In 1914 the theatre had a hit production with Jean Webster's Daddy-Long-Legs;[2] a show which made Ruth Chatterton a star.

[3] Its biggest hit during its early years was Lightnin' which played for 1,291 performances starting August 16, 1918.

One of the top venues in the circuit, it featured performances by Ann Corio and Gypsy Rose Lee, as well as comedy acts such as Abbott and Costello.

In 1943, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia cracked down on burlesque, and the theatre became the Victoria, which initially featured vaudeville performances including Stepin Fetchit.

In 1944 United Artists leased the theatre for movies and in 1949 Edward Durrell Stone designed a renovation of the interior which was expanded to 1,050 seats.