Gaiety Theatre
1547 Broadway / NYC
It was designed by Herts & Tallant and owned by George M. Cohan. The theatre introduced revoluntary concepts of a sunken orchestra (previous configuration had the orchestra on the same level as the seats in front of the stage) and also not having pillars obstructing site lines for the balcony. It opened on September 4, 1909 with the Fortune Hunter.
The theatre's biggest hit was Lightnin' which played for 1,291 performances starting August 16, 1918. It would become a silent film.
In 1932 it became a Minsky's Burlesque which had performances by Ann Corio, Abbott and Costello and Gypsy Rose Lee. In 1943, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia cracked down on burlesque and it became the Victoria which initially featured vaudeville performances including Stepin Fetchit.
It was transformed into a movie theatre in September 1943. In 1944 United Artists leased the theatre for movies and in 1949 Edward Durrell Stone designed a remake of the interior which was expanded to 1,050 seats.
A sign on the roof of the theatre went across the neighboring Astor Theatre and was said to be the largest in the world. While originally advertising movies, it would later be best remembered as an advertisement for Budweiser.
In 1980 it was renamed the Embassy 5. In 1982 it was torn down to make way for the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel.