Morosco Theatre- Page 3

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 4:18pm

Can anyone else find old marquees of theatres? I can't find any on Google, but maybe I'm looking wrong. I like seeing old marquees of theatres, even ones that are still in use, just under a different name.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 4:29pm

"I'm not quite sure what happened with the Ford Center to prompt the change to Hilton, to be honest. I remember the change was made very suddenly. As best as I can figure, it had something to do with Livent. They were the original owners/leaseholders of the theatre so perhaps when they went bankrupt, Hilton bought their lease out or something and changed the theatre's name?"

When Livent went bankrupt, Clear Channel subsidiary Live Nation bought its assets and assumed control over continuing leases. Hilton paid Live Nation to re-name the theatre. Most likely the naming rights were not absorbed by the new leases, since the company that had the agreement no longer existed.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 4:56pm

Great thread, guys. Sort of depressing, though...

I guess I'm one of the few who doesn't really have a problem with the current Marquis theater. I think it's pretty nice, but then again, I'm too young to ever have seen what died for it.

[amoni]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 5:48pm

I got to grab a brick from The Morosco. I went to a Wed matinée that week and we were walking past. The whole area was chain linked fenced off. There was worker on a Bulldozer and I asked if if I could get one. He said I was they only one who talked to him decently that week, poor guy it really wasn't his fault, and people were harassing him as they passed. He let me in the fence so I could grab one. It has a chunk of cement on it too. I had to drag it around the rest of the day.

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 8:56pm

Bennett>
Heres a thread about the Times Square. Its a bit old but I believe the information from Smaxie and myself is still acurate.

Edit (forgot the link)

Link

Updated On: 12/11/07 at 08:56 PM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 9:05pm

Thank you everyone for this thread. Fascinating.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 10:11pm

Any pictures of the marquis theatre entrance? I wish they would do something with their marquee.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 10:25pm

One of the best threads on the board guys! Brilliant! Dont let it die please.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 10:47pm

I also love it when these threads manage to pop up. So much great information! I wish there was a creative way to solve the problems of bringing the Times Square Theatre back to life. Maybe get the Times Square Church to move there, and then take back the Mark Hellinger! Even though it does seat about 800 less people.... (I can wish can't I?) I wonder if the Nederlanders are kicking themselves now for having sold it.

Updated On: 12/11/07 at 10:47 PM

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 11:08pm

From the story Margo posted:

"He said the planned redevelopment of 42d Street would return eight theaters to legitimate use and that the proposed midtown rezoning plan 'would encourage the preservation of 44 legitimate Broadway theaters.'"

So which 8 theaters were returned to legitimate use? And since we don't have 44 theaters on Broadway now, what theaters were lost in that time?

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 11:23pm

There are 39. Plus the Miller.
Im sure that the New 42 statement included the New Victory.
That article was pre Hilton, American Airlines, New Amsterdam and pre a legit 54.

Updated On: 12/11/07 at 11:23 PM

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 11:37pm

Does anyone know what happened to the Edison Theatre? I found it on Wikipedia and IBDB, but don't have much info about its size or current status.

*Edit: It looks like the space has recently been taken over by the supper club.* It sounds like the interior is on good shape, but they won't let you see photos unless you are a part of the club.*

Updated On: 12/11/07 at 11:37 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 8:48am

Here's what the interior of the Supper Club looks like (on a good day). It is at least in better shape than it was as the Edison Theatre.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 9:09am

Looks like a hell of a lot of remodeling has gone on to help it look more like a dance hall than a theatre.
Once again, i ADORE these informative threads. x

[Timmer]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 12:43pm

What was the third theatre torn down to make room for the Marriott Marquis?

I always wondered why they couldn't have put the hotel somewhere else in the theatre district.

Re the reference to the Henry Miller: For those of you who are fans of old comedy, as I am, one of the Marx Brothers' shows played there ([i]Animal Crackers[/i], I believe.)

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 12:51pm

The Morosco, Helen Hayes and Bijou Theatres were all active Broadway theatres up until being torn down in 1982. (The Bijou was pretty much a dump and not a huge loss, but the Morosco was a great playhouse with something like seven Pulitzer Prize winning plays that had been performed there, and the Helen Hayes Theatre was a jewel, both inside and out.)

Two other theatres, the Astor and the Gaiety, were also torn down to make way for the Marquis. They had been legit theatres at one time, but had spent most of their lives as movie houses. The Astor had some terrible remodeling done in the 1950s, and later was turned into a used bookstore, but I think the Gaiety remained active as the Victoria movie theatre up to the end.

[Timmer]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 1:16pm

"what was then called CBS Studio 50, the former Hammerstein legitimate theatre, now called the Ed Sullivan Theatre where David Letterman is taped."

That CBS numbering system gave a former disco, now Broadway theatre, its name -- Studio 54. (It' a nice house, BTW. I saw both The Apple Tree and 110 in the Shade there this year.)

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 1:20pm

"They were lovely. Some very prominent theatre professionals were arrested for protesitng durring the demolition (I believe) of the two theatres. Among them were Joe Papp and Tammy Grimes.'

And me, I was one of the ones arrested for protesting right before the demolition.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 1:36pm

"Well, the stars came out and I'm here to report
Celeste Holm is kinda short
Richard Gere's a real cutie
And Coleen Dewhurst has a certain kind of beauty..."

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 1:58pm

Thank you, Smaxie, for those photographs... I am fascinated by that HUGE billboard that started on 45th Street, rounded the corner onto Broadway, and then turned onto 46th... literally over a block long! It was lost with that bunch of Morosco, etc., theaters. I also loved the BIG corner-turning billboard over the Mayfair/DeMille/Embassy Theater across Times Square; it was used to advertise "big" movies like Psycho, The Great Escape, and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines. In the '70s/'80s it was used for Panasonic; it is now chopped into quarters for Wicked, Jersey Boys, etc. So here is a question for you Broadway experts: does there exist anywhere an archive of photographs or artwork for these two (reportedly) largest billboards in the world? One would hate to think that such spectacularly massive efforts, the constantly renewing products of American entertainment capitalism, would have left no permanent evidence of their existence!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 1:59pm

I'd love to see pictures of those old theatres - esp the old Helen Hayes if anyone has any pictures

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 2:02pm

Facade of the old Helen Hayes Theatre.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 2:03pm

Another shot, when it was known as the Folies-Bergere.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 2:04pm

Helen Hayes Theatre proscenium. It still looked pretty much like this at the end.

Updated On: 12/12/07 at 02:04 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 2:08pm

No comment...