Radio City Music Hall

Yes 100k in ‘70 was pretty disastrous for such a large operation as the Hall’s. 145k was a very poor opening week. And as the Christmas show was already in rehearsal at the end of Oct and it used sets from previous shows especially The Nativity(what a loss that is! The Leonidoff pageant was a beauty) it would not have been difficult to get it in place in three weeks of rehearsal. Just from the first week’s poor showing the Music Hall audience had no interest in the film. If only the Music Hall had chosen one of Mel Brooks’ very best films The Twelve Chairs. A family friendly film perfect for the Music Hall audiences. Scrooge was a big success opening week and as previously the Christmas season didn’t start until early December it was shortly after that I noticed the season started earlier and earlier. Now it was acceptable to start making money off of Christmas mid Nov when before it would have been considered absurdly early. Manhattan merchants would have noticed this. And from there…

TNYT OCT 30 ‘70 Vincent Canby The real subject of the film, however, is one much closer to Mr. Wilder’s other movie fantasies (“Some Like It Hot,” “Kiss Me Stupid”). That is, sex. To put it bluntly, and profanely, were Holmes and Dr. Watson—Holmes’s biographer, his most earnest admirer and the sharer of his secrets and of his flat— lovers? I suspect that only Billy Wilder would have the nerve to raise such a question, and then to dispatch it in a movie that is gentle enough to become the Thanksgiving holiday attraction at the Music Hall.

TNYT NOV 20 ‘70 Vincent Canby “Scrooge” opened yesterday at the Radio City Music Hall as the Christmas attraction, approximately five weeks early. The last “A Christmas Carol” to play the Hall, a version produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1938, was unveiled three days before Christmas. When the next version opens—I estimate in 2001—it may be on the Fourth of July.

Alex Baldwin representing PETA is calling for the elimination of all animals from The Nativity. Not that I care because it’s not Leonidoff’s. It’s a pale cheap imitation looking like it belongs in the midwest somewhere. I saw it once and that was enough. Where I always looked forward to it during its stage show/film period, beautiful. I remember the delight of the audience of the Magi on the horse and the camel.

Well if she did there is no record of it. She’s never mentioned it despite talking about going for the first time to the Hall to see The Jolson Story and her excitement at BBB opening there and seeing herself on the screen. I saw her live show there. She also I believe did a TV special including the Rockettes.

My wife worked on the christmas show for 12 prior to 2020. She told me you would not believe how pampered those animals are. They are well taken care of and not in any way abused or anything .

Tickets have gone on sale for the 2024 “Christmas Spectacular.” which opens on November 8th. Reserved seats are priced from $56 to $438, depending on date, time of performance, and location in the auditorium. Details here