HoldenIsHere Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I've never seen HOUSEBOAT before today. Cary Grant's reference to the "Watergate concert by the river" was interesting. Did Watergate concerts actually take place in Washington DC or is that a fiction of the movie? Watergate has such a specific connotation today as well as the use of the suffix "gate." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Yes. I believe outdoor concerts were held there from 1935 to 1965 - jet traffic at the National Airport made concerts difficult. These steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial were intended for use by foreign dignitaries and other VIPs visiting our nation's capitol. That plan didn't work out and they gave themselves over to seating for the concerts. Here's a shot of the empty area - the Potomac River is on the left. That's where the concert stage floating on a barge would be. And here's the full set-up at a concert held in 1939. And here's DownGoesFrazier doing a pre-concert check for wads of gum. Just Kidding ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Seems I've heard of those concerts before. A friend of mine claimed to have an old LP of a performance by Rudolf Serkin that was recorded at one of those concerts. Don't know if THAT'S true, but a quick call to then WQRS, which was Detroit's classical music station at the time, and it was confirmed that there indeed WERE concerts held in an outdoor venue connected somehow to the Watergate hotel, but the person I spoke with didn't know if Serkin ever recorded anything while performing there. That's some of the "fun" in watching "classic" movies. Hearing Cary Grant say something about Watergate concerts. Maybe, someday, there'll be a movie in which some guy will be bragging about his cottage on Mount Saint Helens! There already ARE referrences in other movies as to having "lunch at the Automat" or...."Dinner at Jack Dempsey's" Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Yes. I believe outdoor concerts were held there from 1935 to 1965 - jet traffic at the National Airport made concerts difficult. These steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial were intended for use by foreign dignitaries and other VIPs visiting our nation's capitol. That plan didn't work out and they gave themselves over to seating for the concerts. Here's a shot of the empty area - the Potomac River is on the left. That's where the concert stage floating on a barge would be. And here's the full set-up at a concert held in 1939. And here's DownGoesFrazier doing a pre-concert check for wads of gum. Just Kidding ! That photo could be labeled, "Up goes Down Goes Frazier" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Seems I've heard of those concerts before. A friend of mine claimed to have an old LP of a performance by Rudolf Serkin that was recorded at one of those concerts. Don't know if THAT'S true, but a quick call to then WQRS, which was Detroit's classical music station at the time, and it was confirmed that there indeed WERE concerts held in an outdoor venue connected somehow to the Watergate hotel, but the person I spoke with didn't know if Serkin ever recorded anything while performing there. That's some of the "fun" in watching "classic" movies. Hearing Cary Grant say something about Watergate concerts. Maybe, someday, there'll be a movie in which some guy will be bragging about his cottage on Mount Saint Helens! There already ARE referrences in other movies as to having "lunch at the Automat" or...."Dinner at Jack Dempsey's" Sepiatone If you DON'T have deep pockets, it will be dinner at the automat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Here's a shot of the empty area - the Potomac River is on the left. That's where the concert stage floating on a barge would be. And here's the full set-up at a concert held in 1939. Was this the inspiration for the concert barge floating out to sea in At The Circus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Was this the inspiration for the concert barge floating out to sea in At The Circus? That's a good question. Here's a couple of shots: The matte original and the finished shot. Very similar to our Potomac scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.L. Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 The concerts did happen. One summer while visiting my aunt and uncle that lived in Washington D.C. they took me to a variety show on the river in the 1950s. This was a variety show with several different acts. One that I loved was a gentleman with trained terriers. They could do fabulous tricks. The headliner was Danny Kaye. He sang, danced, told stories and did comedy. I was about 7 or 8 and that show left a great memory for my lifetime. I had seen movies with Mr. Kaye and that his performance won me over completely. It was a Great experience for all of us. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 watergate... a gate of a town or castle opening on to a lake, river, or sea. archaic a sluice; a floodgate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Well, that whole Watergate scandal DID become an open floodgate of a sort, didn't it? And thanks+welcome to J.L. for providing this "quantum leap" of an old thread. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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