ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I wish to thank the following for pictures and for assistance: Torben Prestholdt, John Willis, John D.Seymour, Tom Salisbury, Whitford Kane, Joseph-Cameron Cross, Maynard Morris, Earle Forbes, the Messrs. Shubert, Vandamm Studio, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Public Library, the New York Post, and especially D.Jay Culver and Florence Culver of Culver Service, whose collection is represented by many pictures in this book. Pictures of the early decades are from the Theatre Collections of the New York Public Library and the Museum of the City of New York. My especial thanks go to May Davenport Seymour, Curator of the latter collection, to George Freedley, Curator of the Library's collection; to Paul Myers and other members of the Library's staff, for giving so much of their time in making their vast collections available to me ; and to Constance Stungo for her invaluable help.