{"id":4128,"date":"2017-03-05T11:13:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-05T16:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drivingfordeco.com\/staging\/3617\/?p=4128"},"modified":"2017-06-26T07:07:42","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T11:07:42","slug":"vanished-new-york-city-center-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivingfordeco.com\/staging\/3617\/vanished-new-york-city-center-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Vanished New York City Art Deco: The R-K-O Roxy \/ Center Theatre – Spectacles, Ice Shows, Television & some Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"R-K-O<\/a>

R-K-O Center Theatre, 1934. Looking north on Sixth Avenue from 48th Street. Image from Getty Images.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h3>\n

1934<\/h3>\n

“When Rockefeller still can hoard enough money to let Max Gordon produce his shows – anything goes!”<\/h3>\n

From the 1934 song Anything Goes<\/em> by Cole Porter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Max<\/a>

Theater and film producer, Max Gordon<\/a><\/span>, seated at a desk with a script in his hand, smiling *** Local Caption *** Max Gordon; Vanity Fair, 1934.
Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1934 Max Gordon brought over from Europe the operetta Waltzes From\u00a0Vienna<\/em> and to stage it needed a large theatre. Gordon planned to use a Broadway house for the show, but could not secure a $40,000 bank loan. This is when he approached Radio City. Since the Center Theatre was not meeting its rent as a picture house under R-K-O operation, the Rockefeller interests\u00a0saw this as an opportunity to restore prestige to Radio City. Before The Great Waltz<\/em> (the Broadway title of Waltzes From Vienna<\/em>) could move into the Center Theatre, structural revision were necessary. The Rockefeller interests took on this investment which cost them $150,000, and gave Cole Porter a pithy line for the song “Anything Goes”.<\/h4>\n

In an \u00a0interview, Hassard Short<\/a><\/span>, director of The Great Waltz<\/em> explained the problems of the theatre:<\/h4>\n

“Of course, we have had a very difficult problem with this theatre. ‘The Great Waltz’ is about the Johann Strausses, father and son, and that means the period of the 1840’s. You can see for yourself that there couldn’t be anything more modern than the Center, even if it is rather badly constructed for theatre purposes. We Hope to resolve this incongruity with some extensive remodeling in the theatre.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“What’s the matter with the Center? Well, simply this: It was built as a ‘presentation’ house, and certain features of it are consequently unsuitable for our purposes. Take the turn table for example. Although the stage width is sixty feet, the diameter of the table is only twenty-five. By cutting ten feet from the width of the stage and adding ten to the diameter of the table, we have greatly increased its utility.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“When alterations are completed the Center will have lost completely its picture-house appearance. The organ consoles and fluted lofts will be covered with steel and canvas to conform with the fire laws. A new proscenium will cut the eighty-foot height of the stage almost in half and will do away \u00a0with the contour curtain.”<\/em><\/p>\n

New York Herald-Tribune<\/em>, August 12, 1934, pg. D2<\/p>\n

\"NYT<\/a>

New York Times advertisement for the opening of The Great Waltz. September 22, 1934.<\/p><\/div>\n

Opening on September 22, 1934, the show received mixed reviews.\u00a0Some critics felt that The Great Waltz<\/em> couldn’t last for more than a few weeks. Because of its Rockefeller, RCA & R-K-O connections, it had the strongest publicity and promotion campaign of any legit show. Which resulted in strong patronage from out-of-town visitors.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n
\"Postcard<\/a>

Advertising postcard for The Great Waltz at the Center Theatre, Rockefeller Center, NY. Image from Ebay.<\/p><\/div>\n

Declining\u00a0business in late spring of 1935 made the management decide to close the show for a few weeks. It re-opened in early August and closed for good on September 16, 1935. During its run of just about a year The Great Waltz<\/em> sold over one million tickets and made more money than any Broadway show of the 1934-1935 season.<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Playbill for The Great Waltz<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\t\t