I came across these two pictures of the premieres of  FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT and REAR WINDOW, both being screened at the RIVOLI THEATRE  which was at 1620 Broadway, New York.

 

I then discovered a great site , Cinema Treasures. Org which is a vast illustrated history of American cinemas. http://cinematreasures.org

These photos of the RIVOLI ( a 2000 seater) convey so much of the atmosphere surrounding a big film premiere.

The RIVOLI was a United Artists cinema and would of course showcase UA releases like Foreign Correpondent.

I love how, in  the queue for the 1940 Hitchcock film are a bobbysoxer, a sailor and a chap with a straw hat.

I wonder what stars of the film attended.

14 years later the Rivoli hosts the world premiere of REAR WINDOW and again, crowds line up,probably to see the stars arriving .

Lindys restaurant is still to the left of the theatre. The United Artists logo isn’t visible – maybe gone after the studios had to divest themselves of their cinemas.

 

The Rivoli opened in 1917 and lasted till 1987 when it was demolished . Its Greek  columns were a distinctive feature down through the years.

 

 

The RIVOLI ‘s frontage often had huge advertising hoardings.

WHOOPEE ! is advertised as being “All Technicolor”. It was in fact two-strip Technicolor.

I haven’t seen Whoopee!  but  read that some of the Goldwyn girls included Ann Sothern, Paulette  Goddard, Virginia Bruce and Betty Grable.

 

 

WHITE ZOMBIE, with Bela (Dracula) Lugosi.

Love all the figures below the title.

 

 

BARBARY COAST, with Edward G. Robinson .

To the left of the RIVOLI is the  Winter Garden Theatre which opened in 1911 and is still going strong today.

I tried to make out what was showing at the Winter Garden in 1935 when  Barbary Coast opened. The only title that might fit is AT HOME ABROAD which starred Ethel Waters and Eleanor Powell.

 

 

(The Winter Garden Theatre was showing HELLZAPOPPIN.)

 

 

The sign says  “and don’t forget Jack Benny’s here.” Not sure what that means.IMDB doesn’t list any films for Jack in 1932.

Maybe in person?

 

 

 

 

 

 

A world premiere. I wonder if the stars of COME TO THE STABLE attended.

 

 

 

 

“Richard Widmark is savagely villainous!”

 

 

The interior of the Rivoli. Wow. Movie Palace is the right name for these enormous cinemas.

 

 

The RIVOLI  has CLEOPATRA .1963.

I was interested to check out what was listed in the Theatre Directory column:

CLAUDETTE COLBERT in “The Irregular Verb To Love”.

KIRK DOUGLAS in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”.

CHARLES BOYER in “Man And Boy”.

MAUREEN O’SULLIVAN in”Never Too Late”.