Embassy Theatre 1560 Broadway between 46th and 47th Street New York, N.Y. 10036 The Embassy Theatre, located on the East side of Broadway in Times Square, was an experiment by Loew's, Inc., who conceived an elegant and intimate 556-seat theatre that would attract an exclusive high-society audience. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb and decorated by the Rambusch Studio, the ornate French-inspired interior featured elaborate plasterwork and murals by Arthur Crisp. Furthering its salon-like appeal, the Embassy was the first movie house on Broadway to employ a woman manager, the heiress Gloria Gould, and it had the distinction of being operated almost exclusively by women, with only four males serving as the operators and a porter. Beginning with its gala opening on August 26, 1925, the Embassy was a reserved-seat showcase for some of the major MGM releases. After four years, Loew's took over the nearby Mayfair and Criterion theatres, and the Embassy was acquired by Guild Enterprises. On November 1, 1929, the Embassy reopened as the first theatre in the United States to have an all-newsreel format. Soon, there were newsreel theatres throughout the country. By the late 1940s, though, the appeal of old-style theatrical newsreels and screen magazines waned with the onset of television news. In 1949, with a small audience shrinking, the Embassy once again became a first-run movie theatre, showing feature films from Hollywood and the occasional foreign film. In 1987, the interior was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. After the Embassy closed in 1997, the theatre was renovated and reopened in 1998 as the Times Square Visitors Center.       M.P. Möller, Inc. Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 4249 (1925) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 64 registers, 52 stops, 15 ranks The organ in the Embassy Theatre was leased by for a two year period from M.P. Möller, Inc. at a total cost of $11,320. Möller provided a three-manual stop-key console with 64 registers controlling 15 ranks of pipes. The Agreement of Lease, dated March 10, 1925, was drawn up by Elden O. Shulenberger, Möller's secretary and sales manager. "Shuly" sold hundreds of Möller organs — including many to the Loew's syndicate (Loew's purchased six dozen Möller organs!) — and deservedly held an industry-wide reputation as one of the finest organ salesmen who ever lived. However, the lease was to "F.Y.M. Movies, Inc., New York City," for the "DeLuxe Theatre, northeast corner of 46th St. & Broadway, New York City." As there was never a theatre by that name in New York City or a theatre on that corner (the only other theatre on that block was the Palace on the southwest corner of 47th & Broadway), we can assume that this Möller organ was leased for the Embassy Theatre before it had received its name. The photo of the Embassy's interior shows what appears to be a three-manual stop-key Möller console at the left front.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes (7" wind except where marked 10" wind) 16   Tibia Clausa [10" w.p.] 97 16   Tuba [TC] — 16   Viol [TC] — 8   Trombone [10" w.p.] 85 8   Diapason Phonon 61 8   Kinura [10" w.p.] 73 8   Tibia Clausa — 4   Tromba — 8   Violin 97   Chimes 20 Bells 8   Gamba 74   Marimba, Single Stroke 49 Bars 8   Gamba Celeste [TC] 61   Marimba, Repeat 49 notes 4   Orchestral Flute —   Second Touch   4   Violina — 8   Diapason Phonon 2 2/3   Octave Quint — 8   Tibia Clausa 2   Flageolet — 8   Trombone 2   Violin Super —   Marimba, Repeat                 Orchestral Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes (7" wind) 8   Tibia Clausa GT   Glockenspiel 37 notes 8   Concert Flute 73   Orchestra Bells 37 notes 8   Violin GT   Snare Drum, Single   8   Gamba GT   Snare Drum, Roll   8   Gamba Celeste GT   Snare Drum, Muffled   4   Orchestral Flute GT   Chinese Block, Tap   4   Flute Harmonic 73   Chinese Block, Roll   4   Violina GT   Tom Tom 2 2/3   Nazard GT   Castanet 2   Super Violin GT   Tambourine 2   Piccolo [Orch. Fl.] —   Triangle 16   Sub Vox [TC] —   Sleigh Bells 8   Vox Humana 73     8   Trombone GT     4   Tromba GT                         Solo Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes (7" wind) 16   Bourdon 97 8   Orchestral Oboe [Syn.] — 8   Stopped Flute — 16   Bass Clarinette [TC] — 8   Viole d'Orchestre 73 8   Clarinet 73 8   Viole Celeste [TC] 61 8   French Horn 73 8   Violoncello [Syn.] —   Xylophone 37 Bars 4   Violin Celeste II ranks —   Second Touch 4   Flute d'Amour — 8   French Horn 2 2/3   Quint Flute —   Xylophone 2   Flautina —                     Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Acoustic Bass —   Chimes GT 16   Open Diapason [ext. GT] 12   Bass Drum 16   Tibia GT   Snare Drum, Roll 16   Bourdon SO   Cymbal   8   Flute Dolce SO   Tympani 8   Tibia Clausa GT   Triangle 8   Cello GT     8   Trombone GT                       Pedal Studs     Chinese Gong       Thunder Sheet     Song Birds (2)       Grand Crash   Cymbal Crash                         Couplers     Great to Pedal 8', 4'   Orch. to Solo 16', 8', 4'     Solo to Pedal 8', 4'   Great 16', 4', Unison Separation     Orchestral to Pedal 8'   Solo 16', 4', Unison Separation     Solo to Great 16', 8', 4'   Orch. 16', 4', Unison Separation     Orch. to Great 16', 8', 4'   Compound Coupler *     Solo to Orch. 16', 8', 4'   * Released by Pistons                 Adjustable Combinations     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Solo stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Great stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Orchestral stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Pedal stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Full Organ                     Corresponding Pedal to Manual Pistons                 Pedal Movements     Great to Pedal Reversible         Solo to Pedal Reversible         Balanced Great-Orchestral Expression Pedal     Balanced Solo Expression Pedal     Grand Crescendo Pedal         Super & Sub Couplers Sforzando on Double Touch       Sources:      Cinema Treasures website: http://www.cinematreasures.org      Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.      Harris, Warren G. Electronic correspondence about theatres on Broadway at 46th Street.      Junchen, David L. Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. 1. Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1985.      Melnick, Ross, and Andreas Fuchs. Cinema Treasures: A New Look at Classic Movie Theaters. St. Paul, Minn.: MBI Publishing Company, 2004.      Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.      Schatz, Thomas. Boom and Bust. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.      Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of M.P. Möller organ, Op. 4249 (1925). Photos:      Cinema Treasures website: Embassy Theatre interior; Newsreel Theatre marquis.       | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organs List |