Concerning EdBlanks comment it was why I said I found it on Wikipedia because I know of their unreliability. But just because it is on there it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong either.
I also know that somebody like AlAlvarez knows how to find fairly arcane information concerning film distribution and can put the record straight.
I just hope the guy who booked a condemned rated film for a Christmas show wasn’t sacked. But then he was probably the same guy who booked the equally licentious and morally corrupting The Odd Couple 35 years later.
According to Wikipedia the Music Hall’s first Christmas movie which was just posted by Comfortably Cool received a Condemned rating from the Catholic Legion of Decency.
I hope this was posted outside the Music Hall to warn parents who thought they were bringing their children to a holiday show for the entire family.
The Music Hall’s longest running film The Odd Couple also was condemned.
I have no idea what the people who chose films for the Hall were thinking.
Comfortably Cool placing the Bells of St Mary program in the photo section made me think of Pacino and Keaton outside the Hall in The Godfather.
The displays in the vitrines outside the Music Hall which show the Rockette and ballet company figures behind the actors are the same ones that were used for the stage show with Scrooge. And I only saw this decades after The Godfather came out not having seen it originally.
I know, I know, who cares. Well it did bring back memories.
No SITR was not surround but it had a clarity that was remarkable. Watch the scene when Kelly brings Reynolds into the empty studio. As he turns on each effect there is an instrumental cue. This came through beautifully at the Hall. Have never heard that again. Every time I’ve heard it since the sound is flat mono. Sad because those arrangers were brilliant and those charts(I think that’s what musicians call them) are now I believe buried under some highway in CA.
If you remember the final production number of Scrooge there are various groups that converge and I remember distinctly that it was surround sound. It was simply unexpected and thrilling. It was not slap which is a very different thing. I remember being gobsmacked. Like when I saw MFL at the Warner Cinerama and there were carriage wheels and horses hoofs sounds at the back of the theater.
We forget how sophisticated and detailed film theatrical presentations once were. Like when the lights were dimming for Airport at the Hall and flight announcements were being made(shades of the police calls of Mad World.)
And that SOM presentation at the Music Hall was one of the best film presentations I’ve seen. If that was you R Endres that was astonishing. Gorgeous perfect 70mm print and great sound. If that was Dolby processed sound giving a greater dynamic range to the original tracks looks like I might have to rethink my feelings about Dolby. Singing In the Rain also had spectacular sound(and Technicolor to burn the eyes). Those Salinger arrangements have never sounded so good. Maybe that was handled the same way?
There was definitely sound coming from the back rear of the orchestra for Scrooge. The sound of the choruses came from all around. Due to the darkness maybe there were boxes there that weren’t too noticeable.
Also the spectral clanging of the chains of Marley’s ghost caused a child nearby to cry and people laughed. Not out of malice but because it was so effective.
Also the organ during the SOM wedding was rich and thundering. I could have sworn the Music Hall organ was being played.
The first time I saw large black boxes on the choral stairs was during The Black Cauldron.(I think that was the name of the movie.)Was that ever a big intense loud noisy ordeal. Purely headache inducing. An usher told me it was frightening the children. And far worse than any other Disney cartoon which sequences served a purpose and had some sort of catharsis.
And no Dolby was not an improvement over the gorgeous warm 6 track analogue I heard not only at the Music Hall but also at the Warner and the Rivoli. It did not shout at you but was warm rich and transparent.
You’ve got to remember people’s ears have been severely diminished in their capacity to hear nuance due to decades of damaging loud music in bars, discos, clubs and rock concerts. I understand MP3s are no help though I’ve never heard one.
I’m sure those old 6 track soundtracks simply through age have been lost forever. The most recent restoration of the My Fair Lady soundtrack was worse than the first one in the 90s despite their boasting of going back to the masters. But I concede that also could have been the fault of the multiplex where I saw it.
I only wish there was a theater left in the east that could do justice to these films in terms even of screen size. If I were a billionaire I’d buy the Bellevue which still stands as a multiplex in Montclair and restore it to its Todd AO glory. What a great theater that was.
The Music Hall had a tremendous stereo sound system until the terrible loud digital glare disaster of Dolby.
I’ll never forget how exciting both Scrooge and SOM were just from the sound. Gorgeous multi-track analogue stereo.
Remember nothing was visible or at least I didn’t see anything. There were no stereo boxes either on the choral stairs or hanging from the arches. I mean such idiocy(like the fake arch) in those days was unthinkable.
The final converging choral groups in Scrooge as they came together on screen aurally came together from different parts of the Music Hall auditorium. It was tremendously exciting.
And then the quiet moment of Finney talking to the door knocker.
An astonishing impressive use of the culmination of Roxy’s decades of experience refining his showmanship to create the greatest theater New York has ever seen.
We’ve all seen it a million times and it works very well on TV without seeing it on a large screen.
Half the programming there seems very off. A lot of films that do not benefit from a large screen or look lost in a movie palace. They sure could have used a Frank Rowley or Bruce Goldstein.
NYer posted the opening day ad of the B&B ‘71 Christmas show.
As you can see the secular part had a circus theme.
My memory is that they had made holes in the first arch so that they could suspend the trapezes. Therefore the act took place in the auditorium itself.
I don’t remember exactly but I think the orchestra went down and stagehands put a net over the pit.
This scared the devil out of me as I was very young and had somebody been flung and not taken hold it looked like they could have gone any which way including the stage or choral stairs or audience.
I endured this twice and it was terrific but it made me very nervous.
It’s also unfortunate the film was heavily cut before release to the Hall. I’ve never seen the restored cut.
And the article was written by Vincent Canby who I have no doubt had no interest in fact checking anything about these 2 films mentioned and just copied what was in the handed out press release. Being that this was very recent history didn’t the manager of the Rivoli notice this?
I understand the Rivoli,I believe I read this in an old Variety on microfilm, itself was not happy about letting go of SOM and fought to hold on to it being that it was still so successful.
I can’t understand why the film didn’t have its ‘73 big ballyhooed rerelease there. I was old enough to finally have seen it in one of my favorite movie theaters. You know 'The Sound of Music returns home!’ that kind of thing. Instead it played at the National a theater I didn’t like so I didn’t bother.
The Sand Pebbles is like Zhivago. Why oh why wasn’t it filmed in 70MM? Was it that expensive at that point when other films were still doing it and both Wise and Lean would use it for their next films?
Other films of the era that definitely could have used it were Hawaii, Oliver! and Funny Girl.
Concerning EdBlanks comment it was why I said I found it on Wikipedia because I know of their unreliability. But just because it is on there it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong either.
I also know that somebody like AlAlvarez knows how to find fairly arcane information concerning film distribution and can put the record straight.
I just hope the guy who booked a condemned rated film for a Christmas show wasn’t sacked. But then he was probably the same guy who booked the equally licentious and morally corrupting The Odd Couple 35 years later.
According to Wikipedia the Music Hall’s first Christmas movie which was just posted by Comfortably Cool received a Condemned rating from the Catholic Legion of Decency.
I hope this was posted outside the Music Hall to warn parents who thought they were bringing their children to a holiday show for the entire family.
The Music Hall’s longest running film The Odd Couple also was condemned.
I have no idea what the people who chose films for the Hall were thinking.
Comfortably Cool placing the Bells of St Mary program in the photo section made me think of Pacino and Keaton outside the Hall in The Godfather.
The displays in the vitrines outside the Music Hall which show the Rockette and ballet company figures behind the actors are the same ones that were used for the stage show with Scrooge. And I only saw this decades after The Godfather came out not having seen it originally.
I know, I know, who cares. Well it did bring back memories.
There don’t seem to be any photos of the theater in the ad. All of them seem to be of the Loew’s destroyed in ‘31.
And Russell Markert’s Rockets are still performing in 2016.
If only Oliver! had been filmed in 70MM like Funny Girl, Sand Pebbles, Dr Z…
If only.
No SITR was not surround but it had a clarity that was remarkable. Watch the scene when Kelly brings Reynolds into the empty studio. As he turns on each effect there is an instrumental cue. This came through beautifully at the Hall. Have never heard that again. Every time I’ve heard it since the sound is flat mono. Sad because those arrangers were brilliant and those charts(I think that’s what musicians call them) are now I believe buried under some highway in CA.
And The Sting was another great presentation!
That Joplin music never sounded so good.
If I had a hat I’d eat it.
If you remember the final production number of Scrooge there are various groups that converge and I remember distinctly that it was surround sound. It was simply unexpected and thrilling. It was not slap which is a very different thing. I remember being gobsmacked. Like when I saw MFL at the Warner Cinerama and there were carriage wheels and horses hoofs sounds at the back of the theater.
We forget how sophisticated and detailed film theatrical presentations once were. Like when the lights were dimming for Airport at the Hall and flight announcements were being made(shades of the police calls of Mad World.)
And that SOM presentation at the Music Hall was one of the best film presentations I’ve seen. If that was you R Endres that was astonishing. Gorgeous perfect 70mm print and great sound. If that was Dolby processed sound giving a greater dynamic range to the original tracks looks like I might have to rethink my feelings about Dolby. Singing In the Rain also had spectacular sound(and Technicolor to burn the eyes). Those Salinger arrangements have never sounded so good. Maybe that was handled the same way?
There was definitely sound coming from the back rear of the orchestra for Scrooge. The sound of the choruses came from all around. Due to the darkness maybe there were boxes there that weren’t too noticeable. Also the spectral clanging of the chains of Marley’s ghost caused a child nearby to cry and people laughed. Not out of malice but because it was so effective.
Also the organ during the SOM wedding was rich and thundering. I could have sworn the Music Hall organ was being played.
The first time I saw large black boxes on the choral stairs was during The Black Cauldron.(I think that was the name of the movie.)Was that ever a big intense loud noisy ordeal. Purely headache inducing. An usher told me it was frightening the children. And far worse than any other Disney cartoon which sequences served a purpose and had some sort of catharsis.
And no Dolby was not an improvement over the gorgeous warm 6 track analogue I heard not only at the Music Hall but also at the Warner and the Rivoli. It did not shout at you but was warm rich and transparent.
You’ve got to remember people’s ears have been severely diminished in their capacity to hear nuance due to decades of damaging loud music in bars, discos, clubs and rock concerts. I understand MP3s are no help though I’ve never heard one.
I’m sure those old 6 track soundtracks simply through age have been lost forever. The most recent restoration of the My Fair Lady soundtrack was worse than the first one in the 90s despite their boasting of going back to the masters. But I concede that also could have been the fault of the multiplex where I saw it.
I only wish there was a theater left in the east that could do justice to these films in terms even of screen size. If I were a billionaire I’d buy the Bellevue which still stands as a multiplex in Montclair and restore it to its Todd AO glory. What a great theater that was.
The Music Hall had a tremendous stereo sound system until the terrible loud digital glare disaster of Dolby.
I’ll never forget how exciting both Scrooge and SOM were just from the sound. Gorgeous multi-track analogue stereo.
Remember nothing was visible or at least I didn’t see anything. There were no stereo boxes either on the choral stairs or hanging from the arches. I mean such idiocy(like the fake arch) in those days was unthinkable.
The final converging choral groups in Scrooge as they came together on screen aurally came together from different parts of the Music Hall auditorium. It was tremendously exciting.
And then the quiet moment of Finney talking to the door knocker.
You can’t imagine how magnificent it was.
One of the last of the Music Hall’s huge Christmas film/stage show features. I mean when you had to spend many hours on line to get in.
Just try getting in on a weekend or during Christmas week.
I thought that Lawrence was cut by Lean shortly after its original roadshow run had begun.
I believe there is some anecdote about Selznik saying to Lean They’re saying it’s too long but do not cut it.
In the song At the Roxy Music Hall from I Married An Angel Lorenz Hart wrote about sending up a St Bernard to help out patrons.
Terrific film few people know.
Shearer and Veidt(poor guy, fine actor who escaped the nazis and gets stuck playing them) are wonderful in this.
Today Shearer who was really good and one of my favorites from this era always gets a bum rap.
An astonishing impressive use of the culmination of Roxy’s decades of experience refining his showmanship to create the greatest theater New York has ever seen.
68 seats?
It’s too small even for Brief Encounter in an 8mm print.
And that phony arch is criminal.
The Music Hall always framed the size of the stage needed by its magnificent curtain.
As you can see that arch just about obliterates it.
But from what I understand the curtain cannot even do what it used to do! So much for the publicity saturated gazillion dollar restoration.
And Blazing Saddles was in Panavision. Was the movie properly framed by the Music Hall’s film borders?
Do these even still exist?
What a sad dismal pathetic picture.
Well I guess it’s better than not having the Music Hall at all.
The problem is the Hall was not built as a warehouse for junk and shouldn’t be used as such.
The Loew’s is showing Wonderful Life?
Why?
We’ve all seen it a million times and it works very well on TV without seeing it on a large screen.
Half the programming there seems very off. A lot of films that do not benefit from a large screen or look lost in a movie palace. They sure could have used a Frank Rowley or Bruce Goldstein.
They sure dumped Balalaika fast.
I think they did the same thing with No No Nanette the following year. Pulling it fast for The Philadelphia Story.
I remember when Mr Billion was the Easter show (what were they thinking?)and replaced it with some Disney pony movie(what were they thinking?)
I don’t think it did any better.
Christmas'57 wasn’t exactly for the family trade at either the Roxy or the Music Hall.
What were the parents making of all of this?
NYer posted the opening day ad of the B&B ‘71 Christmas show. As you can see the secular part had a circus theme.
My memory is that they had made holes in the first arch so that they could suspend the trapezes. Therefore the act took place in the auditorium itself.
I don’t remember exactly but I think the orchestra went down and stagehands put a net over the pit.
This scared the devil out of me as I was very young and had somebody been flung and not taken hold it looked like they could have gone any which way including the stage or choral stairs or audience.
I endured this twice and it was terrific but it made me very nervous.
It’s also unfortunate the film was heavily cut before release to the Hall. I’ve never seen the restored cut.
And the article was written by Vincent Canby who I have no doubt had no interest in fact checking anything about these 2 films mentioned and just copied what was in the handed out press release. Being that this was very recent history didn’t the manager of the Rivoli notice this?
I understand the Rivoli,I believe I read this in an old Variety on microfilm, itself was not happy about letting go of SOM and fought to hold on to it being that it was still so successful.
I can’t understand why the film didn’t have its ‘73 big ballyhooed rerelease there. I was old enough to finally have seen it in one of my favorite movie theaters. You know 'The Sound of Music returns home!’ that kind of thing. Instead it played at the National a theater I didn’t like so I didn’t bother.
The Sand Pebbles is like Zhivago. Why oh why wasn’t it filmed in 70MM? Was it that expensive at that point when other films were still doing it and both Wise and Lean would use it for their next films?
Other films of the era that definitely could have used it were Hawaii, Oliver! and Funny Girl.