Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel (1882-1936)
Forest City, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Entertainment pioneer who operated the Family Theater on Main St. in 1908-11. Here he introduced innovations such as perfuming audiences and daylight films. He took his ideas to New York City, opening the Roxy Theater and bringing the Rockettes to Radio City Music Hall.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Long before he lit up New York, Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel ran the Family Theater on Main Street in Forest City from 1908 to 1911, testing showman's flourishes like perfuming the air for his audiences and screening films in a brightened hall. These small-town experiments in the art of the moviegoing experience became the foundation of a legendary career. He carried his ideas to New York City, opening the opulent Roxy Theater and helping bring the Rockettes to the stage of Radio City Music Hall.
Why it matters
Rothafel helped invent the American movie palace and the idea of going to the theater as a total experience, shaping how a nation would spend its evenings for decades.
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Related people
- · Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel
Themes & tags
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