Editing Radio City Music Hall (section)

==History==
{{Rockefeller Center map|highlight=9}}

===Development===

==== Planning ====
The [[construction of Rockefeller Center]] occurred between 1932 and 1940.{{efn|[[30 Rockefeller Plaza]] was the first building to start construction, in March 1932.<ref>{{cite news|page=43|title=First Steel Column Erected in 70-Story Rockefeller Unit|date=March 8, 1932|work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/03/08/issue.html|issn=0362-4331 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |url-status=live|archive-date=March 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163403/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/03/08/issue.html}}</ref> The last building was completed in 1940.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/16/102265018.pdf |title=Airline Building Is Dedicated Here; Governors of 17 States Take Part by Pressing Keys |date=October 16, 1940|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 21, 2017|archive-date=March 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163359/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/16/102265018.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref>}} on land that [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] leased from [[Columbia University]].{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=431}} The Rockefeller Center site was originally supposed to be occupied by a new [[opera house]] for the [[Metropolitan Opera]].{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}} By 1928, [[Benjamin Wistar Morris (architect)|Benjamin Wistar Morris]] and designer [[Joseph Urban]] were hired to come up with blueprints for the house.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=21}} The new building was too expensive for the opera to fund by itself, and it needed an [[Financial endowment|endowment]];{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=13}} the project ultimately gained the support of [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]]{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=13}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=31–32}} The planned opera house was canceled in December 1929 due to various issues,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.pdf|title=Rockefeller Site For Opera Dropped |date=December 6, 1929|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 10, 2017|archive-date=March 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163358/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=11}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=16, 48–50}} but Rockefeller made a deal with [[RCA]] to develop Rockefeller Center as a [[mass media]] complex with four theaters.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=137–138}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/14/96156413.pdf|title=Rockefeller Plans Huge Culture Centre|date=June 14, 1930|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220537/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/14/96156413.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> This was later downsized to two theaters.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=45}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=177}}

[[Samuel Roxy Rothafel]], a successful theater operator who was renowned for his domination of the city's movie theater industry,{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=203}} joined the center's advisory board in 1930.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=91}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=213}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=64}} He offered to build two theaters: a large vaudeville "International Music Hall" on the northernmost block, with more than 6,200 seats, and the smaller 3,500-seat "RKO Roxy" movie theater on the southernmost block.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=213}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=65}}{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|p=355}} The idea for these theaters was inspired by Roxy's failed expansion of the 5,920-seat [[Roxy Theatre (New York City)|Roxy Theatre]] on 50th Street, one and a half blocks away.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=46}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=92}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201932%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201932%2520-%25206106.pdf|title=Roxy Presents New Mood|last=Gilligan|first=Edmund|date=November 29, 1932|work=The New York Sun|access-date=November 11, 2017|page=20|via=[[Fultonhistory.com]]}}</ref> The Music Hall was to have a single admission price of $2 per person.{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|p=355}} Roxy also envisioned an elevated promenade between the two theaters,<ref>{{cite news|last=Brock|first=H.I.|title=Problems Confronting the Designers of Radio City|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=April 5, 1931|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/04/05/102224374.pdf|access-date=November 28, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220542/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/04/05/102224374.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> but this was never published in any of the official blueprints.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=213}}

==== Design process ====
In September 1931, a group of NBC managers and architects toured Europe to find performers and look at theater designs.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=65}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=93}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=214}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=5}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Radio City Leaders Plan Foreign Tour|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |date=September 11, 1931 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/09/11/118233762.pdf|access-date=November 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220539/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/09/11/118233762.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|archive-date=April 3, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the group did not find any significant architectural details that they could use in the Radio City theaters.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=66}}  In any case, Roxy's friend [[Peter Clark (theatrical expert)|Peter Clark]] turned out to have much more innovative designs for the proposed theaters than the Europeans did.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=215}}

Roxy had a list of design requests for the Music Hall.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=94}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=217–218}} First, he did not want the theater to have either a large balcony over the [[Box (theatre)|box seating]] or rows of box seating facing each other, as implemented in opera houses.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=217}} One alternative called for "a rather deep balcony" and a shallower second balcony, but would have obstructed views from the rear orchestra.{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|p=357}}{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|pp=356–357}} Consequently, the final plan used three tiers of balconies, cantilevered off the back wall.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=217}}{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|p=357}} Second, Roxy specified that the stage contain a central section with three parts so the [[Set construction|sets]] could be changed easily.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=5}} Roxy wanted red seats because he believed it would make the theater successful,{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=217}} and he wished for the auditorium to be oval in shape because contemporary wisdom held that oval auditoriums had better acoustic qualities.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=94}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=9}} Finally, he wanted to build at least 6,201 seats in the Music Hall so it would be larger than the Roxy Theatre. There were only 5,960 audience seats, but Roxy counted exactly 6,201 seats by including elevator stools, [[orchestra pit]] seats, and dressing-room chairs.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=217–218}} Roxy also wanted the theater to have an "intimate" design as well. According to architect Henry Hofmeister, a single level of steeply raked [[stadium seating]] would likely have been used in a larger auditorium, quoting a theatrical proverb: "A house divided against the performer cannot stand."{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|p=356}}

Despite Roxy's specific requests for design features, the Music Hall's general design was determined by the Associated Architects, the architectural consortium that was designing the rest of Rockefeller Center.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=5}} The Music Hall was to be at the northwest corner of the Rockefeller Center complex, at the base of the 1270 Sixth Avenue office building; the theater's rear wall would have to support the offices above.{{sfn|Hofmeister|1932|pp=355–356}} Radio City Music Hall was designed by architect [[Edward Durell Stone]]{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=7}} and interior designer [[Donald Deskey]]{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=10}} in the [[Art Deco]] style.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=1}} Stone used [[Indiana Limestone]] for the facade, as with all the other buildings in Rockefeller Center, but he also included some distinguishing features. Three {{convert|90|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} signs with the theater's name were placed on the facade, while intricately ornamented [[fire escape]]s were installed on the walls facing 50th and 51st Streets. Inside, Stone designed {{convert|165|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} Grand Foyer with a large staircase, balconies, and mirrors and commissioned [[Ezra Winter]] for the grand foyer's {{convert|2400|ft2|m2|adj=on}} mural, "Quest for the Fountain of Eternal Youth".{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=9}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=218}} Deskey, meanwhile, was selected as part of a competition for interior designers for the Music Hall.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=220}} He had reportedly called Winter's painting "God-awful" and regarded the interior and exterior as not much better.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=218}} To make the Music Hall presentable in his opinion, Deskey designed upholstery and furniture that was custom to the theater. Deskey's plan was regarded the best of 35 submissions, and he ultimately used the [[rococo]] style in his interior design.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=220–221}}

==== Naming and construction ====
The International Music Hall evolved into a theater called Radio City Music Hall.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-EDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA252|page=252|title=World's Largest Theater in Rockefeller Center Will Seat Six Thousand|magazine=Popular Mechanics|date=August 1932|access-date=August 6, 2012|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818185109/https://books.google.com/books?id=7-EDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA252|url-status=live}}</ref> The names "Radio City" and "Radio City Music Hall" derive from one of the complex's first tenants, the [[RCA|Radio Corporation of America (RCA)]], which planned a [[mass media]] complex called Radio City on the west side of Rockefeller Center.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/14/96156413.pdf|title=Rockefeller Plans Huge Culture Centre; 4 Theatres in $350,000,000 5Th Av. Project; A Huge Theatrical Venture Which Will Exploit Television, Music Radio, Talking Pictures and Plays Will Be Erected, It Was Disclosed Last Night, On the Site Assembled by John D. Rockefeller Jr. Between Fifth And|date=June 14, 1930|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220537/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/14/96156413.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Over time, the appellation of "Radio City" devolved from describing the entire complex to just the complex's western section.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fitch |first1=James Marston |url=https://archive.org/stream/grandcentralterm00fitc |title=Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center: A Historic-Critical Estimate of Their Significance |last2=Waite |first2=Diana S. |date=1974 |publisher=The Division |location=Albany, NY |page=12}}</ref> Radio City Music Hall was the only part of the complex that retained the name by 1937, and the name "Radio City" became shorthand for the theater.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Moscrip |date=1937 |title=Mystery on Sixth Ave. |work=[[Screen & Radio Weekly]] |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FJamaica%2520NY%2520Long%2520Island%2520Daily%2520Press%2FJamaica%2520NY%2520Long%2520Island%2520Daily%2520Press%25201937%2FJamaica%2520NY%2520Long%2520Island%2520Daily%2520Press%25201937%2520-%25206215.pdf |access-date=November 10, 2017 |via=[[Fultonhistory.com]] |url-status=live |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220542/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/Jamaica%20NY%20Long%20Island%20Daily%20Press/Jamaica%20NY%20Long%20Island%20Daily%20Press%201937/Jamaica%20NY%20Long%20Island%20Daily%20Press%201937%20-%206215.pdf}}</ref>

[[File:Radio City Music Hall (36369298022).jpg|thumb|Interior view of auditorium]]
Construction on Radio City Music Hall started in December 1931,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=40}} and the theater [[topped out]] in August 1932.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/08/11/100787345.pdf|title=Facade 'Topped Out' In Rockefeller Unit; Last Stone Laid on Exterior of Music Hall – Work on Other Buildings Speeded.|date=August 11, 1932|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 14, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220548/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/08/11/100787345.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Its construction set many records at the time, including the use of {{convert|15,000|mi}} of copper wire and {{convert|200|mi}} of brass pipe.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/08/18/118224102.html?pageNumber=23|title=Radio City Buys 15,000 Miles of Copper Wire; Early Start Looms in Construction Work|date=August 18, 1931|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 14, 2020|page=23|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220541/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/08/18/118224102.html?pageNumber=23|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 1932, [[Russell Markert]]'s précision dance troupe [[The Rockettes|the Roxyettes]] (later to be known as the Rockettes) left the Roxy Theatre and announced that they would be moving to Radio City. By then, Roxy was busy adding music acts in preparation for the theater's opening at the end of the year.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=96}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=235–236}}

=== Opening ===
Radio City Music Hall opened to the public on December 27, 1932, with a lavish stage show featuring numbers including [[Ray Bolger]], [[Ronnie Mansfield]], [[Doc Rockwell]], [[Martha Graham]], [[Ralph Dumke|The Mirthquakers]], [[The Tuskegee Choir]] and [[Patricia Bowman]].{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=94}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=239–243}}<ref>{{cite news|title=RALPH DUMKE, 64, PERFORMER, DEAD: Former Radio Star Was on Stage, In Films and on TV |work=The New York Times|date=January 6, 1964|page=47}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/27/arts/patricia-bowman-a-ballerina-who-linked-two-eras-of-dance.html|title=Patricia Bowman, A Ballerina Who Linked Two Eras of Dance|author=Jack Anderson|date=April 27, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419213108/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/27/arts/patricia-bowman-a-ballerina-who-linked-two-eras-of-dance.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The opening was meant to be a return to high-class variety entertainment.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201931%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201931%2520-%25200398.pdf|title=Mount Vernon Shares Glory at Opening of Radio City Music Hall in New York|date=December 28, 1932|work=Daily Argus|location=[[Mount Vernon, New York]]|access-date=November 10, 2017|page=16|via=[[Fultonhistory.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Music Hall Marks New Era In Design; Many Traditions in Building of Theatres Cast Aside for Modern Devices|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=December 28, 1932 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/12/28/105940014.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220542/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/12/28/105940014.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Radio City's opening program flopped because the program was very long, spanning from 8&nbsp;p.m. to 2&nbsp;a.m. the next day, and a multitude of acts were crammed onto the world's largest stage, ensuring that individual acts were lost in the cavernous hall. As the premiere went on, audience members, including John Rockefeller Jr, waited in the lobby or simply left early.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=94}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=241–242}} Some news reporters, tasked with writing reviews of the premiere, guessed the ending of the program because they left beforehand.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=242}}

Reviews ranged from furious to commiserate.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=244}} The film historian [[Terry Ramsaye]] wrote that "if the seating capacity of the Radio City Music Hall is precisely 6,200, then just exactly 6,199 persons must have been aware at the initial performance that they were eye witnesses to [...] the unveiling of the world's best 'bust'".<ref>{{cite news|last=Ramsaye |first=Terry|title=Static in Radio City|work=Motion Picture Herald|via=Internet Archive|date=January 14, 1933 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher110unse#page/n179/mode/2up/search/seating+capacity+of+the+radio+city+music+hall|access-date=November 28, 2017|page=11}}</ref> Set designer [[Robert Edmond Jones]] resigned in disappointment, and Graham was fired.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=244}} Despite the negative reviews of the performances, the theater's design was very well received.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=18}} One reviewer stated: "It has been said of the new Music Hall that it needs no performers; that its beauty and comforts alone are sufficient to gratify the greediest of playgoers."<ref>{{Cite journal |title=World's Biggest Playhouse Opens|journal=Literary Digest|volume=115|date=January 14, 1933|page=16}}</ref>

=== Conversion to movie house ===
Radio City's initial policy of live shows was so poorly received that, just two weeks after its opening, its managers announced that the theater would switch to showing feature films, accompanied by a spectacular stage show that Roxy had perfected.<ref>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Kelcey |date=January 9, 1933 |title=Amusements: New Prices For Radio Music Hall |volume=46 |pages=18–19 |work=Women's Wear Daily |issue=5 |id={{ProQuest|1654365272}}}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1933">{{Cite news |date=January 6, 1933 |title=Radio Music Hall to Be Movie House; 6,200-Seat Theatre to Co on Popular Price Basis With Films and Stage Shows |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/06/archives/radio-music-hall-to-be-movie-house-6200seat-theatre-to-co-on.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401171934/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/06/archives/radio-music-hall-to-be-movie-house-6200seat-theatre-to-co-on.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New York Herald Tribune 1933">{{cite news |date=January 6, 1933 |title=Wednesday Set For Policy Shift In Radio City: Music Hall to Drop Lavish Show, Offer Film and Variety at Red Need Prices RKO Roxy Change Later Rumors Persist, Are Denied Anew, House Will Close |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114797421}}}}</ref> The announcement came amid false rumors that the theater would close.<ref name="The New York Times 1933" /><ref name="New York Herald Tribune 1933" /> On January 11, 1933, after incurring a net operating loss of $180,000, Radio City became a movie and live-show house.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=19}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=95}} The first film shown on the giant screen was Frank Capra's ''[[The Bitter Tea of General Yen]]''.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=19}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E01EEDC1E3BEF3ABC4A52DFB7668388629EDE|title=Radio City Music Hall Shows a Melodrama of China as Its First Pictorial Attraction|last=Hall|first=Mordaunt|date=January 12, 1933|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 14, 2017|archive-date=December 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215000805/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E01EEDC1E3BEF3ABC4A52DFB7668388629EDE|url-status=live}}</ref> One critic said the same year that the Music Hall "is alone in carrying on the tradition of bigger things which underlay the whole project at the beginning".<ref>{{cite news |last=Furnas |first=J C. |date=July 16, 1933 |title=Radio City Music Hall Holds To Tradition of Bigger Things |page=D3 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114562757}}}}</ref> William G. Van Schmus was hired as the theater's managing director that March, though he had never managed a theater before.<ref name="The New York Times 1942">{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1942 |title=Wm. G. Van Schmus, Theatre Head, Dies |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/01/15/archives/wm-g-van-schmus-theatre-head-dies-director-of-radio-city-music-hall.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182904/https://www.nytimes.com/1942/01/15/archives/wm-g-van-schmus-theatre-head-dies-director-of-radio-city-music-hall.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The top admission in the theater's first year was 40 cents during the day and 88 cents at night.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Glover |first=William |date=December 23, 1962 |title=Radio City Music Hall Still Tops in Opulence |page=13D |work=The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution |id={{ProQuest|1635682023}}}}</ref>

Radio City became the premiere showcase for films from the [[RKO|RKO-Radio]] studio, with ''[[Topaze (1933 American film)|Topaze]]'' being the first RKO film to play there in 1933.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher114unse#page/n288/mode/1up|title=More Than 8,000,000 Attended Radio City Houses in First Year|work=[[Motion Picture Herald]]|date=January 20, 1934|page=27|access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref> Some of the films that premiered at Radio City Music Hall included ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933), [[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|''Breakfast at Tiffany's'']] (1961), [[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|''To Kill a Mockingbird'']] (1962), [[Mary Poppins (film)|''Mary Poppins'']] (1964), [[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|''The Jungle Book'']] (1967), and ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994).<ref name="Wang 2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/nyregion/new-york-today-radio-city-music-hall-history.html|title=New York Today: The Many Lives of Radio City Music Hall|last=Wang|first=Vivian|date=January 5, 2018|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109042503/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/nyregion/new-york-today-radio-city-music-hall-history.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''New York Daily News'' said that, in total, the theater hosted the premieres of over 650 movies.<ref name="O'Haire 1982">{{cite news|title=Radio City Hits Half-Century|last=O'Haire|first=Patricia|date=March 26, 1982|work=New York Daily News|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26588481/ 104], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26588492/ 106], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26588506/ 112]|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> At the theater's peak, four complete performances were presented every day.<ref name="cinematreasures">{{cite web |date=September 23, 2014 |title=Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/55 |access-date=November 7, 2019 |website=Cinema Treasures |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019005119/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/55 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 1930s to 1950s ====
[[File:Radio City Music Hall 1a.jpg|thumb|Seen from 51st Street]]
In addition to its movie screenings, Radio City hosted a holy hour for Catholics, Protestants, and Jews starting in 1933.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 2, 1933 |title=Three Faiths Hold Holy Hour Today; Rabbi Lyons, Dr. Cadman and Ex-Gov. Smith to Address Meeting in Radio City |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/02/archives/three-faiths-hold-holy-hour-today-rabbi-lyons-dr-cadman-and-exgov.html|access-date=April 1, 2022|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182930/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/02/archives/three-faiths-hold-holy-hour-today-rabbi-lyons-dr-cadman-and-exgov.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The theater started experimenting with operatic performances in May 1934.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 8, 1934|title=Opera for Radio City; ' Madama Butterfly' to Open at Music Hall Thursday|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/05/08/archives/opera-for-radio-city-madama-butterfly-to-open-at-music-hall.html|access-date=April 1, 2022|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182905/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/05/08/archives/opera-for-radio-city-madama-butterfly-to-open-at-music-hall.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Washington Post 1935">{{cite news |date=March 31, 1935 |title=World's Largest Playhouse Announces Artistic Ventures: Radio City Music Hall, In New York, Sets Up Formidable Array of Concert Artists With Which Picture Theater Will Have to Compete. |page=SS2 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|150614493}}}}</ref> The performances were so popular that Van Schmus decided to produce more opera shows to be performed four times a day.<ref name="The Washington Post 1935" /> Van Schmus subsequently hired [[Serge Sudeikin]], Albert Johnson, and [[Boris Aronson]] as the theater's art directors, under senior producer Leon Leonidoff.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1935 |title=Music Hall Engages Three Art Directors; Soudeikine, Johnson and Aronson Will Assist in Production of Stage Presentations |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/03/27/archives/music-hall-engages-three-art-directors-soudeikine-johnson-and.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919061714/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/03/27/archives/music-hall-engages-three-art-directors-soudeikine-johnson-and.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Early films screened at Radio City included ''[[Becky Sharp (film)|Becky Sharp]]'' (1935), the first [[feature film]] to use three-strip [[Technicolor]] production;<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sennwald|first=Andre |date=June 14, 1935 |title=The Screen; The Radio City Music Hall Presents 'Becky Sharp,' The First Full-Length Three-Color Photoplay |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/14/archives/the-screen-the-radio-city-music-hall-presents-becky-sharp-the-first.html|access-date=April 1, 2022|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629134407/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/14/archives/the-screen-the-radio-city-music-hall-presents-becky-sharp-the-first.html|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[Show Boat (1936 film)|1936 film version]] of the musical ''[[Show Boat]]'';<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nugent |first=Frank S. |date=May 15, 1936 |title=The Screen; A Bravo for Universal's Splendid Film Edition of 'Show Boat,' At the Radio City Music Hall |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/05/15/archives/the-screen-a-bravo-for-universals-splendid-film-edition-of-show.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130220106/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/05/15/archives/the-screen-a-bravo-for-universals-splendid-film-edition-of-show.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937), [[Walt Disney]]'s first full-length feature film.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nugent |first=Frank S. |date=January 14, 1938 |title=The Screen in Review; The Music Hall Presents Walt Disney's Delightful Fantasy, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'-Other New Films at Capitol and Criterion |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/14/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-music-hall-presents-walt-disneys.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315142826/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/14/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-music-hall-presents-walt-disneys.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The theater's non-cinematic events included a stage show about the history of lighting,<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 3, 1936 |title=Progress of Light Show; Radio City Music Hall to Exhibit Development From Candle Era |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/03/archives/progress-of-light-show-radio-city-music-hall-to-exhibit-development.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182908/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/03/archives/progress-of-light-show-radio-city-music-hall-to-exhibit-development.html |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as a fundraiser for the Red Cross.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 11, 1937 |title=Debutantes to Sell Flowers for Relief; Young Matrons to Assist in Aid for Red Cross at Radio City Music Hall Tonight |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/02/11/archives/debutantes-to-sell-flowers-for-relief-young-matrons-to-assist-in.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182907/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/02/11/archives/debutantes-to-sell-flowers-for-relief-young-matrons-to-assist-in.html |url-status=live}}</ref> By January 1937, more than 25 million people had visited the theater over the previous four years, paying total admission of $17.5 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Kelcey |date=January 4, 1937 |title=Amusements: Radio City Music Hall's Great Success |volume=54 |page=18 |work=Women's Wear Daily |issue=1 |id={{ProQuest|1699899072}}}}</ref>

Radio City was used for [[Easter]] worship services starting in 1940.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/04/10/archives/thousands-attend-services-at-dawn-largest-of-citys-crowds-is.html |title=Thousands Attend Services At Dawn; Largest of City's Crowds Is Gathering of 8,000 In Radio City Music Hall |date=April 10, 1944|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216045833/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/04/10/archives/thousands-attend-services-at-dawn-largest-of-citys-crowds-is.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The next year, the theater hosted "the most elaborate benefit performance ever held in New York", a World War II fundraiser.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 22, 1941 |title=Midnight-Dawn Show Is Staged To Aid Britain: More Than $25,000 Raised at Elaborate Benefit in Radio City Music Hall |page=4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1335110117}}}}</ref> After Van Schmus died in January 1942,<ref name="The New York Times 1942" /> G. S. Eysell took over as the managing director.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 20, 1942 |title=Eysell Chosen As Radio City Music Hall Head: Former Assistant Succeeds to Posts of Van Schmus, Who Died Last Wednesday |page=12 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1263518435}}}}</ref> During this time, Radio City hosted films such as ''[[The Philadelphia Story (film)|The Philadelphia Story]]'' (1940),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Churchill |first=Douglas W. |title=Screen News Here and in Hollywood |work=The New York Times |date=December 26, 1940 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/26/archives/screen-news-here-and-in-hollywood-lloyd-nolans-first-picture-in-18.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182857/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/26/archives/screen-news-here-and-in-hollywood-lloyd-nolans-first-picture-in-18.html |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sunny (1941 film)|Sunny]]'' (1941),<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1941 |title=Screen News Here and in Hollywood; ' Whistling in the Dark' Selected by Metro for Remake, With S. Sylvan Simon Directing |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/06/12/archives/screen-news-here-and-in-hollywood-whistling-in-the-dark-selected-by.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220542/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/06/12/archives/screen-news-here-and-in-hollywood-whistling-in-the-dark-selected-by.html |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Valley of Decision]]'' (1945),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=May 4, 1945 |title=The Screen in Review; 'The Valley of Decision,' With Greer Carson and Gregory Peck, Makes Its Appearance at the Radio City Music Hall |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/05/04/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-valley-of-decision-with-greer-carson-and.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713145223/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/05/04/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-valley-of-decision-with-greer-carson-and.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[The Late George Apley (film)|The Late George Apley]]'' (1947).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=March 21, 1947 |title=The Screen in Review; 'The Late George Apley' Based on Novel by Marquand, New Bill at Radio City Music Hall – Ronald Colman Is Starred' |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/03/21/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-late-george-apley-based-on-novel-by.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182904/https://www.nytimes.com/1947/03/21/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-late-george-apley-based-on-novel-by.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Lines for the theater's Christmas show frequently stretched around the block. Performances by the Rockettes and a 60-member orchestra accompanied many live shows.{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=128}} [[Ernö Rapée]], who had headed Radio City's [[orchestra]] since its opening, continued to lead the theater's orchestra until he died in 1945.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 27, 1945 |title=Erno Rapee Dies; Noted Musician; Head of Orchestra at Radio City Music Hall—Composer of Song Hits in Films Presented Mahler Work Conducted in Europe |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/06/27/archives/erno-rapee-dies-noted-musician-head-of-orchestra-at-radio-city.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182907/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/06/27/archives/erno-rapee-dies-noted-musician-head-of-orchestra-at-radio-city.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City continued to operate every day, although it sometimes closed briefly for part of the day. For example, it partially closed after U.S. president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] died in 1945 and again during a fuel shortage the next year.<ref name="Lucchese 1965">{{Cite news |last=Lucchese |first=Sam F. |date=February 21, 1965 |title=Radio City Music Hall Closing for Face-Lifting: Decorators Will Hustle To Finish Job in 5 Days |page=9D |work=The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution |id={{ProQuest|1636139395}}}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1965">{{Cite news |date=March 2, 1965 |title=Gold-Fingered Men Working at Music Hall |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/02/archives/goldfingered-men-working-at-music-hall.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220542/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/02/archives/goldfingered-men-working-at-music-hall.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Alexander Smallens]] became the theater's musical director in 1947,<ref>{{cite news |date=September 10, 1947 |title=Smallens to Make Debut In Radio City Music Hall |page=22 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1322171637}}}}</ref> and Raymond Paige assumed that position three years later.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 15, 1950 |title=Named Musical Director Of Radio City Music Hall |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/07/15/archives/named-musical-director-of-radio-city-music-hall.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401182924/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/07/15/archives/named-musical-director-of-radio-city-music-hall.html |url-status=live}}</ref>  The theater's sound system was upgraded in mid-1953, enabling the venue to show [[3D film]]s without intermission.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 4, 1953 |title=3-D Without Intermission At Radio City Music Hall |volume=63 |issue=10 |page=28 |id={{ProQuest|1529195749}} |magazine=Boxoffice}}</ref> Radio City disbanded its in-house male chorus in 1958, instead hiring choral acts from around the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 29, 1958 |title=Music Hall Drops Its Male Chorus |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/29/archives/music-hall-drops-its-male-chorus.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401184239/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/29/archives/music-hall-drops-its-male-chorus.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The theater also hosted benefit parties for Big Brothers Inc. from 1953<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/11/19/archives/movie-show-dec-17-for-big-brothers-women-active-in-organization.html |title=Movie Show Dec. 17 For Big Brothers; Women Active in Organization Take Over Block of Seats at Music Hall for Benefit|date=November 19, 1953|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216032037/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/11/19/archives/movie-show-dec-17-for-big-brothers-women-active-in-organization.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to at least 1959.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/01/archives/big-brothers-inc-plans-a-benefit-at-music-hall-proceeds-of-film-dec.html|title=Big Brothers, Inc., Plans a Benefit At Music Hall; Proceeds of Film Dec. 10 and 11 Will Assist Work for Needy Boys|date=November 1, 1959|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216034315/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/01/archives/big-brothers-inc-plans-a-benefit-at-music-hall-proceeds-of-film-dec.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Through the next decade, Radio City was successful regardless of the status of the city's economic, business, and entertainment sectors as a whole. It remained open even as other theaters such as the Paramount and the Roxy closed.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=429}}<ref name="The New York Times 1964">{{Cite news |date=December 10, 1964 |title=Theater Still Finds Key to Success in Its Program Formula |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/10/archives/theater-still-finds-key-to-success-in-its-program-formula.html |access-date=December 15, 2018 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216042438/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/10/archives/theater-still-finds-key-to-success-in-its-program-formula.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Atlanta Constitution 1975">{{cite news |date=February 2, 1975 |title=Radio City Music Hall Treasure of Memories |page=16F |work=The Atlanta Constitution |id={{ProQuest|1557739308}}}}</ref> A committee led by Radio City's director, Russell V. Dowling, selected the theater's live acts and other performances.<ref name="Boxoffice 1963">{{cite magazine |date=January 7, 1963 |title=Radio City Music Hall Has 30th Birthday |magazine=Boxoffice |volume=82 |issue=11 |page=11 |id={{ProQuest|1670970339}}}}</ref>

==== 1960s and 1970s ====
[[File:Radio City Music Hall 3752216239 f93f8b8395.jpg|thumb|View of Radio City's proscenium]]
Upon its 30th anniversary in 1962, Radio City had nearly 200 million total patrons to date, more than the entire U.S. population at the time.<ref name="Boxoffice 1963" /><ref name="Glover 1962">{{Cite news |last=Glover |first=William |date=December 23, 1962 |title=Radio City Music Hall Still Tops in Opulence |page=13D |work=The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution |id={{ProQuest|163568202}}}}</ref> The theater had shown 532 feature films to date; the most frequent actor was [[Cary Grant]], who had appeared in 25 such films.<ref name="Glover 1962" /> Even so, officials had intended to close down Radio City Music Hall in 1962, one of several such unheeded announcements.<ref name="Press and Sun-Bulletin 1978">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26245176/radio_city_music_hall_will_close/|title=Radio City Music Hall Will Close|date=January 5, 1978|work=Press and Sun-Bulletin|access-date=December 15, 2018|location=Binghamton, NY|page=17|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031700/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26245176/radio_city_music_hall_will_close/|url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City closed temporarily in 1963 due to fears of a power failure, and the first full-day closure in its history took place on November 26, 1963, following the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]].<ref name="Lucchese 1965" /><ref name="The New York Times 1965" /> By 1964, Radio City had an estimated 5.7 million annual visitors, who paid ticket prices of between 99 cents and $2.75 (equivalent to between ${{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=0.99|start_year=1964|r=0|fmt=c}} and ${{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2.75|start_year=1964|r=0|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation-year|index=US-GDP}}).<ref name="The New York Times 1964" /> The theater had evolved to show fewer adult-oriented films, instead choosing to show films for general audiences.<ref name="O'Haire 1982" /><ref name="The New York Times 1964" /> However, Radio City's operating costs were almost twice as high as those of smaller performance venues. In addition, with the loosening of regulations on explicit content, Radio City's audience was mostly relegated to families.<ref name="O'Haire 1982" />

Radio City was closed entirely for five days in March 1965 for its first full cleaning, which included changing the curtains and painting the ceiling.<ref name="Lucchese 1965" />{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=429}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/02/05/archives/music-hall-plans-a-5day-shutdown-ceiling-paint-job-and-change-of.html|title=Music Hall Plans A 5-Day Shutdown; Ceiling Paint Job and Change of Curtain Set March 1–5|date=February 5, 1965|work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216040831/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/02/05/archives/music-hall-plans-a-5day-shutdown-ceiling-paint-job-and-change-of.html|url-status=live}}</ref> While the seating areas and floors had been cleaned regularly, the walls and ceilings had never been thoroughly cleaned and had accumulated a layer of dirt measuring almost {{convert|1/4|in}} thick.<ref name="The New York Times 1965" /> Two or three hundred workers cleaned the theater around the clock,<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 6, 1965 |title=Music Hall to Reopen After 5 Days' Repairs |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/06/archives/music-hall-to-reopen-after-5-days-repairs.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220544/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/06/archives/music-hall-to-reopen-after-5-days-repairs.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 6, 1965 |title=New Radio City Music Hall To Open Saturday |page=15 |work=New York Amsterdam News |id={{ProQuest|226669039}}}}</ref> and it reopened on March 8, 1965, with the film ''[[Dear Heart]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=March 8, 1965 |title=Screen: 'Dear Heart' Is at Music Hall:Geraldine Page Plays Old-Maid Postmaster |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/08/archives/screen-dear-heart-is-at-music-hallgeraldine-page-plays-oldmaid.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402002318/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/08/archives/screen-dear-heart-is-at-music-hallgeraldine-page-plays-oldmaid.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Repairs were also performed on the theater's organs during the nighttime.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/12/16/archives/radio-city-organ-gets-repairs-in-off-hours.html|title=Radio City Organ Gets Repairs in Off Hours|date=December 16, 1965|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216045859/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/12/16/archives/radio-city-organ-gets-repairs-in-off-hours.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 1965, Will Irwin and Rayburn Wright replaced Raymond Paige as the theater's musical directors following the latter's death.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 15, 1965 |title=Music Hall Chooses Two to Replace Paige |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/09/15/archives/music-hall-chooses-two-to-replace-paige.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402003820/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/09/15/archives/music-hall-chooses-two-to-replace-paige.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Russell V. Downing retired as Radio City's president in 1966 and was replaced by James F. Gould.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |date=January 21, 1966 |title=Russell Downing, Music Hall President, To Retire; Leaving Film Theater After 32 Years—His Successor Will Be James F. Gould |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/01/21/archives/russell-downing-music-hall-president-to-retire-leaving-film-theater.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402050528/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/01/21/archives/russell-downing-music-hall-president-to-retire-leaving-film-theater.html |url-status=live}}</ref> As president of Radio City, Gould expanded its programming to include events such as rock concerts and wrestling matches before he retired in 1973.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 8, 1973 |title=James Gould Retiring Jan.31 As President of Music Hall |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/08/archives/james-gould-retiring-jan-31-as-president-of-music-hall.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220543/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/08/archives/james-gould-retiring-jan-31-as-president-of-music-hall.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City had its 200 millionth visitor in January 1967, a little less than two years after its renovation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 6, 1967 |title=Mr. 200-Million Walks Music Hall's Red Carpet |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/06/archives/mr-200million-walks-music-halls-red-carpet.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402003819/https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/06/archives/mr-200million-walks-music-halls-red-carpet.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 16, 1967 |title=Radio City Music Hall Has Its 200 Millionth Patron |volume=90 |issue=13 |page=10 |id={{ProQuest|1705101675}} |magazine=Boxoffice}}</ref>

Tourism to New York City started to decline by 1969, which affected the theater's attendance.<ref name="The Atlanta Constitution 1975" /><ref name="Shales 1975">{{cite news |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=March 2, 1975 |title=Radio City Music Hall: Alive and Still (Shakily) Kicking: Radio City Music Hall: Alive and Still (Shakily) Kicking |page=109 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|146437533}}}}</ref> Even in the early 1970s, Radio City had five million visitors a year, more than the [[Empire State Building]] and [[Statue of Liberty]] combined.<ref name="Pinkerton 1971">{{cite news |last=Pinkerton | first=W. Stewart Jr. |date=May 4, 1971 |title=Memory Lane: Radio City Music Hall Still Knocks 'Em Dead With a 1933 Formula Vast Theater, Lavish Sets, Rockettes and Bland Flicks Lure New Yorkers, Others But the Critics Wonder Why Memory Lane: Radio City Music Hall Still Knocks 'Em Dead |page=1 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|133598886}}}}</ref> However, the proliferation of subtitled foreign movies had reduced attendance at Radio City.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=429}} Changes in film distribution made it difficult to secure exclusive bookings of many films, forcing Radio City's managers to show reruns.<ref name="Gelmis 1970" /><ref name="Jaynes 1978">{{Cite news |last=Jaynes |first=Gregory |date=January 6, 1978 |title='No Hope' Seen For Music Hall To Stay Open |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/06/archives/new-jersey-pages-no-hope-seen-for-music-hall-to-stay-open-no-hope.html |access-date=July 8, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708170029/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/06/archives/new-jersey-pages-no-hope-seen-for-music-hall-to-stay-open-no-hope.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City preferred to show only family-friendly movies, which further limited their film choices.<ref name="Shales 1975" /><ref name="Pinkerton 1971" /><ref name="Gelmis 1970">{{cite news|last=Gelmis|first=Joseph |title=Exhibitionists and the Games They Play|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uICAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56|access-date=January 18, 2013|magazine=New York Magazine|date=August 31, 1970|page=56}}</ref> As a result, popular films such as ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'', ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'', and ''[[The Godfather Part II]]'' failed Radio City's screening criteria.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=429}} By 1972, Radio City had fired the performers' unions as well as six of the 36 Rockettes. The theater's management donated a painting by [[Stuart Davis (painter)|Stuart Davis]] to the [[Museum of Modern Art]] to reduce Radio City Music Hall's tax burden.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=429–430}} That October, Radio City was closed temporarily after officials could not reach an employment agreement with the theater's musicians.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 12, 1972 |title=Radio City Music Hall Shuts; Labor Woes Cited |page=26 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|133725999}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 12, 1972 |title=Dispute Shuts Music Hall |page=11 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98917737/dispute-shuts-music-hall/ |access-date=April 2, 2022 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402181437/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98917737/dispute-shuts-music-hall/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Though the theater reopened a few days later,<ref>{{cite news |date=October 13, 1972 |title=Radio City Will Reopen; Talks Set on Labor Pact |page=18 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|133612232}}}}</ref> this was the first time it had ever been closed due to staffing issues.<ref name="Shales 1975" />

Another labor dispute in 1973 forced Radio City to cut back its policy of mixed films and stage shows.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gent |first=George |date=September 5, 1973 |title=Music Hall Seeks Cutback of Shows |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/05/archives/music-hall-seeks-cutback-of-shows-talks-with-musicians-center-on.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204151718/http://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/05/archives/music-hall-seeks-cutback-of-shows-talks-with-musicians-center-on.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Wall Street Journal 1973">{{cite news |date=September 14, 1973 |title=Radio City Music Hall Extends Pacts 5 Days |page=29 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|133757177}}}}</ref> A total shutdown was only avoided when the musicians' union agreed to a three-year contract in which musicians would be paid for 38 weeks per year, rather than 52.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 18, 1973 |title=Music Hall Orchestra Accepts Cut in Annual Work Guarantee |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/18/archives/music-hall-orchestra-accepts-cut-in-annual-work-guarantee.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402181436/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/18/archives/music-hall-orchestra-accepts-cut-in-annual-work-guarantee.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This allowed Radio City's managers to schedule other forms of live entertainment for the theater during the remaining 14 weeks.<ref name="Shales 1975" /><ref name="Wall Street Journal 1973" />{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}} These live shows were split into two periods of seven weeks.<ref name="The Atlanta Constitution 1975" /> Radio City's managers attempted to draw patrons by using the stage for rock concerts, pop festivals, and telecasts of boxing matches.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}} Nonetheless, Radio City continued to lose $600,000 a year by early 1975. It cost $55,000 a week just to rent the theater, plus another $20,000 for employee salaries.<ref name="Shales 1975" /> There were just 3.5 million visitors annually, despite high attendance during Christmas, Easter, and the summer. Yet again, rumors spread that the venue would close, but Radio City's managers denied these claims.<ref name="The Atlanta Constitution 1975" /><ref name="Shales 1975" /> Architectural critic [[Ada Louise Huxtable]] wrote that Radio City was still more popular than other visitor attractions, such as the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], the [[American Museum of Natural History]], and the [[Bronx Zoo]].<ref name="Huxtable 1978">{{Cite news |last=Huxtable |first=Ada Louise |date=March 19, 1978 |title=Architecture View |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/19/archives/architecture-view-is-it-curtains-for-the-music-hall-architecture.html |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708173935/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/19/archives/architecture-view-is-it-curtains-for-the-music-hall-architecture.html |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=582}}

=== Bankruptcy and threat of closure ===
[[File:Radio City Music Hall 3713739901 4b1a1131a1.jpg|thumb|alt=Radio City Music Hall's grand foyer|Radio City's grand foyer]]
In 1977, annual attendance reached an all-time low of 1.5&nbsp;million,{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=430}} a 70 percent decrease from the 5 million visitors reported in 1968.<ref name="Shepard 1979">{{cite web |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=April 19, 1979 |title=Music Hall to Be Restored |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/19/archives/music-hall-to-be-restored-new-show-format-set-restoration-to-start.html |access-date=December 12, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213201003/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/19/archives/music-hall-to-be-restored-new-show-format-set-restoration-to-start.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New York Daily News 1978">{{cite news |date=March 15, 1978 |title=Threatens Demolition of the Music Hall; Rockettes Kick Up a Storm in City Hall Routine |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26245091/threatens_demolition_of_the_music_hall/ 5], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26245119/pete_hamill_rockettes_kick_up_a_storm/ 26] |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The theater needed about 4 million annual visitors to break even.{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=131}} By January 1978, Radio City was in debt,<ref name="Oelsner 1978">{{cite news|last=Oelsner |first=Lesley|title=Efforts to Save-Music Hall Started |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=January 7, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/07/archives/efforts-to-save-music-hall-started-public-and-private-efforts-to.html |access-date=November 23, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201132624/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/07/archives/efforts-to-save-music-hall-started-public-and-private-efforts-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ferretti 1978">{{cite news|last=Ferretti |first=Fred |title=Agreement Reached On Radio City Tower |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=April 7, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/07/archives/agreement-reached-on-radio-city-tower-rentals-from-the-20story.html |access-date=November 23, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201133529/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/07/archives/agreement-reached-on-radio-city-tower-rentals-from-the-20story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and officials stated that it could not remain open after April.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}}<ref name="Oelsner 1978" /><ref name="Grover 1978">{{cite news |last=Grover |first=Stephen |date=January 6, 1978 |title=Radio City Music Hall to End Career Of 45 Years April 12: Wurlitzer, Lavish Productions To Become Memories Due To Movie Theater's Losses |page=24 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|134278234}}}}</ref> Rockefeller Center president Alton Marshall announced that, due to a projected loss of $3.5&nbsp;million for the upcoming year, Radio City Music Hall would close on April 12.<ref name="Press and Sun-Bulletin 1978" /><ref name="Grover 1978" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/05/archives/radio-city-music-hall-to-close-after-easter-show-koch-is-told-music.html |title=Radio City Music Hall to Close After. Easter Show, Koch Is Told|author1=M. A Farber|date=January 5, 1978|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|page=A1|access-date=November 23, 2017|archive-date=September 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903121759/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/05/archives/radio-city-music-hall-to-close-after-easter-show-koch-is-told-music.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This came after the theater had lost $2.3 million in 1977.<ref name="Grover 1978" /> Many of Radio City's regular patrons moved to the suburbs, and there was a lingering fear of crime in New York City.<ref name="Jaynes 1978" /><ref name="Grover 1978" /> A lack of family-friendly movies was also a factor in the planned closure.<ref name="Jaynes 1978" />{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=131}}<ref name="Grover 1978" /> One proposal included converting the theater into tennis courts, a shopping mall, an aquarium, a hotel, a theme park, or the [[American Stock Exchange]].{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=430}}<ref>{{cite news|author1=Schumach, Murry|title=Nostalgia Draws Music Hall Crowds Despite Cold |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/08/archives/nostalgia-draws-music-hall-crowds-despite-cold-save-the-hall.html |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=January 8, 1978|page=29|access-date=February 12, 2017|archive-date=September 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903081001/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/08/archives/nostalgia-draws-music-hall-crowds-despite-cold-save-the-hall.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the potential tax benefits of preserving the theater, Rockefeller Center's managers were uninterested in saving Radio City, as they were focused on the site's real-estate development potential.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}} Huxtable claimed that the managers' approach was "singularly lacking in any creative or cultural sensitivities".{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}}<ref name="Huxtable 1978" />

Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company dance captain Rosemary Novellino formed the [[Showpeople's Committee to Save Radio City Music Hall]].<ref name="Cook, Joy 1978">{{cite news|author=Grantz, Roberta B. |author2=Cook, Joy|title=Music Hall: Krupsak Blames Regime for Woes |work=New York Post|date=March 14, 1978|page=8|quote=Lt. Gov. Mary Ann Krupsak, leading the fight to save Radio City Music Hall, said today she was "convinced there has been a policy by Rockefeller Center to let Radio City Music Hall go downhill." She said a study showed that the management over the past 10 years had stacked the deck against the theater, placing a "disproportionate tax burden, management costs and other expenses" on the 6500-seat theater to show it no longer was economically viable as a movie house.}}</ref> Lieutenant governor [[Mary Anne Krupsak]], who had once been a Rockette, was also involved in the preservation efforts.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=582}}<ref name="Cook, Joy 1978" /> The alliance made hundreds of calls to Rockefeller Center's manager; ''The New York Times'' described that the callers "jammed the switchboards" there.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/07/archives/new-jersey-pages-public-and-private-efforts-to-save-radio-city.html |title=Public and Private Efforts to Save Radio City Music Hall Are Started|last=Oelsner|first=Leslie|date=January 7, 1978|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216042515/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/07/archives/new-jersey-pages-public-and-private-efforts-to-save-radio-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Rockettes also protested outside [[New York City Hall]].<ref name="New York Daily News 1978" /> The [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC) held public hearings on whether to designate the theater's interior as a city landmark in March 1978. Of more than 100 speakers, most argued in favor of landmark status, but Rockefeller Center president Alton G. Marshall said that "landmark designation may well be the last nail in the Music Hall's coffin."{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=581}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 15, 1978 |title=Radio City Debated by Landmarks Unit |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/15/archives/radio-city-debated-by-landmarks-unit-rockefeller-center-head.html |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708170801/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/15/archives/radio-city-debated-by-landmarks-unit-rockefeller-center-head.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In total, more than 100,000 people supported designating Radio City as a landmark.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=582}}<ref name="McDowell 1978">{{Cite news |last=McDowell |first=Edwin |date=March 29, 1978 |title=Interior of Music Hall Designated As Landmark Despite Objections |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/29/archives/interior-of-music-hall-designated-as-landmark-despite-objections.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717181549/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/29/archives/interior-of-music-hall-designated-as-landmark-despite-objections.html |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The LPC designated the interior as a city landmark on March 28.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=582}}<ref name="McDowell 1978" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26245013/its_a_landmark_decision_for_radio_city/|title=It's a Landmark Decision for Radio City Music Hall|date=March 29, 1978|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 15, 2018|page=668|via=newspapers.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031304/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26245013/its_a_landmark_decision_for_radio_city/ |archive-date=December 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rockefeller Center Inc. filed a lawsuit to try to reverse the landmark designation, claiming that landmark status would be unattractive to potential investors, but the lawsuit was unsuccessful.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=430}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Huxtable |first=Ada Louise |title=Architecture View|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=April 22, 1979 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/22/archives/architecture-view-update-on-the-music-hall.html|access-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-date=December 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213210529/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/22/archives/architecture-view-update-on-the-music-hall.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Rockefeller Center Inc. indicated that it would demolish the theater had it succeeded in overturning the landmark designation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hollie |first=Pamela G. |date=May 5, 1978 |title=Center Seeks Permit to Demolish Radio City If Rescue Plans Fail |page=B4 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|123727492}}}}</ref> In April, just a few days before the planned closing date, the [[Empire State Development Corporation|Urban Development Corporation]] (UDC) voted to create a nonprofit subsidiary to lease Radio City.<ref>{{cite news |title=Agreement With U.D.C. Keeps Music Hall Open Indefinitely|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=April 13, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/13/archives/agreement-with-udc-keeps-music-hall-open-indefinitely.html|access-date=November 23, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201133037/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/13/archives/agreement-with-udc-keeps-music-hall-open-indefinitely.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=April 11, 1978 |title=Radio City Music Hall Reprieved by Accord, Has New Management |page=45 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|134245334}}}}</ref>  Plans for a 20-story mixed-use tower above Radio City were announced the same month, with rents from the proposed tower providing the necessary funds to keep the theater open.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=582}}<ref name="Ferretti 1978" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Morehouse |first=Ward III |date=April 12, 1978 |title=An Upbeat at Radio City Music Hall: Plan for Saving Landmark Includes Temporary Financing, Office Tower |page=5 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |id={{ProQuest|512040308}}}}</ref> An alternative involving transferring the theater's [[air rights]] to another building in the complex was also privately discussed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fried|first=Joseph P.|title=3 Plans Weighed By State to Keep Music Hall Open|work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|date=December 26, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/26/archives/3-plans-weighed-by-state-to-keep-music-hall-open-real-estate-option.html|access-date=November 23, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201132109/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/26/archives/3-plans-weighed-by-state-to-keep-music-hall-open-real-estate-option.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The UDC and Rockefeller Center Inc. agreed on April 12 to keep Radio City open, just hours before it had been set to close.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=582}} On May 12, 1978, Radio City Music Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 13, 1978 |title=Radio City in National Register |page=26 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/13/archives/radio-city-in-national-register.html |access-date=January 23, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117011007/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/13/archives/radio-city-in-national-register.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Radio City lost $2.3 million in the first ten months of 1978, despite the fact that a [[Frank Sinatra]] concert there had grossed more than $1.7 million. From April 13 to September 13, 1978, when the UDC operated the theater, losses totaled $1.2 million.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 29, 1978 |title=The City: Radio City Deficit Put at $2.3 Million Kneller Resigns As College President Tram Runs Again 6,000 City Workers Reported Underpaid 3 Policemen Indicted Police Blotter |page=B3 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|123584948}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 29, 1978 |title=Pictures: 'Politicians' Phoney Aid' Cited; Radio City Music Hall Deficit Ongoing; Even Sinatra A Loss |volume=293 |issue=4 |page=5 |id={{ProQuest|1401341921}} |magazine=Variety}}</ref> The plans for an office building above the theater were recommended in a draft study that was published in February 1979.<ref name="The New York Times 1979">{{Cite news |date=February 11, 1979 |title=Radio City Tower Urged |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/11/archives/radio-city-tower-urged-radio-city-tower-proposed.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201131621/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/11/archives/radio-city-tower-urged-radio-city-tower-proposed.html |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Davis Brody Bond|Davis Brody Associates]] had designed a 31-story office and hotel building that was to be cantilevered over the theater, with an entrance carved out of Radio City's Sixth Avenue lobby.<ref name="The New York Times 1979" />{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|pp=582–583}} The office building was ultimately not built.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|pp=582–583}} [[Robert Jani|Robert F. Jani]] instead assumed control of Radio City's programming, with plans to restore the venue to its original condition.<ref name="Shepard 1979" />{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=583}} The film-plus-stage-spectacle format ended at the theater on April 25, 1979, with the screening of ''[[The Promise (1979 film)|The Promise]]''.<ref name="cinematreasures" /> The theater was closed immediately afterward for renovation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Radio City Chandeliers Become Party Lights |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |date=April 27, 1979|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/27/archives/radio-city-chandeliers-become-party-lights.html|access-date=December 12, 2017|archive-date=December 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213201001/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/27/archives/radio-city-chandeliers-become-party-lights.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It reopened with a ceremony on May 31, 1979.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=583}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=June 1, 1979 |title=Music Hall Arches: Theater Incarnate |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/01/archives/music-hall-arches-theater-incarnate-an-appraisal.html |access-date=July 8, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708173936/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/01/archives/music-hall-arches-theater-incarnate-an-appraisal.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Late 20th century===
[[File:Radio City Music Hall 2229954271 675a3a4551.jpg|thumb|Marquee in January 2008 during the Christmas Spectacular]]
After the theater reopened to the public, Radio City started creating its own music concerts. Previously, the theater had only hosted events created by external producers.<ref name="Morgan 1986">{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=Thomas |date=March 27, 1986 |title='Snow White' To Rock, Radio City Diversifies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/27/arts/snow-white-to-rock-radio-city-diversifies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228223406/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/27/arts/snow-white-to-rock-radio-city-diversifies.html |archive-date=December 28, 2018 |access-date=December 28, 2018 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Time slots were set aside for movie screenings, but Radio City had mostly turned to stage shows.<ref name="O'Haire 1982" /> By January 1980, Radio City was hosting shows such as the stage adaptation of ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (musical)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Marcia |date=October 14, 1979 |title=Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! Here Comes a Staged 'Snow White' |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/14/archives/heigh-ho-heigh-ho-here-comes-a-staged-snow-white-snow-white.html |access-date=April 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220543/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/14/archives/heigh-ho-heigh-ho-here-comes-a-staged-snow-white-snow-white.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and the ''Rockettes Spectacular.''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26587957/|title=Music Hall Gets a Lift|last=Leogrande|first=Ernest|date=January 15, 1980 |work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 28, 2018|page=198|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220544/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26587957/music-hall-gets-a-lift/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the theatrical shows proved to be unpopular, so, in 1983, the Radio City Music Hall shifted to creating music concerts and participating in the production of films and TV shows.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/10/arts/radio-city-shifts-focus-to-pop-music-concerts.html|title=Radio City Shifts Focus To Pop Music Concerts|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=September 10, 1983|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 28, 2018|archive-date=December 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228223341/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/10/arts/radio-city-shifts-focus-to-pop-music-concerts.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The parent company, Radio City Music Hall Productions (a subsidiary of Rockefeller Center Inc.), started creating or co-creating films and Broadway shows such as ''[[Legs (film)|Legs]]'' and ''[[Brighton Beach Memoirs]]''.<ref name="Morgan 1986" />

By the early 1980s, the LPC was considering designating the original Rockefeller Center complex as a city landmark, including the exterior of Radio City Music Hall. In 1983, the LPC held hearings to determine how much of Rockefeller Center should be protected as a landmark.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lake |first=Katharine |date=April 18, 1983 |title=Rockefeller Center Landmarking Proposed |page=106 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567070/rockefeller-center-landmarking/ |access-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313235550/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567070/rockefeller-center-landmarking/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Rockefeller family and Columbia University acknowledged that the buildings were already symbolically landmarks, but their spokesman [[John E. Zuccotti]] recommended that only the block between 49th and 50th Streets be protected.{{efn|Namely 1250 Avenue of the Americas, [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]], the [[British Empire Building]], [[La Maison Francaise (Rockefeller Center)|La Maison Francaise]], the Channel Gardens, and the Lower Plaza{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=425}}|name=49th–50th-block}} By contrast, almost everyone else who supported Rockefeller Center's landmark status recommended that the entire complex be landmarked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 21, 1983 |title=Rockefeller Center: A 'Jewel' but Is All of It a Landmark? |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/21/nyregion/rockefeller-center-a-jewel-but-is-all-of-it-a-landmark.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214024735/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/21/nyregion/rockefeller-center-a-jewel-but-is-all-of-it-a-landmark.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wiener |first=Caryn Eve |date=September 21, 1983 |title=6-Block Landmark Viewed as Too Costly |page=25 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567027/6-block-landmark-viewed-as-too/ |access-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313235156/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567027/6-block-landmark-viewed-as-too/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The LPC granted landmark status to the exteriors of all of the original complex's buildings, including the previously unprotected exterior of Radio City Music Hall, on April 23, 1985.{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=270–271}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=T. J. |date=April 24, 1985 |title=Rockefeller Center a Landmark for Real |page=23 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97338249/rockefeller-center-a-landmark-for/ |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211411/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97338249/rockefeller-center-a-landmark-for/ |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|The final exterior landmark designation covers 12 buildings as well as the Channel Gardens, Rockefeller Plaza, and Lower Plaza. These are [[1230 Avenue of the Americas|1230]], [[1250 Avenue of the Americas|1250]], and [[1270 Avenue of the Americas]]; [[1 Rockefeller Plaza|1]], [[10 Rockefeller Plaza|10]], [[30 Rockefeller Plaza|30]], [[50 Rockefeller Plaza|50]], and [[75 Rockefeller Plaza]]; the British Empire Building; the [[International Building (Rockefeller Center)|International Building]]; and La Maison Francaise. Radio City Music Hall was also added as an exterior landmark, and the lobbies of the International Building and 30 Rockefeller Plaza were also protected.{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=425}}}} Rockefeller Center's original buildings also became a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1987.{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=426}}

Radio City finally recorded a net gain of $2.5 million in 1985, its first profit in three decades. This was partly attributed to the addition of music concerts, which appealed toward younger viewers.<ref name="Morgan 1986" /> Radio City also started hosting televised events including the [[Grammy Awards]], the [[Tony Awards]], the [[Daytime Emmy Awards]], the [[MTV Video Music Awards]], and the [[NFL Draft]].<ref name="Wang 2018" />{{efn|The Grammys, which alternated between New York City and [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], were moved to Hollywood in 2004, as have the Daytime Emmys, off and on, since 2006.}} A new golden curtain was installed at the main stage in January 1987. The curtain was the third one to be installed since Radio City's opening in 1932; it had last been replaced in 1965. Because of Radio City's historic status, the curtain had to be the same style, texture, and color as the previous curtains.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/19/garden/quest-for-a-curtain-for-a-historic-hall.html |title=Quest for a Curtain for a Historic Hall|last=Freudenheim|first=Betty |date=March 19, 1987|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 28, 2018|archive-date=December 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228223423/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/19/garden/quest-for-a-curtain-for-a-historic-hall.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1997, Radio City was leased to the [[Madison Square Garden Company]] (then known as [[Cablevision]]), providing funding to keep the Rockettes and the ''Christmas Spectacular'' at Radio City. In exchange, Cablevision would be able to renovate and manage the theater.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=583}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/04/nyregion/lease-of-radio-city-music-hall-keeps-rockettes-kicking.html|title=Lease of Radio City Music Hall Keeps Rockettes Kicking|last=Lueck|first=Thomas J. |date=December 4, 1997|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 21, 2009|archive-date=May 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518113140/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/04/nyregion/lease-of-radio-city-music-hall-keeps-rockettes-kicking.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City was closed on February 16, 1999,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/21/nyregion/bringing-up-basement-rockefeller-center-turning-its-underground-concourse-into.html|title=Bringing Up the Basement; Rockefeller Center Is Turning Its Underground Concourse Into a Shiny New Shopping Zone. Lost in the Bargain, Preservationists Say, Is an Art Deco Treasure|last=Collins |first=Glenn|date=February 21, 1999|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=November 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123142331/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/21/nyregion/bringing-up-basement-rockefeller-center-turning-its-underground-concourse-into.html|url-status=live}}</ref> for a comprehensive renovation.<ref name="Iovine 1999">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/06/nyregion/piece-by-piece-a-faded-icon-regains-its-art-deco-glow.html |title=Piece by Piece, A Faded Icon Regains Its Art Deco Glow|last=Iovine|first=Julie V.|date=September 6, 1999 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216034333/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/06/nyregion/piece-by-piece-a-faded-icon-regains-its-art-deco-glow.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During the closure, many components were cleaned, modernized, or replaced, including the curtains, seats, carpets, doorknobs, and light fixtures.{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=131}}<ref name="Iovine 1999" /> Workers installed a gold-silk curtain measuring {{convert|112|ft}} wide, as well as 5,901 seats upholstered in salmon-colored fabric.<ref name="Collins 1999" /> The ceiling was also restored by John Canning.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Pronechen|first=Joseph|date=January 16, 2000|title=The View From/New Haven; Historical Church Is Reborn After Fire|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/16/nyregion/the-view-fromnew-haven-historical-church-is-reborn-after-fire.html|access-date=June 1, 2023|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The renovation was originally projected to cost $25 million, but the cost increased to $70 million due to various additional tasks that surfaced during the extensive refurbishment.<ref name="Collins 1999">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/10/travel/travel-advisory-live-from-radio-city.html|title=Travel Advisory; Live From Radio City!|last=Collins|first=Glenn|date=October 10, 1999|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216040911/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/10/travel/travel-advisory-live-from-radio-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City received a $2.5 million tax break from the [[Empire State Development Corporation]], which was meant to accommodate the expenditure of up to $66 million in renovation costs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/30/nyregion/for-radio-city-restoration-a-2.5-million-sales-tax-break.html |title=For Radio City Restoration, A $2.5 Million Sales Tax Break|last=Pristin|first=Terry|date=January 30, 1999 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216041201/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/30/nyregion/for-radio-city-restoration-a-2.5-million-sales-tax-break.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The theater reopened with a gala concert on October 4, 1999.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=583}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Look Divine! Radio City Restored, Reopened & Radiant |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26246212/look_divine_radio_city_restored/|date=October 5, 1999|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 15, 2018|via=newspapers.com|url-status=live|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216030948/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26246212/look_divine_radio_city_restored/ |page=7}}</ref>

=== Early 21st century ===
Radio City Music Hall announced a decision to remain open on March 12 and 13, 2020, amid a [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)|ban on gatherings of 500]] or more in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-coronavirus-cuomo-public-density-20200312-bozewybl2zarplo2iashkmnwiy-story.html |title=Gov. Cuomo Bans Public Events with More Than 500 People to Fight Coronavirus; Mayor De Blasio Declares State of Emergency in NYC|last3=Greene|first1=Denis|last1=Slattery|first2=Shant|last2=Shahrigian|first3=Leonard|website=nydailynews.com|date=March 12, 2020 |access-date=March 13, 2020|archive-date=April 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405031400/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-coronavirus-cuomo-public-density-20200312-bozewybl2zarplo2iashkmnwiy-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This decision initially stood in contrast to many other venues and public events in New York City, which had shut down.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Durkin |first1=Erin|last2=Eisenberg|first2=Amanda|title=City in State of Emergency as Coronavirus Outlook Becomes More Dire |website=Politico PRO|date=March 12, 2020|url=https://politi.co/38HnfpP|access-date=March 13, 2020|archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403220546/https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2020/03/12/city-in-state-of-emergency-as-coronavirus-outlook-becomes-more-dire-1266802|url-status=live}}</ref> Radio City decided to remain closed after March 13, with no set reopening date, since other venues had also closed indefinitely. This affected events like the [[74th Tony Awards]], originally scheduled for June 7 but was then postponed after Radio City's closure.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/news/74th-annual-tony-awards-be-postponed/|title=The 74th Annual Tony Awards to Be Postponed |publisher=[[Tony Award]]s|date=March 25, 2020|access-date=March 25, 2020|archive-date=March 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325184600/https://www.tonyawards.com/news/74th-annual-tony-awards-be-postponed/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/2020-tony-awards-put-on-hold-as-coronavirus-pandemic-causes-broadway-shutdown|title=2020 Tony Awards Put on Hold as Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Broadway Shutdown|work=[[Playbill]] |first=Ryan|last=McPhee|date=March 25, 2020|access-date=March 25, 2020|archive-date=March 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325185805/https://www.playbill.com/article/2020-tony-awards-put-on-hold-as-coronavirus-pandemic-causes-broadway-shutdown|url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2021, New York governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] announced that Radio City would be able to open with limited capacity that April.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Dick|date=March 3, 2021|title=Road To Reopening: New York City Arts And Entertainment Venues Allowed To Reopen At 33% Capacity Beginning April 2 |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/03/03/coronavirus-covid-19-new-york-city-arts-and-entertainment-venues-reopening/|access-date=March 19, 2021|website=CBS New York|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321125145/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/03/03/coronavirus-covid-19-new-york-city-arts-and-entertainment-venues-reopening/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cuomo subsequently announced Radio City would reopen that June, without capacity limits or [[Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic|mask restrictions]], but only to patrons who had received a [[COVID-19 vaccine]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Stevens|first1=Matt|last2=Ferré-Sadurní|first2=Luis|date=May 17, 2021|title=Radio City Music Hall to Reopen to Maskless, Vaccinated Full Houses|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/arts/radio-city-music-hall-maskless-vaccinated-full-houses.html|access-date=May 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525163033/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/arts/radio-city-music-hall-maskless-vaccinated-full-houses.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Chung|first=Jen|date=May 17, 2021|title=Radio City Music Hall Will Reopen At 100% Capacity To Vaccinated-Only Audiences|url=http://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/radio-city-music-hall-will-reopen-100-capacity-vaccinated-only-audiences|access-date=May 25, 2021|website=Gothamist|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525172831/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/radio-city-music-hall-will-reopen-100-capacity-vaccinated-only-audiences|url-status=live}}</ref>

Development firm [[Tishman Speyer]] submitted proposals to the LPC to construct a {{Convert|24000|ft2|adj=on}} rooftop terrace on Radio City Music Hall, as well as a pedestrian bridge to 1270 Avenue of the Americas. These plans dated from an original proposal for the theater that was never carried out.<ref>{{cite web|last=Holaday|first=Carsen|date=March 18, 2021|title=A Public Park Atop Radio City Music Hall? Developers Get Approval for 'Spectacular' Idea|url=https://www.amny.com/real-estate/a-public-park-atop-radio-city-music-hall-developers-get-approval-for-spectacular-idea/|access-date=March 19, 2021|website=amNewYork|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318191043/https://www.amny.com/real-estate/a-public-park-atop-radio-city-music-hall-developers-get-approval-for-spectacular-idea/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Weaver|first=Shaye|date=March 17, 2021|title=See the Lush Rooftop Park and Sky Bridge Coming to Radio City Music Hall |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/see-the-lush-rooftop-park-and-sky-bridge-coming-to-radio-city-music-hall-031721|access-date=March 19, 2021|website=Time Out New York|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317171242/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/see-the-lush-rooftop-park-and-sky-bridge-coming-to-radio-city-music-hall-031721|url-status=live}}</ref> The LPC approved the plans in March 2021. At the time, the terrace was scheduled to open in late 2021 and would only be usable by tenants of 1270 Avenue of the Americas and their guests.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 17, 2021|title=Radio City Musical Hall to Get Rooftop Park, Skybridge |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/radio-city-musical-hall-to-get-rooftop-park-skybridge/2948137/|access-date=March 19, 2021|website=NBC New York|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319112635/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/radio-city-musical-hall-to-get-rooftop-park-skybridge/2948137/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gannon|first=Devin|date=March 15, 2021|title=Radio City Music Hall Is Getting a Rooftop Park and Skybridge|url=https://www.6sqft.com/radio-city-music-hall-is-getting-a-rooftop-park-and-skybridge/ |access-date=March 19, 2021|website=6sqft|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319112834/https://www.6sqft.com/radio-city-music-hall-is-getting-a-rooftop-park-and-skybridge/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The garden opened in September 2021<ref>{{cite web | title=Radio Park, an Idyllic Rooftop Garden, Opens Above Radio City Music Hall | website=Rockefeller Center | url=https://www.rockefellercenter.com/magazine/arts-culture/radio-park-an-idyllic-rooftop-garden-opens-above-radio-city-music-hall/ | first=Emily | last=Sokolow | date=September 15, 2021 | access-date=January 26, 2022 | archive-date=January 26, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126010437/https://www.rockefellercenter.com/magazine/arts-culture/radio-park-an-idyllic-rooftop-garden-opens-above-radio-city-music-hall/ | url-status=live}}</ref> and is formally known as Radio Park.<ref name="Conklin 2023" /> Designed by the firm of HMWhite, Radio Park includes birch trees, a set of bleachers, and various pathways. The entirety of Radio Park is placed on a gradual slope because the connection to 50 Rockefeller Plaza is higher than Radio City Music Hall's roof.<ref name="Conklin 2023">{{cite web | last=Conklin | first=Emily | title=HMWhite designs Radio Park atop Radio City Music Hall | website=The Architect's Newspaper | date=November 6, 2023 | url=https://www.archpaper.com/2023/11/hmwhite-radio-park-atop-radio-city-music-hall/ | access-date=March 22, 2024}}</ref>