Radio City Music Hall
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{{Infobox Venue
| name = Radio City Music Hall
| image = [[Image:Radio city exterior.jpg|222px]]
| image_caption = Front facade of the Radio City Music Hall
| nickname = Radio City, Showplace of the Nation
| location = 1260 [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Sixth Avenue]] (aka Avenue of the Americas)<br>[[New York City]], [[New York]]
| coordinates = {{coor dms|40|45|35|N|73|58|45|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark}}
| type = Indoor [[theatre]]
| broke_ground =
| built =
| opened = [[December 27]], [[1932]]
| expanded =
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = [[Cablevision]] (through Madison Square Garden L.P.)
| former_names =
| seating_type = Reserved
| seating_capacity = 5,933 / 6,015
}}
'''Radio City Music Hall''' is an entertainment venue located in [[New York City]]'s [[Rockefeller Center]]. Its nickname is the ''Showplace of the Nation'', and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city. Its interior was declared a city landmark in 1978.
== History ==
The 12 acre (49,000 m²) complex in [[midtown (Manhattan)|midtown]] [[Manhattan]] known as Rockefeller Center was developed between 1929 and 1940 by [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.]], on land leased from [[Columbia University]]. Rockefeller initially planned a new home for the [[Metropolitan Opera]] on the site, but after the [[Wall Street Crash 1929|Stock Market Crash of 1929]], the plans changed and the opera company withdrew from the project.
The names "Radio City" and "Radio City Music Hall" derive from one of the complex's first tenants, [[RCA|the Radio Corporation of America]]. Radio City Music Hall was a project of Rockefeller, [[Samuel Roxy Rothafel]] who previously opened the [[Roxy Theatre (New York City)|Roxy Theatre]] in 1927, and RCA chairman [[David Sarnoff]]. RCA had developed numerous studios for [[NBC]] at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, just to the south of the Music Hall, and the radio-TV complex that lent the Music Hall its name is still known as the [[NBC Radio City Studios]].
The Music Hall opened to the public on December 27, 1932 with a spectacular stage show, featuring [[Ray Bolger]] and [[Martha Graham]]. The opening was meant to be a return to high class variety entertainment. Unfortunately, it was not a success and on January 11, 1933, the first film was shown on the giant screen: Frank Capra's ''[[The Bitter Tea of General Yen]]'' starring [[Barbara Stanwyck]].
Radio City has 5,933 seats for spectators; it became the largest movie theater in the world at the time of its opening. Designed by [[Edward Durell Stone]], the interior of the theater, by [[Donald Deskey]], incorporates glass, aluminum, chrome, and geometric ornamentation. Deskey rejected the [[Rococo]] embellishment generally used for theaters at that time in favor of a contemporary [[Art Deco]] style, borrowed heavily from a European Modern aesthetic style, of which he was the foremost exponent at the time.
For much of the theater's history, it presented both a movie and a stage show as part of the same program. By the 1970s, changes in film distribution made it difficult for Radio City to secure exclusive bookings of many films; furthermore, the theater preferred to show only [[MPAA rating|G-rated]] movies, which became less common as the decade wore on{{Fact|date=April 2008}}. Regular film showings at Radio City ended in 1979, when Radio City was saved from a possible closure due to lack of funds. Movie premieres and feature runs have occasionally taken place there in subsquent years. In 1980, after a renovation, the Music Hall reopened with a focus on concerts and live stage shows.
== Attractions ==
[[Image:S 088.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Radio City's marquee promoting the [[Radio City Christmas Spectacular|Christmas Spectacular]] in December 2007.]]
The Great Stage, measuring 66.5 feet (20 m) deep and 144 feet (44 m) wide, resembles a setting sun. Its system of elevators was so advanced that the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] incorporated identical hydraulics in constructing [[World War II]] aircraft carriers; according to Radio City lore, during the war, government agents guarded the basement to assure the Navy's technological advantage.
The Music Hall's ''[[Wurlitzer organ|Mighty Wurlitzer]]'' pipe organ is the largest theater pipe organ built for a movie theater: Twin identical consoles flank both sides of the Great Stage, 144 feet apart; its 4,410 pipes are installed in chambers on either side of the proscenium's arch. Installed in 1932, the instrument was the largest produced by the [[Wurlitzer|Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company]] of [[North Tonawanda, New York]]; it was built as a serious concert instrument rather than to accompany silent movies, capable of playing many styles of music including classical organ literature. A rebuild of the historic organ was undertaken that was completed in time for the theater's restoration in 1999. A smaller Wurlitzer organ was installed in the theater's radio studios, but was put into storage when the studio was converted into office space.
The theater is home to the [[Radio City Christmas Spectacular]], a New York Christmas tradition since 1933, and to the women's precision dance team known as [[The Rockettes]]. Currently leased to and managed by [[Cablevision]], the theater is also used for a variety of concerts and special events:
* In 1998, Latin pop artist [[Luis Miguel]] held shows in the hall by selling out five consecutive shows in five straight nights, and also sold out four straight nights in four straight concerts in 2000.
* Famous [[progressive metal]] band, [[Dream Theater]], recorded their concert here on April 1, 2006 during their 20th anniversary tour and released it on a 3CD/2DVD live album named ''[[Score (album)|Score]].''
* [[Heaven and Hell (band)|Heaven and Hell]] recorded their March 30, 2007 concert here, releasing it as a two CD live album and DVD, ''[[Heaven and Hell: Live from Radio City Music Hall]].''
* The Music Hall is the usual regular home of the [[Daytime Emmy Award]] ceremony (although the 2006 and 2007 shows were held in Los Angeles) and the [[Tony Awards]] (with occasional sojourns into local theaters).
* The hall is the frequent site of the annual [[MTV Video Music Awards]] (although the ceremony has occasionally been held since the 1990s in other cities such as [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], and in 2007, [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]). It has often been the venue for the [[Grammy Awards]] in years when New York has won the bid (usually over [[Los Angeles]]) to host the show (although New York's [[Madison Square Garden]], also owned by Cablevision, were hosts in 2003).
* On January 15, 2000, Radio City Music Hall played host to its first ever sports event, a boxing card that featured undisputed [[light heavyweight]] champion [[Roy Jones, Jr.]] defeating David Telesco in the main event, and in the co-feature [[heavyweight]] [[David Izon]] defeating [[Derrick Jefferson]].
* The [[New York Liberty]] played some of their 2004 home games at Radio City while [[Madison Square Garden]] was reserved for the [[2004 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]].
* The Great Stage has been home to the [[NFL Draft]] since 2006. (The Draft was previously held at [[Madison Square Garden]] until Cablevision's opposition over a [[West Side Stadium|proposed Jets stadium]] caused the NFL to move the [[2005 NFL Draft|2005 draft]] to the [[Jacob K. Javits Convention Center|Jacob Javits Convention Center]]. After the stadium dispute was settled, the NFL moved the draft to another Cablevision-owned venue, Radio City.)
* In April of 2008, Radio City was used for an [[Elton John]] concert to raise funds for the [[Hillary Clinton]] Presidental Campaign. Tickets ranged from $150.00 to $2,500.00 and the concert was sold out.
* In addition, Radio City Music Hall is also the regular home of [[commencement]] ceremonies for [[Hunter College]] and [[Pace University|Pace University's]] New York City campus.
* Radio City Music Hall is the theater/studio to tape its road shows of the [[Merv Griffin]] shows, ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' and ''[[Wheel of Fortune (US game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'', in New York City.
==Further reading==
*Okrent, Daniel. ''Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center'', New York: Viking Press, 2003.
*Roussel, Christine. ''The Art of Rockefeller Center'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006.
==See also==
*[[Rockefeller Center]]
*[[Rockefeller family]]
*[[Donald Deskey]]
*[[Edward Durrell Stone]]
==External links==
{{Commons|Category:Radio City Music Hall|Radio City Music Hall}}
*[http://www.newyorkcitytheatre.com/theaters/radiocitymusichall/theater.html Guide to events at Radio City Music Hall]
*[http://tickets.musicoil.com/ResultsVenue.aspx?venid=49&vname=Radio+City+Music+Hall Events at Radio City Music Hall]
*[http://manhattan.about.com/od/historyandlandmarks/a/rockefellercent_3.htm History of Radio City Music Hall]
*[http://www.radiocity.com Official site]
*[http://cinematreasures.org/theater/55/ Radio City Music Hall at Cinema Treasures]
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41082-2004Aug4.html ''Washington Post'' feature on conversion of Radio City for New York Liberty]
[[Category:Theatres in New York City]]
[[Category:Concert halls in the United States]]
[[Category:Cablevision]]
[[Category:Rockefeller Center]]
[[Category:Registered Historic Places in Manhattan]]
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