Today in History

December 27, 1932

The Grand Opening of Radio City Music Hall

On December 27, 1932, in the midst of the turmoil of the Great Depression, thousands of Americans still turned out for the opening of the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. On its opening day, the Hall held a grand live stage showfeaturing Martha Graham, Doc Rockwell, and Ray Bolger. Originally penned the "International Music Hall", the name was eventually changed thanks to the Hall's first renters, the Radio Corporation of America. The heart of the Radio City project was to provide a space for ordinary people to experience quality entertainment and performing arts, even during one of the country's lowest economic times. In 1978, Radio City was in dire straits and almost forced to close down, but thanks to celebrity endorsements from John Belushi, Johnny Carson, Rosemary Novellino, and Ron Hokuff helped reignite the nation's love for the performance space. In the past few decades Radio City has been the host for the Grammy Awards, The MTV Music Awards, the Daytime Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards, and the NFL Draft.

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