Thanks for that Greg - it's always fun to learn things like the Rockettes story.
I would add to the Main-Street-Frontage-with-Long-Passage-to-the-Back-Street-Auditorium story that the Canon and Elgin-Winter Garden Theatres are set up the same way. Many others followed this model that have since been torn down too.
Even without long passageways, it was extrememly rare to have a theatre take up any more sidewalk space than a box office and doors required. The Bloor is a good example of a street front with a short passageway, allowing for a couple of small stores facing the street out front. The Eglinton (now and event space) hides behind several retail outlets, as its rarer layout turns the length of the auditorium 90 degrees from this passageway, causing it to run along behind more storefronts. Now there's a cinema I miss...
nostalgic 42