RKO 23rd Street Theatre

265 8th Avenue,
New York, NY 10011

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Showing 1 - 25 of 49 comments

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on January 18, 2024 at 8:20 am

Pike opened it after his opera house in Cincinnati burned down.

AlanCo4
AlanCo4 on January 18, 2024 at 7:45 am

Opened in 1868 as Pikes Opera House, later renamed, Grand Opera House.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on March 3, 2019 at 11:01 am

I just uploaded a 1938 group photo from inside the RKO 23rd St. Does anyone recognize these folks. Gent on the right side looks like Douglas Fairbanks.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on November 22, 2015 at 1:24 pm

JwPhillips – the image following “the box office street shot” shows “We’re in the Money” on the RKO 23rd Street marquee. Notice the Grand Opera House designation. I believe the double feature was a re-release.

JwPhillips
JwPhillips on November 17, 2015 at 1:16 pm

Sorry, typo – that’s “Hugh"Herbert. Short (under 90 minute) comedy features were quite the thing for double feature in the 30s. My old man worked for RKO short features as an advance man during this time – before moving back to Paramount.

JwPhillips
JwPhillips on November 17, 2015 at 1:12 pm

Thought you all might be interested to know that the box-office street shot provided with this address is actually from the earlier location for this 23rdSt. Proctor’s RKO between 6th & 7th on the west side of 23rd in the middle of that block. I can tell from the buildings being reflected in the glass case displaying the poster for “In the Money.”

Also, “In The Money” was a 1935, mid-August, release. It starred Joan Blondell, Hug Herbert, Glenda Farrell, and it does have a funny bit by Lionel Stander in his usual gravel-voiced character bit: as ‘Butch’ Gonzola. The Grand Opera was still looking for a buyer in 1935 and RKO didn’t convert it until 1938.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on June 18, 2012 at 12:36 pm

Oldtimer, I grew up around the corner from the old RKO, my dad was an usher there in the 40s. It truly was beautiful. I remember The Chelsea from the outside but don’t remember going inside. We also went to The Terrace on 23rd Street. When did you attend the old RKO?

The ad shown here should really be under the newer RKO 23rd Street that opened in the 60s.

oldtimer
oldtimer on June 18, 2012 at 12:23 pm

I grew up in the Chelsea area of NYC. There was the RKO on the corner of 23ST. &8th Ave. There was also the Chelsea between 8th & 9th Ave. on 23rd St. I saw MEn of the Fighting Lady at the Chelsea. The RTko was beautiful. To me as a child it was liking going to a palace.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on September 22, 2010 at 3:54 pm

I am doing some research on the theater from the Grand Opera House days to the RKO 23rd St. If you’d like to share some information or memories please post or email me. Thanks. Jerry

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on June 18, 2010 at 11:46 am

Joe:
A belated thank you. Great pix. Funny how I remembered the color of the carpeting. The place meant a lot to us. Jerry

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on February 8, 2010 at 8:33 am

Jerry: The scan is a bit blurry, but Boxoffice Magazine of October 15, 1938, ran an article about the conversion of the Grand Opera House into the RKO 23rd Street, and it has a pair of before-and-after photos showing the foyer and the auditorium.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on August 6, 2009 at 11:49 pm

Here is another 1937 photo by Berenice Abbott:
http://tinyurl.com/mexc7m

EMarkisch
EMarkisch on July 28, 2009 at 2:12 pm

According to the front of the Grand Opera House marquee, the double feature playing on September 3, 1937, the date the photo was taken, was displayed as…

MARRIED BEFORE BREAKFAST with
ROBT YOUNG & FLORENCE RICE
BANK ALARM with CONRAD NAGEL

Both were released in mid June of 1937.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on July 28, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Here is a 1937 photo by Berenice Abott. I bought the book of her photos the other day, “Changing New York 1935-1938”, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys seeing NYC in the 1930s.
http://tinyurl.com/kw3eks

Bway
Bway on May 28, 2009 at 2:30 pm

beautiful photo. Thank you.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on January 5, 2009 at 4:45 pm

Easy Mr. Harris. I probably did copy some of yours and I know that you will find many there that you do not “own”.

Imagine me having the nerve to copy a posted image of my childhood theater. I’m disgraced.

Lighten up, we are all in this for one thing, to relive memories. Or so I thought.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on January 5, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Sorry for the confusion. Lost Memory’s link will do it for you.

Hope to hear from folks with memories of the old RKO.

Bway
Bway on January 5, 2009 at 2:42 pm

I think that’s because when you copy a link from your own photobucket account thumbnails pages, or certain pages, the link is set to be loggedin, so it will log into your “my photobucket”, which of course is different for everyone. The same thing happened to me, but it has something to do with the cookies on your computer, and the particular “my photobucket” page he linked to.
I think he has to use a different link that is publically accessible, which certain ones in each of our accounts aren’t, so the cookie on your computer sends it to you own logged in page.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on January 5, 2009 at 11:53 am

Here is a link to my photobucket album of RKO 23rd St images that I’ve accumulated.

View link

Bway
Bway on January 5, 2009 at 11:35 am

Thanks!
July 8, 2005
Jul 14, 2005
Oct 26, 2005

Bway
Bway on January 5, 2009 at 10:24 am

A lot of the links to the historic images of this theater don’t work. Any current links available?

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on December 26, 2008 at 12:17 pm

Heartbreaking photo of the fire in 1960. I was a young lad standing with my dad watching from this angle. The theater had already been shut down, tragic enough without this happening. Note the OPERA sign in the window.

View link

jflundy
jflundy on December 20, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Jim Fisk was a Wall Street shark and took control of the Erie Railroad along with Jay Gould. The Erie Railroad general Offices were in the Grand Opera House building which was owned by Fisk in the 1870’s. In 1945, one outer door remained with the initials ER still marked on it on 28th Street, long after the Railroad had moved out.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on May 20, 2008 at 3:50 pm

As the Grand Opera House this was showing films at least as early as January 1923 when it ran TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY.

42ndStreetMemories
42ndStreetMemories on February 26, 2008 at 12:28 pm

Excerpt from 1870 NY Illustrated article in two parts:

View link

View link

Jerry