The Helen Hayes was originally called The Little Theatre (this name is still on the facade someplace). It was used as a tv studio by various shows for years. Merv Griffin (in his first incarnation of three) and David Frost taped their talk shows from there.
Griffin used the Cort for the second incarnation on CBS before he moved to California.
In the late 50s and maybe into early 60s Dick Clark had a Saturday night show from The Little Theatre with R&R singers lip synching their latest hits. He did Bandstand in Philly Mon-Fri afternoons and took the train to NY for the Saturday show.
The Palace was a vaudeville house before switching to movies full time in the depression and didn't become a legit house until 1966 and Sweet Charity. The stage house was not big enough for a full-size show so it was expanded then.
Even so there was no show on the 1969-70 horizon so the reserved seat run of the musical version of Good-bye Mr. Chips with Peter O'Toole played the Palace.
The Kerr was an ABC tv studio until about 1970 and sat there all but abandoned and an eyesore for a long time. It was brought back with a less-than-thorough renovation in the early 70s under its original name, The Ritz. Jujamcyn bought it in the early 80s and gave it a major overhaul and renamed it.
The Henry Miller's was a theatre, a cheapo movie theatre, a porn house, a disco, a relic, an event space, a wall and soon the space will be occupied by a brand new theatre with the old front wall.
The old Helen Hayes and the Morosco, the latter being the best house for straight plays in the city, were demolished and their space is occupied by the ghastly billion dollar whorehouse for wayward businessmen and their professional associates, the Mariott.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
