LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION recognizing the Rome Capitol Theatre upon the
occasion of its 85th Anniversary Show to be held on Saturday, December
7, 2013

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor
individuals and organizations who give freely of their time and talents,
all the while working to make their communities better places to live,
work, play and thrive; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to recognize
the Rome Capitol Theatre upon the occasion of its 85th Anniversary Show
to be held on Saturday, December 7, 2013; and
WHEREAS, The Rome Capitol Theatre's 85th Anniversary Show commemorates
the Capitol's December 1928 opening by recreating a movie bill that
originally ran at the Capitol; and
WHEREAS, The Theatre's inaugural program consisted of two Vitaphone
sound short subjects, a travelogue, a newsreel, and the feature film
"Lilac Time" - starring Colleen Moore and Gary Cooper; and
WHEREAS, Although equipped with a stage, an orchestra pit, and six
dressing rooms, the Capitol was designed primarily as a motion picture
house; the Capitol Grand Organ was used during opening night to accompa-
ny the (silent) newsreel, to play entrance and exit music, and to
provide the accompaniment to an audience sing-along; and
WHEREAS, The Capitol was operated strictly as a movie house for the
first 46 years of its existence, although live acts occasionally shared
the bill with the on-screen program; and
WHEREAS, In February of 1929, Art Kahn's Orchestra became the first
celebrity act to appear, and in April of that year, Paul Whiteman's
Rhythm Boys, including a young Bing Crosby, played the theatre with the
California Ramblers and other acts; and for a few years beginning in the
early 1930s, Paramount and RKO unit vaudeville was featured two or three
times per week, and among the swing bands heard from the Capitol stage
in the 1940s were those led by Paul Whiteman and the Dorsey Brothers;
and
WHEREAS, The Capitol closed as a movie house in 1974, and for the next
several years the building was used only occasionally for traveling
shows; the theater reopened as the Capitol Civic Center in 1985, and in
2012, there were more than 120 performances at the Capitol covering a
wide variety of entertainments, including concerts, live stage musicals
and dramas, children's theatre, independent film screenings, classic
talking movies and silent movies with live organ accompaniment; and
WHEREAS, Development of the Capitol is ongoing, and future plans
include the restoration of the theater to its 1939 era, and the creation
of a multi-venue arts complex, incorporating three additional buildings;
and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when organiza-
tions of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize the Rome Capitol Theatre upon the occasion of its 85th Anni-
versary Show, and for all the time and talent the Theatre collectively
dedicates to its community and beyond; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Rome Capitol Theatre.