Roxy Theater

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For the theatre in Clarksville, Tennessee, see Roxy Theatre.

The Roxy Theater in New York City was a 6,214 seat movie theater at 153 West 50th Street at 7th Avenue, opened on March 11, 1927 by Samuel Roxy Rothafel. It was designed by Chicago architect Walter W. Ahlschlager. The opening night film was The Love of Sunya produced by and starring Gloria Swanson. The Roxy was overshadowed by the opening of Radio City Music Hall in the Rockefeller Center in NYC in 1932. The Roxy closed in 1960, and Swanson was famously photographed on October 14, 1960 by Time-Life photographer Eliot Elisofon in the midst of the ruins during the theater's demolition.

The Roxy Theater's box office was located in the Hotel Taft on a corner retail space, most recently occupied by a restaurant. The actual theater was built on a parking lot behind the hotel. While the Roxy was an important venue for major Hollywood films, it was especially noted for its stage shows, featuring the original "Roxyettes", which became the Rockettes when they moved to the Radio City Music Hall in 1932. Many noted performers of the era, such as the Nicholas Brothers, Carmen Cavallaro, and The Harmonicats appeared at the Roxy, as well as dog acts and acrobats.