standing more or less derelict ever since. Schenectady, New York Proctor opened his first theater in Schenectady, New York in 1912, near the Erie Canal. On April 14, 1925, ground was broken for the "new" Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York at its present site. Designed by famed theater architect Thomas W. Lamb, the theater cost $1.5 million to build and had a seating capacity of 2,700. On December 27, 1926, Proctor's Theatre opened with a showing of Stranded in Paris, a silent film starring Bebe Daniels. Inside was a $50,000 Wurlitzer organ. Over 7,100 paid admissions were collected. In 1928, sound equipment was installed for the "talkies". On May 22, 1930, Proctor's was the site of the first public demonstration of television. An orchestra led by the image of a conductor that was sent from the General Electric laboratories over a mile away, and projected onto a seven-foot screen. The experiment was by Ernst Alexanderson. RKO In 1929, the chain was sold to the Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation (RKO). Death Frederick F. Proctor died in 1929 at his home in Larchmont, New York, aged 78 years; death was due to congestion of his lungs. References He built and lived at 90 Park Avenue in Larchmont, New York. External links Frederick Freeman Proctor at Findagrave Further reading William Moulton Marston; and John Henry Feller; F.F. Proctor, Vaudeville Pioneer (1943) Richard Butsch; The Making of American Audiences: From Stage to Television, 1750-1990 1851 births 1929 deaths American entertainment industry businesspeople Deaths from lung disease People from Dexter, Maine Businesspeople from Schenectady, New York People from Larchmont, New York Vaudeville producers Businesspeople from Maine Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)