bansi4 Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 The following schedule of films were Playing at The Capitol Theatre in New York City in the year 1930. It's pre-code heaven, note that many of them were presented on TCM. Of course there was also a stage show. (All movies MGM productions unless otherwise stated) 01/10 - 'Navy Blues' - William Haines & Anita Page 01/17 - 'It's a Great Life' - The Duncan Sisters 01/24 - 'Their Own Desire' - Norma Shearer & Robert Montgomery 01/31 - 'The Bishop Murder Case' - Basil Rathbone & Leila Hyams 02/07 - 'Not So Dumb' - Marion Davies 02/21 - 'Chasing Rainbows' - Bessie Love & Charles King 02/28 - 'A Lady To Love' - Vilma Banky & Edward G Robinson 03/07 - 'Lord Byron of Broadway' - Charles Kaley & Ethelind Terry 03/14 - 'Anna Christie' - Greta Garbo & Charles Bickford 04/04 - 'The Girl Said No' - William Haines & Leila Hyams 04/11 - 'Montana Moon' - Joan Crawford & John Mack Brown 04/18 - 'Free and Easy' - Buster Keaton & Anita Page 04/25 - 'The Ship from Shanghai' - Conrad Nagel & Kay Johnson 05/02 - 'Redemption' - John Gilbert & Eleanor Boardman 05/09 - 'The Divorcee' - Norma Shearer & Chester Morris 05/23 - 'Ladies of Leisure' - Barbara Stanwyck (Columbia) 05/30 - 'The Floradora Girl' - Marion Davies 06/06 - 'In Gay Madrid' - Ramon Novarro & Renee Adoree 06/13 - 'Lady of Scandal' - Ruth Chatterton & Basil Rathbone 06/20 - 'Caught Short' - Marie Dressler & Polly Moran 07/04 - 'The Unholy Three' - Lon Chaney & Lila Lee 07/11 - 'Let Us Be Gay' - Norma Shearer & Rod La Rocque 07/25 - 'The Sins of the Children' - Robert Montgomery & Leila Hyams 08/01 - 'Our Blushing Brides' - Joan Crawford & Robert Montgomery 08/15 - 'Way Out West' - William Haines & Leila Hyams 08/22 - 'Romance' - Greta Garbo 09/05 - 'Good News' - Bessie Love 09/12 - 'The Call of the Flesh' - Ramon Novarro & Dorothy Jordan 09/19 - 'Doughboys' - Buster Keaton & Sally Eilers 09/26 - 'Love in the Rough' - Robert Montgomery & Dorothy Jordan 10/10 - 'Those Three French Girls' - Fifi D'Orsay & Reginald Denny 10/17 - 'Billy the Kid' - John Mack Brown & Wallace Beery 11/07 - 'A Lady's Morals' - Grace Moore 11/14 - 'Brothers' - Bert Lytell & Dorothy Sebastian (Columbia) 11/21 - 'Min and Bill' - Marie Dressler & Wallace Beery 12/05 - 'Remote Control' - William Haines & Eileen Percy 12/12 - 'Way For a Sailor'- John Gilbert & Leila Hyams 12/19 - 'Passion Flower' - Kay Francis & Charles Bickford Compiled by theatre historian Sean Vincent Quinn and posted at Cinema Treasures. The grand Capitol Theatre was demolished in 1967. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vallo13 Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 Wow, and what did it cost to get in? about 10 cents. And as you stated they also had a stage show (sigh)...... vallo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted April 19, 2006 Author Share Posted April 19, 2006 Vallo, that was probably close to the admission price. Can you believe all those movie titles in just one year? And the stage shows usually featured big names of the day. It must have been like going to heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomagain77 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 What a find Mongo!!!!!! Thank you for posting that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 It was my pleasure, tomagain. It is such an impressive list of pre-codes all in one theatre, I just couldn't resist. Just imagine all the stars and stars-to-be entering the era of the talkies in those movies. There will be nothing like it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vecchiolarry Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Hi, Great find and great list. I've only seen "The Divorcee" and none of the others. I think I've been in the Capitol Theater but can't remember where it was. I know it was torn down but can't remember where it was and what's there now........ Help!! If I remember correctly, it was a gigantic movie palace and I saw "Quo Vadis" there Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 Larry, the Loew's Capitol Theatre was located at 1645 Broadway at 54th. St. In it's place is now the Paramount Plaza, across from the Winter Garden. On November 8th, 1951 MGM's "Quo Vadis" premiered on a continuous run at the Capitol. The epic didn't do as well as expected and closed on December 30th, replaced the next day by MGM's "Westward the Women". During it's last 6 years of life the Capitol Theatre featured the wonderful Cinerama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollbergsmith Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 That's really cool. For my website (www.detroitmoviepalaces.com), I've been digging through old newspapers to see what was going on at some still-operating Detroit area movie theaters 75, 50, and 25 years ago. For example, in 1931, Monday night was Guest Night at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor, which meant that an extra movie was shown after the last showing of the regular film. Here's the Guest Night double bills for April 1931: 4/6: Honor Among Lovers (Claudette Colbert and Fredric March) w/ Anybody's Woman (Ruth Chatterton and Clive Brook) 4/13: Charlie Chan Carries On (Warner Oland) w/ Common Clay (Constance Bennett and Lew Ayres) 4/20: City Lights (Charlie Chaplin) w/ Manslaughter (Claudette Colbert and Fredric March) 4/27: Dishonored (Marlene Dietrich and Victor McLaglen) w/ Love in the Rough (Robert Montgomery) It's interesting to note that the ads of 1931 highlight the sound system. A competing theater in Ann Arbor was "The Theatre with Perfect Sound!". I'd guess that the most interesting thing about the 1930 films for audiences was how well their silent favorites were adapting to sound (some good, some not-so-good). They were probably also curious about the new stars of Talkies, like Barbara Stanwyck. Guest night at the Michigan on 3/2/31 included all this: - Organist Bob Howland - Big Man from the North (a Warner Brothers cartoon) - Up to Mars (a Paramount Talkartoon) - Paramount Sound News - Illicit with Barbara Stanwyck (main feature) - Disreali with George Arliss (second feature) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vecchiolarry Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Hi Mongo, Thanks for the information. I was in this theater for "Quo Vadis" just before Christmas that year. It's the only time I was in it. It was quite a beautiful place; why do they pull down everything beautiful in new York City. Stupid!!!!! Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 Larry, it broke my heart when they demolished the Roxy Theatre, which was the grandest of all movie palaces. There is a photogaph that exists of movie queen Gloria Swanson, standing amid the ruins of the Roxy, since her film was the first to play there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vecchiolarry Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Mongo, I have been in the Roxy a few times and it was grand and beautiful also. I remember seeing that picture of Gloria among the rubble. What stupidity to tear that place down. Was this a Mayor Koch fowl-up or ****-up as the case may be?????? Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted April 22, 2006 Author Share Posted April 22, 2006 Larry, Sadly, the decline in attendance that had begun in the 1950's spilled over into the early 60's and the Roxy, despite numerous protests, was razed in 1961. In its place sits a non-descript and unremarkable office building. The neighboring Taft Hotel survives to this day and is the only evidence that this epic structure was ever here. A TGI Friday's occupies its original entrance. The Roxy was demolished long before Koch was mayor, although he is credited for saving Radio City Music Hall. The end of the Roxy signified the beginning of the end for thousands of movie palaces across the country. With its destruction, New York City began to destroy its past for urban renewal and the city, and movie palaces, have never been the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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