The theatre of science; a volume of progress and achievement in the motion picture industry (1914)

0 f ^ c f e ti c e 273 But when I was privileged to enter this sumptuous playhouse immediately adjoining "the Theatre Beautiful" (as the New Amsterdam is aptly named), I could thoroughly comprehend the reluctancy of Mr. Kleine's associates, who are allied with the Klaw-ErlangerFrohman interests, to yield this gem of a theatre to the camera man exclusively. It is no reflection on the merits ci the Kleine-Cines massive production of "Antony and Cleopatra" to state that for the intelligent audience at the premiere the playhouse itself was the greater attraction. The week of May 4, 1914, was indeed a red-letter period in film progress, from the standpoint of fnassive and important productivity. During that v^^eek also besides the re-i'Adr photoplay houses, such as the Loew,, Fox, P-roctor, and Rosenberg theatres, the so-called playhouse zone of the Metropolis presented an amazing spectacle in that of the usual two-doilar-a-seat houses the great majority were devoted to photoplays, or what is soon to become more vital — motion-picture productions. Starting at Forty-second Street, the Lyric, the Republic, and the new Candler, all within a few yards of each other, were presenting feature films "up for a run," while on "The Great White Way," the one-time Criterion, the New York, the Globe, and the Strand were seemingly immune from any ill effect of their close proximity to each other. Here was revealed seven of New York's first-class theatres within a radius of five blocks with a combined seating capacity of 11,000, and "capacity" business twice daily in four out of the seven, while on Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10, investigation shows a total in excess of 60,000