Jimmy
Fallon is getting top billing on one of New York’s landmark buildings
with a new marquee that adorns the Avenue of the Americas entrance to 30
Rockefeller Center.
The
marquee, consistent with 30 Rock’s original Art Deco architecture, was
visible on Monday night. It announces that the building is home to “The
Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“This
makes it exponentially harder for them to fire me,” Mr. Fallon said in
an interview. “I guess this means they put a ring on it.”
Mr.
Fallon, who has made an impressive mark as the new leading star of
late-night television, putting up consistently winning ratings for his
first 10 months as host of “Tonight,” had the idea himself to promote
the show to New Yorkers (and tourists) with a permanent message above
one of the most-traveled sections of Manhattan.
In
the buildup to moving “The Tonight Show” back to New York, Mr. Fallon
and others at the show were trying to come up with ideas. “We were
looking for something that would make a splash and let everyone know we
were bringing this institution back to New York City,” Mr. Fallon said.
Mr.
Fallon illuminated the marquee during the opening of his show on
Monday. “I don’t want to toot my horn too much,” he said. “We just want
to make everyone aware of the work that went into it.”
The
construction has been months in the planning, according to John
Wallace, the president for technical operations for NBC Universal, whose
duties include supervising the parts of 30 Rock controlled by NBC’s
owner, the Comcast Corporation.
“We
wanted to make a bold statement that ‘The Tonight Show’ was back in New
York,” Mr. Wallace said. He noted that Mr. Fallon was already working
in the same studio where Johnny Carson and Jack Paar hosted the show in
its early days. “This will be a very important reconnection with our
past,” he said.
But
it will also be new: The earlier hosts did not have their names on any
of the 30 Rock marquees, and no marquee has ever before stood above the
entrance on Avenue of the Americas. Other late-night shows have marquees
of a sort, including Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show,” which announces
itself only with an awning on 11th Avenue, and, most prominently, the
old-fashioned theater marquee with David Letterman’s name in big type
above the entrance to the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway.
Mr. Fallon said that one inspiration for the NBC move was that “I was just jealous of Letterman.”
Previously,
the north and south entrances to 30 Rock had been marked only by
canopies listing the official address: 1250 Avenue of the Americas. NBC
has always had marquees on the two side entrances to the building, on
49th and 50th Streets. Those have read “NBC Studios.”
Mr.
Wallace said the initial idea of putting the “Tonight” on the side
entrances was shelved because those spots did not make as big a
statement as a sign on Avenue of the Americas. “It’s a great artery, and
for passers-by, it will be a highlight of Midtown Manhattan,” he said.
The signs at the side entrances will remain the same.
One
other feature Mr. Fallon requested NBC was able to accommodate: The new
marquee will be strong enough to hold up a band for special outdoor
performances. “Maybe we can have Bono up there when he’s healthy,” Mr.
Fallon said. (Bono, the lead singer of U2, broke his arm just before the
band was due for a week of performances on the show.) “I don’t know who
will christen it, but it will be spectacular to have that happening
over Sixth Avenue,” Mr. Fallon said.
The
new marquee fits well with NBC’s plans to renovate 30 Rock to
incorporate many of the original Art Deco features from the building’s
early days. Opened in 1933, the structure has always been known for such
features as its enormous murals, by the artist Josep Maria Sert. But in
the 1970s, Mr. Wallace said, remodeling of the ground floor and lobby
masked some of the original designs.
One
was a mosaic, titled “Man’s Enlightenment,” which was visible in the
vestibule just inside the Avenue of the Americas entrance. That was
covered up by the canopies that went up in that era. The construction of
the new marquee will reopen that mosaic to public view, Mr. Wallace
said.
NBC
is also remodeling the lobby to restore the building’s elegant
mezzanine. In the early days, guests entered the lobby and ascended a
grand stairway to the mezzanine. That’s where they assembled before
appearing on NBC’s various shows, Mr. Wallace said.
“This is all about having a true appreciation of the past,” he said.
Mr.
Fallon said: “I still don’t believe it. I called my parents, and they
will come to the city for Thanksgiving and be able to see it. I’ll
probably be wearing a disguise and walk across the street to stare at it
from afar.