The Radio City Music Hall Book

From dust jacket notes: "This ultimate scrapbook of America's most famous, most beloved - and most endangered - theater is a visual and textual feast for any person who ever thrilled to the sight of thirty-six kicking Rockettes, to the sound of the 'Mighty Wurlitzer,' or to the lavish spectacle of this magnificent palace of entertainment. Nearly 150 full-color and black-and-white photographs capture the unique appeal of the Music Hall to millions of peole all over the world - from the sumptuous variety of the stage shows and rare original sketches for sets and costumes to the famous Art Deco interior and candid shots of the fascinating people associated with the Music Hall through the years. Based on the author's interviews with most of the living contributors to the Music Hall phenomenon from 1932 to the present, Charles Francisco's history is filled with facts and charming anecdotes. the story begins with the famous showman S. L. 'Roxy' Rothafel and his dream of a vaudeville palace to end them all, and continues through the design (under the talented hand of Donald Desky) and building of the theater. Francisco describes the business side of the Music Hall operation, including interesting financial information about the hits and flops among the films that have shown there. And his book is filled with warm stories about such Music Hall people as the delightful Muriel 'Duffey' Hake, who retired from thirty years' service as a Rockette at the age of sixty!..."Read More