Fox Theatre (San Francisco)
Encyclopedia
The Fox Theatre was a 4,651 seat movie palace
located at 1350 Market Street
in San Francisco, California
. It was designed by the noted theater architect
, Thomas W. Lamb
. Opened in 1929, the theater operated until 1963 when it was closed and demolished.
as a showcase for the films of the Fox Film Corporation along with elaborate stage shows. It was one of a group of five spectacular Fox Theatres built by Fox in the late 1920s. (The others were the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis.)
The Fox Theatre opened on June 28, 1929 with the premiere of Behind That Curtain
, a Charlie Chan
movie produced by William Fox, directed by Irving Cummings
, and starring Warner Baxter
and Lois Moran
. The theater was closed from October 20, 1932 to April 1, 1933 due to financial difficulties. On June 28, 1959, a 30th anniversary celebration took place with the screening of the 20th Century-Fox film Say One for Me
with Bing Crosby
and Debbie Reynolds
. On March 5, 1960, a series of organ concerts on Saturdays at midnight began, in an attempt to increase business and keep the theater open.
On February 16, 1963, the theater closed and was later demolished. Now located at the site is Fox Plaza
at 1390 Market Street, a high-rise building with offices and apartments (no relation to the famous Fox Plaza in Los Angeles
). The organ from the site was salvaged and displayed at the Pizza Joynt, a now defunct restaurant in San Lorenzo, California
. It is now located in the El Capitan Theatre
in Hollywood, California.
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
located at 1350 Market Street
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. It was designed by the noted theater architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas White Lamb was an American architect, born in Scotland. He is noted as one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.-Career:...
. Opened in 1929, the theater operated until 1963 when it was closed and demolished.
History
The Fox was built in 1929 by movie pioneer William FoxWilliam Fox (producer)
William Fox born Fried Vilmos was a pioneering Hungarian American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
as a showcase for the films of the Fox Film Corporation along with elaborate stage shows. It was one of a group of five spectacular Fox Theatres built by Fox in the late 1920s. (The others were the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis.)
The Fox Theatre opened on June 28, 1929 with the premiere of Behind That Curtain
Behind That Curtain (film)
Behind That Curtain is a 1929 mystery film directed by Irving Cummings, starring Warner Baxter and featuring Boris Karloff. It was the first Charlie Chan film to be made at Fox Studios. It was based on the novel of the same name. Charlie Chan is played by Korean American actor E. L...
, a Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
movie produced by William Fox, directed by Irving Cummings
Irving Cummings
Irving Cummings , born Irving Camisky in New York City, New York was an American movie actor, director, producer and writer....
, and starring Warner Baxter
Warner Baxter
Warner Leroy Baxter was an American actor, known for his role as The Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona , for which he won the second Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1928–1929 Academy Awards. Warner Baxter started his movie career in silent movies...
and Lois Moran
Lois Moran
Lois Moran was an American film actress.She was born Lois Darlington Dowlin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died in Sedona, Arizona.-Short career:...
. The theater was closed from October 20, 1932 to April 1, 1933 due to financial difficulties. On June 28, 1959, a 30th anniversary celebration took place with the screening of the 20th Century-Fox film Say One for Me
Say One for Me
Say One For Me is a film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bing Crosby and Debbie Reynolds.-Cast:*Bing Crosby as Father Conroy*Debbie Reynolds as Holly LeMaise aka Conroy*Robert Wagner as Tony Vincent*Ray Walston as Phil Stanley...
with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
. On March 5, 1960, a series of organ concerts on Saturdays at midnight began, in an attempt to increase business and keep the theater open.
On February 16, 1963, the theater closed and was later demolished. Now located at the site is Fox Plaza
Fox Plaza (San Francisco)
Archstone Fox Plaza is a 29-story building located at 1390 Market Street in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. Built in 1966, the tower stands on the site of the former historic Fox Theatre at 1350 Market, which was opened in June 1929 and demolished in 1963.The first twelve floors contain...
at 1390 Market Street, a high-rise building with offices and apartments (no relation to the famous Fox Plaza in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
). The organ from the site was salvaged and displayed at the Pizza Joynt, a now defunct restaurant in San Lorenzo, California
San Lorenzo, California
San Lorenzo , also known as San Lorenzo Village is a census-designated place in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 23,452 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. It is now located in the El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is owned by Pacific Theatres and operated by the Walt Disney Company. It serves as the venue for many of Walt Disney Pictures' movie premieres...
in Hollywood, California.