Classic Rant #871 (December 27, 2012): Radio City Music Hall

I am still without a computer. I am putting this Rant together on my wife's netbook.

It is adequate, but not as fun as my old computer.

I still have no idea what to do about a computer.

Stay tuned.

Anyway, today is the 80th anniversary of perhaps the most famous stage in the world.

Or maybe it isn't the most famous stage, but it is pretty famous nonetheless.

New York's Radio City Music Hall turns 80 today.

This famous venue was built during the Depression, which makes it all the more remarkable that it has persevered for so many decades.

When it opened for business on this date in 1932, it initially featured hours and hours of stage acts.

It laid a big fat egg, and from then on into the 1980s, Radio City featured a movie and a stage show, and its legendary Rockettes were born, and have thrilled audiences for generations.

The first time I ever went to Radio City was in 1969..My grandparents took my sister and I there to see "True Grit," featuring John Wayne. I am sure we saw the Rockettes there, but I don't remember. Back in those days, the Rockettes performed at just about every movie showing.

The place was so big, bigger than any movie house I had ever been in. It was ornate, and going to a movie there was like going to a major event.

As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, the single movie houses turned into multiplexes, and the need for a Radio City Music Hall waned.

The place was refurbished into a multi-use house, being able to showcase not just movies, but all types of stage shows and concerts.

The place was reborn, and is one of New York's marvels to this day.

The place not only shows films on occasion, but also all matter of concerts.

Heck, the New York Liberty WNBA basketball team has also played there.

Since the days of "True Grit," I have been there two other times.

In the 1990s, I went with my wife to see Liza Minnelli's elaborate show there.

It really was a spectacle, demonstrating that the old hall could be a wonderful concert venue, with great acoustics and a very large stage.

The other time was less memorable.

My family was among the hundreds of winners of tickets to see "Barney's Big Adventure," the purple dinosaur's one and only big screen adventure.

My son loved Barney, so off we went, with my daughter and wife in tow.

Well, my son was very young, probably less than a year old, and he could not sit still for the film.

I think the immenseness of the place got to him.

So, while the packed house was watching Barney--and he did appear in person too--I was out in the hallway, pushing my son back and forth in his carriage.

It was the only way he would calm down.

Now, he can sit for a movie like a lug. Back then, forget about it.

Today, Radio City Music Hall showcases not only concerts, but the yearly "Christmas Spectacular," a perfect fit for tourists.

So when people go back home, I am sure they talk about Radio City, and that is good.

There is nothing better than seeing a show at Radio City, and I am sure that anybody who has been there would agree with me.