Fox Theatre
2211 Woodward Avenue,
Detroit,
MI
48201
2211 Woodward Avenue,
Detroit,
MI
48201
33 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 105 comments found
“Updating” described in this 1956 trade article: boxoffice
Martin and Lewis on the set of “Money from Home” promote a May, 1953 engagement at the Fox:
By the way, that’s a massive 3 strip Technicolor 3-D camera rig on the set. MONEY was one of only two movies filmed with this particular camera.
Don’t forget John Muri’s 1971 concert on the Wurlitzer which he released on his own label LP in 1975.
For John Lauter – Did you create the CD you mentioned several years ago? I’d be very interested in buying a copy. Regards, Keith O.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkK1r6bVl1Y check this out…..this year’s longest Super bowl ad was shot at this venue….
Thanks Twistr54 for the fine photos.
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I have some new pictures of the Fox. I was there for an event on May 29, 2010. I know some inside pictures are a little dark, but all in all, they are pretty good.
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Hey, I just found this again, sorry for the long lag—Thank you for your kind words re: my performance on “Prairie Home Companion”, it was a blast to be a part of, even if I didn’t get the gig until Friday morning! I work well under pressure, and Mr. Keillor, Rich Dworsky and the staff were wonderful to work for. To answer some questions, Bob Jensen, good info there, mostly accurate. It had been a habit to call those 4-36 organs either “Fox specials” or “Crawford specials” and it turns out that those terms are nomenclature that organ enthusiasts developed, the factory referred to them as “4-36 specials” The first one went to the Paramount theatre in NYC, they weren’t called “Paramount specials”. Crawford himself refuted the claim that he designed that model, he stated that it was designed by someone at the factory and that he simply asked for certain stops, which they obliged. I played that performance on PHC from the slave console, which is located in the balcony colonnade, a half a city block and 35 feet up from center stage, where the guy’s all-star shoe band was playing! thanks to a wireless headset feeding me the show mix, we were all together. The Detroit Fox Wurlitzer is remarkably unchanged and intact, not visited by “Midnight Organ supply” in the least. The Moller lobby organ gets used far more often than the Wurlitzer in the auditorium, we play that for a lot of shows. It is in great condition, thanks to roger Mumbrue and Dick Smith, the men who care for both organs. In terms of recordings made on the Detroit Fox Wurlitzer, There is the Reginald Foort 10" disc on the Cook label from 1952, Ed Gress on the Prescott(?-senior moment)label from 1957, Ray Shelley 1960 Columbia LP, Don Thompson’s Pipe organ presentations LP from the 1980s and Simon Gledhill’s CD from 1995.
I am contemplating making a CD there, possibly this summer.
Here is a 2003 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y3ymfps
The sound of the detroit fox wurlitzer is truly one of a kind!! Mr. John lauter are there
Any plans in the near future of a recording being made on this mighty wurlitzer?
As far as I know there are only 3 albums made on this wurlitzer & both are no
Longer for sale. I fill that only 3 albums being made over the past 80yrs on this outstanding
Installation is a real shame.
Best regards, rob allen
The Wurlitzer slave console is still there (located on the side between some of the columns), and is in use. To see a video of it being played, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Qjv_9zM9c
. The lobby Moller is also played frequently, also by John Lauter. The Detroit Fox is the only theatre in the US with its original slave and lobby organ installations intact and playable.
Some people have said the FOX Detroit and the FOX St Louis are twins. Not quite. The Detroit FOX is 500 seats (11%) larger, and while much of the architecture is similar, there are many differences; as befits the work of outstanding architects.
Where the FOX Detroit truly excels is in their $8 million restoration; making all the fine artwork and atmosphere look “like new” — bright and fresh. The FOX St Louis had only $2 million to spend on renovation, and $6 million makes a difference. So Detroit wins this one.
Small matter! Visiting either theater is an outstanding experience.
[incidently, the Atlanta FOX is an altogether different (but stunning) architecture.]
I had on Public Radio this afternoon/evening (Saturday 2/27/10) and listened to Garrison’s Keillor’s A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION from American Public Media.
The show was broadcast live from this theater.
The Mighty WurliTizer Theater Pipe Organ was played by John Lauter. JOHN MADE THE OLD ORGAN SOUND GREAT! Many Public Radio Stations rebroadcast A Prairie Home Companion on Sunday so you might still get to hear the organ.
John has a number of posts above. Nothing is really listed above about the Fox’s organs so I thought I would post what I could find out and hopefully John can correct my mistakes and also add comments.
“Fox Special"
Opus #1458, 1926, New York Paramount Theater
Opus #1894, 1928, Detroit Fox
Opus #1904, 1928, Brooklyn Fox
Opus #1997, 1928, St. Louis Fox
Opus #2012, 1928, San Francisco Fox
The Detroit “Fox Special” is a 4 Manual/36 Rank shipped by WurliTizer on June 14, 1928.
John writes that very little lost pipework (like 3 pipes/75 years (Dec. 2002)), essentially as installed, probably the largest original WurliTizer left, wonderful sound in that acoustic environment.
The organ included a 2nd 4-manual console (slave), I do not know if it still exists.
Moller Company Grand Lobby Organs
Opus #5286, St. Louis Fox
Opus #5387, Detroit Fox
Opus #5497, San Francisco Fox
These organs were 3 Manual/12 Rank with Artiste player units and each cost $10,000 in 1928. As of 2004 the Detroit Grand Lobby Organ was still working, I do not know it’s condition now.
“Gee Dad, it is a WurliTizer!”
Nice shots of the Vertical looks much better with it.
This a nice night photo of the Fox from CT member Derek Farr
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This is a nice shot of the Fox at night.
Here is an interior photo, circa 1930s:
http://tinyurl.com/kt6wn4
The original 1920’s marquee was simpler. I don’t know when the current marquee was put up. As far as why the St. Louis and Detroit Foxes were twins, I can only guess that the theatres were being built at close to the same time, and it was probably a money saving measure to be able to use the same molds for the plasterwork.
Is the current marquee a 1920’s original or a restoration of a 40’s or 50’s one? Also, can anyone tell my why the Detroit and St. Louis theatres were designed as “ twins”?
1977 Photo
1980 Photo
1982 Photo
1983 Photo
1983 Photo
The last time I ventured into the Fox was during Spring Break from college in 1963. I rememember seeing the unforgettable “Days of Wine and Roses” starring Jack Lemon and Lee Remick. Sunday night at the movies was a ritual when I moved to Detroit in 1957 to live with my father and stepmother, but Dad was extremely “thrifty” and didn’t believe in wasting good money on first run movies shown at the Fox and other downtown theaters, so I had to sneak like a fox into the Fox whenever I got the chance. Was there an organ player during intermission or is it just my imagination? For me the Fox Theater and Michigan Central Station epitomized big city glamour, grandeur, and magic. I felt, “This is where I belong.” I was transformed.
I felt the same magical transformation when captivated by the Fox Theater in Atlanta after it integrated in the 60’s.
And another photo of the Fox.
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My wife and I went to the theatre last night for new years eve with Bare Naked Ladies. We went in over an hour early to take in all of the sights, and even that wasn’t enough time! The more you look at the detail, the more that you can see of this beautiful house.
Even though BNL can rock the house, I can’t imagine what a full fledged rock concert could bring. We sat in the mezzanine and could see the rail rise and fall with the sway from the crowd. Architecturally amazing that this cantilever still performs 80 years later.
FYI. There is a brief glimpse of the Fox marquee in a current Kid Rock music video, “Roll On” or something.
It features KR driving around the Detroit area in an `60’s Lincoln convertable.
A giant fenced-in classic building with arches is also featured. Presumably an abandoned auto manufacturer’s headquarters.