove, as unspeakable as it may seem today, the absence of a live orchestra will not stop people from attending musical plays.
It’ll be a tougher sell on Broadway, I think. While the theater does depend a lot on tourism, I believe there is a very serious group of devoted theater enthusiasts from the Metro area (I include myself among them) who will demand that their music be performed live. These sentiments will have the the support of the critics, particularly the influential staff at the New York Times. At least, I like to believe that would be the case. However, I do realize that contractual concessions over the years have reduced the minimum number of “required” musicians in theatrical presentations and that many recent revivals of older musicals have significantly cut-back on the size of the orchestra and ensemble players when compared to the original productions. Most notable are two streamlined prodcutions of Stephen Sondheim works: the 2001 revival of “Follies” and the current revival of “Sweeney Todd.” “Follies” was a B.O. failure that wound up closing many weeks short of its originally intended limited run at the Roundabout and some hey has already been made over the fact that the actors ARE the musicians in this current version of “Todd.”
I still think that the patrons who attend shows on Broadway are a touch more sophisticated (and therefore more demanding) than the tourists and young families that tend to fill the vastness of Radio City Music Hall for 225 performances each Holiday season.
Vincent, much of what you say is sad but true. One of the biggest discussions at ShowEast was patrons unruly behavier, MPAA president Dan Glickman adressed the many ways theare owners must work to combat this problem, along with piracy, another big problem for the industry. I read the Daily news article, however it won’t hurt ticket sales, what I don’t understand is why the strike continues.
Actors' Equity Association had asked its members to support musicians striking the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular by joining a muscians picket line Friday. Equity members showed up in solidarity for the 2 pm appointment, but the American Federation of Musicians, Local 802 had decided not to picket. Later, the musicians chose to don tuxedos and spend the evening across the street from Radio City, playing for the public. Equity was hoping to get members to support that effort.
Equity and Local 802 joined forces in 2003 when the musicians' strike shut down Broadway. Although Equity had a “no-strike” clause in its contract with producers-meaning a union will not strike to support another union’s walkout-Equity used the stagehands' striking in support of Local 802 as its rationale for not performing. Actors would not work in conditions made unsafe by the absence of stagehands, Equity contended. Actors then joined the picket lines. The strike lasted four days before musicians and producers came to terms on a new pact. The Rockettes need to put those beautifull legs to better use on a picket line in solidarity with the rest of the behind the scenes workforce at RCMH. End this madness now!
Yes Vito with todays technology it is all the same. Why people leave their homes I’ll never know. Especially when they behave in an audience as if they were at home watching TV.
By the way the Daily New(always a stauch suporter of the Music Hall)
complained about the same old tired acts and the anti-climactic Nativity. I’m glad somebody in the press finally noticed.
Sorry, obviously I meant the last line to read WITH a live orchestra.
What is going on? where is the outrage?, were are the picket lines?,
have the musicians decided to roll over and play dead?
This would not have been the case in my day, please tell me the entire run will be without the musicians. If RCMH management gets away with this, it be the beginning of the end for live music on Broadway. If the big bad Music Hall can do the biggest live show of the year with canned music, and get away with it, because no one seems to care or as it has been written on this website, “it’s all the same”, what hope will there be for the future of live music in any Broadway show. Last week, I went to see a demonstration of the new 3-D Dolby Digital projection, I must say I was very impressed but said at the same time, because I walked out of the theatre thinking, my God I have just witnessed what could be the nail in the coffin for film presentation at the movies. The next generations may never see film, I guess that’s progress but I can’t help feeling very bad about it. I just hope the next generation is not deprived of seeing a Broadway musical without a live orchestra.
Last nights “opener” proved what todays audience is like. I stood at the rear of the theatre while the executive producer was on stage welcoming them to the 2005 Christmas spactacular. As he was speaking of a beloved member of the theatre who passed away this year the volume level( talking & whinning) came up 70 decibels. Attention span 53 seconds!!… The poor sound guys have to raise levels where they are, you have to be able to hear over the chatter. SO, I guess Vincent is CORRECT! Canned, or Manned, its all the same. Oh, by the way, the organ was canned also. Might as well put plastic on the consoles and role ‘em in..
The Rockettes union has a “no sympathy strikes” clause in their contract according to the papers which was smart of their union leaders because it gives them a get out of jail free card.
Was this payback for the unsympathetic way the musician’s union treated the dancer’s concerns in the past.
Union leaders do not forget(even if events happened before they were born.)
Vito a certain amount of irony was intended in my post however I am very serious when I claim that live music sounds canned. I’ve found that the sound you hear today in a broadway theater or the Music Hall is so processed by the engineers that you might as well be at home listening to recording on a great sound system.
Also we know that the way Cablevision treats this great treasure is an absolute scandal from which it is only seeking the maximum amount of profits from whatever dreck it throws on the stage.
The execs there have only one goal and they are profiting from the house that Roxy, Leonidoff and Markert built with all the sensitivity of great white sharks.
Vincent, perhaps I was a bit harsh, I hope you were kidding or I mis understood your comment. Surely you don’t believe in or support what RCMH management is doing.
Vincent, Of course I respect you right to your opinion but your remark is so ridiculous it is not even worth a responce.
Again I say what is the difference? Live music today sounds as canned as a recording. It is why performers can get away with lipsyncing on a stage unless there is a glich.
And considering today that the Music Hall only exists today to make the top Cablevision executives very wealthy it works out nicely.
Denapiano and Patsy, what is even more disturbibg is, did you notice that over half the audience members were senior citizens? I can almost forgive the kids, they don’t know any better, but the seniors?, that is disturbing I thought surely they would be on our side. I worry also that management will say, hey look at that we got away with it. That is why we must continue to pressure them, surly the folks wanting live music must out number the ones who do care. I also honestly believe this whole thing will be settled very soon. As of last night no new talks were scheduled, perhaps today that will change. Hang in there Denapiano.
Vincent— yes— I’ll be posting the program next week.
“…unfortunately most culturally challenged show goers did not care about the live music. What do you expect?? this is ths I-Pod generation. Download
free music, blow your ears out with constant headphone use!” Denpiano: This is the perfect scenario for most of today’s youth!