Schlesinger Collection of Theatre History

Morris Sulzberger Schlesinger was born in Philadelphia in 1874 to Rabbi Leobaum Schlesinger. He studied at the Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati and later at the Jewish Theological Seminary in NY. He became interested in journalism before he completed his coursework and joined the staff of the Wilkes-Barre Daily News Dealer in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 1890.

In 1892, Schlesinger worked as a press agent for “The Wonderland,” a dime museum in Wilkes-Barre, PA, managed by Max Anderson. That same year, he left his job at the newspaper and went to Cincinnati with Anderson as the treasurer and press agent for The Fountain Square Theater. In 1898, he became the manager of the Central Avenue Theater in Cincinnati and soon afterwards purchased the first feature motion picture to be made in this country, The Passion Play. He successfully toured with it throughout the East Coast.

Schlesinger became the manager of the Court Street Theater in Buffalo, NY and the Bijou Theater in Washington, D.C. He went on to the Arch Theater in Philadelphia, PA and the Lincoln Theater in New York. He subsequently sold the Lincoln Theater to Marcus Loew, who was responsible for forming Loews Theaters and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Schlesinger came to Newark, NJ where the Orpheum Theater was built for him on Washington Street on the site of Machinery Hall. Sometime after, he also acquired the Broad Street Theater and the Schubert Theater on Branford Place where he presented musical shows. Schlesinger also co-produced several plays. After unsuccessfully attempting to revive the Montclair Theater in Montclair, NJ, Schlesinger retired. He died in Orange, NJ, in 1944.