The theatre was named for American actress
Maxine Elliott, who originally owned a 50 percent interest in it, in partnership with
The Shubert Organization. Elliott was one of the few women theater managers of her time. She leased it to the
Federal Theatre in 1936; the following year, it was shut down by the government on the eve on the opening of
Orson Welles's production of
The Cradle Will Rock. In 1941, the theatre became a radio studio and in 1948 was converted for television production, where the very first episodes of
Ed Sullivan's
Toast of the Town variety show originated (from 1948 until 1953). In 1956, Elliott's heirs sold her share to the Shuberts, who then sold the property. It was demolished in 1960 and the
Springs Mills Building was built on the site, being completed in 1963. The theatre, built in a thriving theatre district, was the last remaining Broadway house below 41st Street. Maxine Elliott's Theatre seated approximately 935 patrons. Throughout its lifetime, it housed a multitude of plays, including original works by
George Bernard Shaw,
John Millington Synge,
Lady Augusta Gregory,
Lord Dunsany,
Lillian Hellman and
Somerset Maugham. Only nine of its dozens of productions were musicals, including one opera,
See America First, by
Cole Porter. ==Notable productions==