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Is it even illegal to shout "fire" in a crowded theater?

This isn't 1900. There are accessible, well-lit exit routes in every theater I've been in. Not to mention fire suppression systems, alarms, and the fact that you'd most likely see a fire before it was time to panic.

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Perhaps this does not happen much in the US. However, there are "discotheque" fires [1] which harm numerous people throughout the world. Typically overcrowded with locked exit doors. It's a sad thing, but it happens.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nightclub_fires

No. It was an example of speech that could have terrible consequences, just like anti-war speech.

edit: You're overestimating the wisdom of crowds and the care of theater owners. Spraying mace in a crowded club led to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_E2_nightclub_stampede

Fear that the Who would start playing early caused https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who_concert_disaster

We should probably add 'doing a sound check' to 'shouting fire in a crowded theater.'

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