New York City in films and on TV in early 20th Century.

I'm going to be re-visiting "Ellis Island" in a few weeks after getting a nice new print. Just a few days ago, I watched the 1981 movie version of "Ragtime" which covers some different elements of the same time, mostly in Westchester County, but a few shots of the city such as J.P. Morgan's museum, still standing in midtown. Other great movies about this era include "Hester Street" and "The Gangs of New York". A short-lived musical, "Rags", dealt with similar issues but lasted only a week on Broadway. When the musical version of "Ragtime" came along and was a smash hit in the late 1990's, it made me wonder how a musical version of "Ellis Island" could fare. They'd have to edit out some of the minor supporting characters, but with the right book writer, it could be done.

"Great theater makes you smile. Outstanding theater may make you weep."