 The Astor Theatre in 1936 | |
 Interactive map of Astor Theatre | |
| Address | 1537 Broadway Manhattan, New York United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′30″N73°59′9″W / 40.75833°N 73.98583°W /40.75833; -73.98583 |
| Type | Broadway |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 21, 1906 |
| Closed | 1972 |
| Demolished | 1982 |
| Years active | 1906–1925 (live theater) 1925–1972 (movie theater) |
| Architect | George Keister |
TheAstor Theatre was located at 1537Broadway, at the corner with 45th Street, onTimes Square inMidtown Manhattan, New York City. It opened on September 21, 1906, with Shakespeare'sA Midsummer Night's Dream[1] and continued to operate as aBroadway theatre until 1925. It then operated as amovie theater, showingfirst runs of films, until it closed in 1972.
The Astor was first managed by Lincoln A. Wagenhals and Collin Kemper, then byGeorge M. Cohan andSam Harris, and later by theShubert Organization. The theater was designed by architectGeorge W. Keister.[2] Among the plays that debuted at the Astor were Cohan'sSeven Keys to Baldpate (1913) andWhy Marry? (1917) byJesse Lynch Williams, the first winner of thePulitzer Prize for Drama.
In 1925,Loew's Theatres bought the Astor and converted it into a movie house in order to have a Times Square "road show" showcase for first-run films from theMGM film studio.The Big Parade (1925) was the first film shown at the Astor where it ran for a continuous 96-week engagement.[3] Other films to make their Times Square debuts at the Astor includeThe Phantom of the Opera (1925),The Broadway Melody (1929),Grand Hotel (1932),The Great Ziegfeld (1936) andGone With the Wind (1939) for MGM;Alfred Hitchcock'sSpellbound (1945) andthe Beatles inA Hard Day's Night (1964) forUnited Artists; andWalt Disney's20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
It was demolished in 1982 to make way for theMarriott Marquis Hotel.[4]
Notes
Bibliography
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