Mark Hellinger Theatre

Designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb for Warner Brothers as a showcase for ‘talkie’ movies, the Hollywood Theatre was one of the last movie palaces to be built in mid-town Manhattan. The gala opening was on April 22, 1930 with the movie “Hold Everything” starring Joe E. Brown. Originally the main entry was a narrow Art Deco style lobby on Broadway, that cut through an office building. Inspired by French Baroque and Rococo styles, the three story rotunda foyer and the 1,603 seat auditorium are exquisitely ornate and awesome, perfect for a Golden Age Hollywood movie palace. The theatre was built with a stage, but while showing movies initially, it did not present live entertainment.

In October, 1930, the Hollywood Theatre was the only New York theatre to employ Warner Bros. wide screen process, 65mm Vitascope, to show the feature film “Kismet” starring Otis Skinner. Starting in 1934, during some years of the Great Depression, Warner Bros. leased out the theatre for stage shows and concerts the first production being “Calling All Stars” with Judy Canova and Martha Raye which ran for 35 performances.

On October 28, 1936 it was renamed 51st Street Theatre and a new main entrance in an Art Deco design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright was opened on W. 51st Street. With its new name the first stage production was “Sweet River” a George Abbott production of a musical based on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” which only ran for 5-performances. The 51st Street Theatre name didn’t last long as the theatre reopened as the Hollywood Theatre on August 11, 1937 with the movie “The Life of Emile Zola” starring Paul Muni. In November 1939 the last of “George White’s Scandals” transferred from the Alvin Theatre to finish its run at the Hollywood Theatre. It was briefly renamed 51st Street Theatre when Lawrence Olivier’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” was staged, opening on May 11, 1940 with Olivier as Romeo and Vivien Leigh as Juliet. The cast also included Dame May Whitty, Edmund O'Brien and Cornel Wilde. It only ran for 35 performances.

It reverted back to its Hollywood Theatre name, operating as a movie theatre with some stage productions including Eddie Cantor in “Banjo Eyes” from December 25, 1941 (126 performances). This was followed by Edie Cantor in a musical version of “Three Men on a Horse” which was proving to be a hit, but had to close prematurely due to Eddie Cantor falling ill.

It was renamed Warner Theatre and went over to movies from August 15, 1947 screening the world premiere of William Powell in “Life with Father”. On May 16, 1948, the Warner Theatre closed. The theatre was sold to an independent theatre producer who renamed it Barfar Theatre and a move-over of a flop musical comedy named “Hold It” was staged, but it flopped again and the theatre went dark and the movie screen was removed.

The theatre reopened for stage shows with a revue “All For Love” which opened on January 22, 1949 (121 performances). It was renamed Mark Hellinger Theatre, after the producer who had passed away on December 21, 1947. The Warner name was then transferred to the Strand Theatre at Broadway and W. 47th Street.

The Mark Hellinger Theatre presented a short Gilbert & Sullivan season at the end of 1949. On December 11, 1949 a musical “Texas Li'l Darlin'” opened and ran for 293 performances. It got lukewarm reviews, but proved to be the first big hit to run in the theatre after almost 20 years. The theatre was on a roll and over the next few years it ran a series of hit musicals. Then on March 15, 1956 it hosted the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady” with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews which lasted for six years (2,717 performances). It was the first hugely successful stage show at this theatre.

By the 1960’s, the theatre’s fortunes began to nosedive. The Nederlander Organization became the new owners in 1970. Some productions were less successful than others and the theatre barely eeked through the 1970’s and 1980’s. The last successful production was Mickey Rooney and Anne Miller in “Sugar Babes”, which ran from September 10, 1979 to 1982 (1,208 performances). The last production at the Mark Hellinger Theatre was Peter Allen’s “Legs Diamond” which closed in February 1989.

The Nederlander Organization leased the theatre for 5 years to a church group who had been using the Nederlander Theatre. The interior of the Mark Hellinger Theatre had been given landmark status by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee on November 17, 1987. Three years later, the building was sold for $17 million and became the home for the Times Square Church. The church has well maintained the theatre. Both the exterior and interior are protected by New York City landmark law.

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