Tag Archives: Donald Deskey

I Found Waldo!

On a recent trip to visit family, I travelled through Waldo, Florida, home of the Waldo Antique Village and Flea Market. I was impressed by the variety of goods as well as the fair prices and friendly service. Depression glass, Chase items and ephemera were highlights. I was able to purchase, a Hankscraft Egg Cooker with 4 egg cups for under $20.00.

The outdoor flea market is a mix of new mass produced items, farm equipment, livestock, and the ever sought after Deco. Arranged in in long covered stalls, take the time to explore each table for a treasure. I picked up two mirrored Deco clocks, one alarm and the other a desk clock (non-working condition), for $5.00 each. For the price, I am willing to invest in bringing them back to life.

The Ole Cracker House was my nest stop. Bright, well laid out with a nice mix of inventory. I loved the Chase lamp but it was jut out of my price range.

At the Wagon Wheel, I found this tea pot with the original strainer in near mint condition. There is a small area on the handle where the metallic trim has rubbed off. Otherwise, it is in perfect condition.

Diggers was a real surprise. Reasonably priced glassware to high end furniture shared space in this little jewel.

The Ocala Antiques Mall and Estates recently opened. With the stock and vendors just coming in, this is one to keep an eye on. If you are a collector of Fiesta, one vendor was well stocked with everything from the more common pieces up to, and including a covered onion soup!

Located in Wildwood, Florida, the Wildwood Antique Mall was the largest of the stores I visited. Huge inventory with something for everyone. It is well lighted and nicely organized. Prices were fair with some real bargains if you are willing to dig in some of the more overcrowded booths. If you collect Frankoma, how about a pair of plum ocelots? Or maybe you need the ever popular Westbend Hot/Cold server? There were a few more places I hit but that’s all for now.

Chris

Happy Birthday Radio City Music Hall

6th Avenue & 50th Street

6th Avenue & 50th Street

Eighty two years ago today, December 27th, 1932, the Radio City Music Hall opened it’s doors. Originally named the International Music Hall, but changed, before it opened, to honor Rockefeller Center’s largest tenant, NBC, which would move to the RCA Building directly across the street a few months after the Music Hall opened; and like NBC the Music Hall was also owned by an RCA subsidiary, RKO. This was the largest theatre in the RKO chain. Managed by famed theatrical impresario Samuel Rothafel (1882 – 1936), better known as Roxy, had a string of successes in New York City movie theatre presentations, starting with the Regent at St. Nicholas Avenue and West 116th in 1913. In 1931 he Rockefeller Center Corporation hired him to helm the two huge theatres they were building, the Radio City Music Hall and the smaller and now demolished RKO Roxy Theatre.

The southern facade of the Music Hall, showing the Hildreth Meiere Medallions "Dance" and "Drama".

The southern facade of the Music Hall, showing the Hildreth Meiere Medallions “Dance” and “Drama”.

In Roxy’s plans for the two theatres the RKO Roxy was the movie stage show theatre, while the Music Hall would be high-class two a day Vaudeville. It was a cold and rainy opening night and the theatre was still half empty at the scheduled curtain time of 8:15. Roxy held the curtain till just before 9:00 when the massive show started. A show that included Ray Bolger, Weber and Fields, De Wolf Hopper, A Ballet Corp, the Roxyettes (later rechristened as the Rockettes), and many others and songs by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh and Harry Ravel and Mack Gordon. By intermission it was very obvious that something was wrong and the show was running very late. By the time the curtain came down on the second act it was almost one in the morning. More than half the audience had left long before the end of the show and Roxy collapsed and had to be carried from the theatre on a stretcher.

While theatre itself was an artistic triumph with interiors created by one of the top industrial designers of the time Donald Deskey (1894 – 1989), the vaudeville policy was not. The theatre was just too massive for the intimacy necessary for successful vaudeville. While recuperating in the hospital, Roxy was removed as the artistic director of the Music Hall and the new management instituted the movie stage show policy that was a proven success. On January 11, 1933 The Bitter Tea of General Yen, would be the first film shown in the Music Hall. And movies and stage shows would continue in the theatre for the next 45 years.

: A Radio City Hall brochure and the interior of a 1935 program during the run of ALICE ADAMS.

: A montage of Music Hall programs from 1935 – 1955

: Programs 1935 – 1955

With the end of the movie stage show policy in April of 1978, it was announced that the Radio City Music Hall would be demolished. Luckily at the eleventh hour the theatre was rescued from destruction and became a special events venue. It hosts everything from rock concerts, to the Tony Awards and of course the Christmas Spectacular. A restoration in 2000 brought back many details and furnishings that had been removed or altered over the years. Already restored were the Meiere medallions, the story of their creation and restoration is at art conservator, Steve Tatti’s, blog – click here to read the story. If you have never been in the Radio City Music Hall, make sure to take a tour the next time you are in New York City.

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’ Tiquen’ Guys)

The southern facade of the Music Hall, showing the Hildreth Meiere Medallions "Drama" and "Song".

The southern facade of the Music Hall, showing the Hildreth Meiere Medallions “Drama” and “Song”.

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