Fox Theatre

Various furnishing and artifacts from the Fox surface from time to time around the Bay Area. For the public eye, however, the most accessible is the main curtain, which is in use in the main (vintage) auditorium at the Grand Lake Theatre, Oakland. Some additional embroidered hangings from one of the Fox's doorways may be seen in the Grand Lake's lobby.

The organ is now located in the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Ca.

****************************
"THE FABULOUS FOX"

Of all the fabulous movie palaces in the US, many consider the FOX once in San Francisco to be the most ornate and lavish, while others place that estimate of the finest on New York city's long gone ROXY. For its 6,000 seats, its fine pipe organ, its innovations of a hospital room, playland room for the kiddies with matron on duty, its rising and falling stage and orchestra pit elevators, and its general vastness of Spanish theme decor, it may be the acme of movie palaces that many experts consider it to be. But the French themed FOX was unique in its own ways, and is the only theatre to have both a fabulous book to match the fabulous 5,000-seat theatre, but also now a special publication of the Theatrical Historical Society of America (http:\\www.HistoricTheatres.org) to record the FOX's unforgettable presence in the history of theatres.

That 1979 book, known as a difficult-to-find keepsake by many searchers, is titled: "FOX … The Last Word, Story of the World's Finest Theatre" by the late Preston J. Kaufmann. Here, in almost 400 heavy, glossy pages are hundreds of photos of the FOX, which was demolished in 1963. The author documented thousands of details of the theatre, from its rise to its fall, as a lesson we should all learn from its demise. He replicated the blueprints as well as the opening day programme, and even includes a chapter on all the theatres which preceded it, pre and post the 1906 earthquake and fire. Another chapter details the artistry of casting the plaster and bronze used in the theatre and its bronze marquee. If the FOX was a landmark, so is this 7-pound, hardbound book! Since the death of the author and thus the demise of his publishing company a few years ago, the prospect of reprinting the book is slim, indeed (though used copies are sometimes available at www.Amazon.com)

Because the book is no longer generally available, the Society has produced in their ANNUAL for 2003, a 36-page softbound collection of some of the photos which appeared in the book, and a few which did not. The dozens of black and white photos cover all the major areas and are preceded by several hundred words by Steve Levin, a former San Franciscan for whom this was no doubt his favorite theatre. The ANNUAL is titled: "FOX THEATRE, San Francisco" (Thomas W. Lamb, architect) and is available through their web site: www.HistoricTheatres.org where on their sidebar is the link: PUBLICATIONS>ANNUALS, and the instructions on how to order it.

These publications and others are a due Memorial to this, perhaps the most luxurious of America's movie palace heritage.
*******************************

This theatre was never known as Fox San Francisco,
and its ID should be corrected accordingly.
It was always, quite simply, The Fox Theatre;
you can add San Francisco, California,
as a geographical reference, but that was never part of
its name (as opposed to Fox Oakland, etc.)

This theatre was never known as Fox San Francisco,
and its ID should be corrected accordingly.
It was always, quite simply, The Fox Theatre;
you can add San Francisco, California,
as a geographical reference, but that was never part of
its name (as opposed to Fox Oakland, etc.)

Here is a link to a site which shows a famous photograph of the heartbreaking demolition of the "Fabulous Fox".

The Fabulous Fox San Francisco Theatre was located at 1350 Market Street. And even through many listings saying 5000 seats, the theatre seated 4651 people and remember that when CinemaScope was installed in the theatre they lost the seats in the Golden Horseshoe area under the balcony. Because it cut the top half of the picture on screen in the CinemaScope format.

Anyone wishing to share reminiscences or other information about the Fox San Francisco is invited to visit the Fox San Francisco website at < http://www.historigraphics.com/fox/default.shtml >

My father - Robert Apple - was the last Managing Director of the Fox, and tried desperately to save it from destruction. At the 40th anniversary of its closure in February 2003, I decided it was time to pull together whatever photographs and other items I had, and to build a website to celebrate this most magnificent of movie palaces. Contact information can be found at the website.

Richard what a wonderful site. Its a tribute to both your dad and the Fox that it went out with a bang and not a wimper the way many did during this time.It gave me goosebumps reading about the midnight concert with 4,600 people waiting in line. I guess your dad was the director of the Paramount,Fox Oakland and Grand Lake when I attended these theates as a child. I know that 20th Century-Fox was not in good financial health in the early 1960's do you think this had something to do with the demise of the theatre at the time? Who owned the Fox at the time it was demolished?The Paramount also a Fox West Coast Theatre in San Francisco was torn down two years later in 1965 was this also related to the situation with the Fox? In all my years of going to the movies the Fox West Coast Theatres were my favorite.Im sure your dad had something to do with this.He was from the old school of exhibition I have heard so much about.brucec

Richard I just found a small 24 page book titled San Francisco's Fabulous and Foolish Fox which was published in 1961 when the theatre was still open and your father was the managing director.The book was written by Jeff Hershel and under acknowledgments he especially thanked your father Robert M. Apple,Camille Barnes,Ken King,The Fox Theatre Management And Fox West Coast.This book was given to me by Nate Grossman who was a longtime theatre manager who was also from the old school as he would always tell me.The book states that in the first four and a half years,a record breaking attendance of over 22,000,000 persons came from the world over to visit the new Fox.In these years the weekly payroll was $36,000.Fanchon and Marco's gigantic stage spectacles kept the crowds coming.Due to the crash of 1929 William Fox,bankrupt in 1932,was forced to close the theatre. The Fox remained closed for almost a year.In late 1933 ,it reopened under the direction of Fox West Coast and a new policy in prices:The one,two and three dollar seats had vanished and seats could be obtained for 15cents,20cents and 30cents(the latter was for seats in the Diamond Horshoe).brucec

Indeed the Fox went out with a bang. None other than the late theater organist George Wright took the Mighty WurliTzer through its paces for its last public concert. Mr. Wright also was house organist at the Fox at one time. There's an interesting story about Wright's improving the organ's sound.

The sound of the organ was greatly muffled by velvet draperies hanging in front of the organ chambers. Wright tried to convince the management to remove the curtains, but to no avail. Finally he took the matter in his own hands. He and a lady friend climbed around around the theater and cut the curtains down. All that remained in front of the chambers was a lighter weight curtain.

Management was not particularly happy with what Wright and friend did and considered firing him. However cooler heads prevailed. The management was totally amazed with the "new" sound of the organ and noted that it became even more of an attraction.

By the way, at the demise of the Fox, the organ was sold in toto to a California legislator, Frank Lantermann, who installed it in his home without modification! Upon his passing, the organ was purchased by Disney, and of course, was installed in the El Capitan theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Before its installation, the organ was completely rebuilt, including a beautiful regilding of the ornate console.

For those interesting, here's a link to the American Theatre Organ Society's website and the San Fransisco Fox WurliTzer: http://www.atos.org/Pages/Journal/Fox-SF-organ/Fox-SF-organ.html

In brucec's post from August 22, he asked "Who owned the Fox at the time it was demolished?" It was owned by Fox West Coast Theatre's parent company National Theatres & Television Inc.. At the time the theatre was razed, Fox West Coast operated two theatre in the city, the Fox and the Parkside. They operated many other theatres in the city over the years, but these were the last ones. Over in Oakland they operated about five theatres around this time in the early 60's. They operated the Fox Oakland, Grand Lake, Orpheum, Paramount and the Tower.
Also in his August 22nd post he asked. "The Paramount also a Fox West Coast Theatre in San Francisco was torn down two years later in 1965, was also related to the situation with the Fox?"
During the 1940's Fox West Coast Theatres operated the Paramount Theatre. But during the 50's-1965, the Paramount Theatre was owned and operated by the California Paramount Corp. The parent company to the California Paramount Corp. was the American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatre, Inc.. They operated 21 divisions and about 492 theatres at that time. The California Paramount Corp. only had 3 theatres in it's roster. In San Francisco they operated the Paramount and the St. Francis Theatres and down in Los Angeles the Paramount Theatre in Downtown LA.

The Los Angeles PBS station, KCET, recently broadcast an episode of "California's Gold" which may have been seen only in California. The program begins at the building which replaced the FOX, tells some FOX history and ends at the El Capitan with a mini concert on that amazing organ. Copies of the show are available for purchase from the station.

William I know Fox West Coast also operated the Fox Warfield for many years after taking over from Loew's.I saw many films at the Fox Warfield when it was operated by Fox West Coast/National General.brucec

Yes, Fox West Coast Theatre operated the Warfield Theatre for many years under an agreement with Loew's Theatres. Like they operated many of the UA Theatres down in Southern California. The Warfield Theatre was owned by Loew's, but was operated by Fox/National Theatre. Like Fox West Coast Theatres were part owners of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood with UA Theatres.

I wish more people would write in comments about the Fabulous San Francisco Fox. It is considered one of the finest movie palaces ever built. I have never seen a lobby like that of the Fox. I would love people to share some of there movie memories attending the Fox. I attended the Fox only once when I was nine and I have never been the same since.The Fox is the reason I fell in love with the movie palaces.The Los Angeles theatre reminded me of the Fox, but its about half the size. This theatre was a Grand Lady all the way to the end.brucec

Does anyone have a list of movies that played the Fox from 1950 until 1963 when it closed? brucec

A complete list of all movies which played the Fox from its 1929 opening to its 1963 closing plus gross takings for each film is listed in the book "Fox, The Last Word...story of the worlds finest theatre" by Preston J. Kaufmann. 1979.

I once did a study of the grosses as reported in Kaufmann's book. The Fox's "best" year was 1946, when the average weekly gross was $29,966, closely followed by 1945 with a $29,817 average. The low was in Depression-ridden 1935, with a weekly average of $6,343. Due to inflation, the 1962 average of $8,891 was probably even worse.

I came across this site quite by accident while listening to various archives on the web of Pipedreams but my visits to the "Fabulous Fox" (San Francisco) were more than just accidents during the late 40's and up to its last days when it was just a skeletal shell of its former self. When in grammar school in the late 40's early 50's my best friend and I would cut school to see if we could get into a matinee at the Fox. These visits were not so much to watch the movie as they were to explore wherever we could in the labyrinth of hallways, balconies, unlocked doorways, etc. After grammar school it was a number of years before I returned. While in college I recall hearing Jim Gabbert on KPEN fm start his crusade to "Save the Fox" and his sponsorship of a number of midnight George Wright concerts on the Fox' "Mighty Wurlitzer." I think I was the first in line to insure a front row seat at everyone of the concerts including the last...and vividly recall Jim's last live broadcast from the stage of the Fox on the night just before the wrecking ball was put in place. If I recall Tiny James and Everett Nourse played the last notes that echoed through the now empty Fox on that last night illuminated by just one bare light bulb! Several days later when all the interior fixtures, chairs, cherubs, etc. had been dismantled I returned, wandering almost aimlessly through the barren orchestra section, now devoid of any seats, wishing this cash poor college kid could buy at least something but everything was well above my budget! However, I did manage to sneek out with two plastered and gold-leaf gilded flowers from one of the ornate columns. That piece still reminds me of the "Fablous Fox" to this day! My other reminders include the 33 rpm record, "Farewell to the Fox" (Vol one of a two vol set) featuring Tiny James and Everell Nourse and Kaufmann's book which I purchased in mint condition from a Castro St. used bookstore about 15-20 years ago for the "outrageous" price of $40! After that last visit, I came back one more time to watch the wrecking ball take its first swing into the side of that once beautiful building with a tear or two shed onto that lifeless pavement.

PSRob, I was at home that night with the radio on and my Sony 300 recording every note of that final broadcast. My stereo was blasting and my neighbors were very forgiving as it was in the middle of the night. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I still have the tape, but no longer have a machine to play it on. I was only a very young teenager but James Gabbard and Gary Gilow (sp?) on KPEN turned me on to something I'll never forget. I was there at those midnight concerts. My parents took me, bless them. They probably thought I was crazy, but we had a great time. I remember the dust falling from the ceiling when George Wright let loose with those 32 foot long pipes that were so low a pitch you couldn't here them, you could only feel them. Awesome! Later, a friend and I climbed all through the theater as they were tearing it down. We rode the train into the city as we were too young to drive. We took pictures and pieces of the wreckage. I have a piece of marble on my desk at this moment that I pulled out of that wreckage. I also have the James and Nourse recordings. I bought them new at the time and still have them along with many Geo. Wright records. Sad. Very sad.

Behind That Curtain (1929) was premiered at the grand opening of the Fox Theater at 1350 Market Street in San Francisco on 28 June 1929

Organ & curtain photo:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/PALACE/curtain.jpg

The thought that this was torn down is an absolute crime
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Theatres/SanFranciscoFox1963.jpg

It would be wonderful if someone could post a list of films from each of the decades that played the Fox. Im hoping someone who has the book on the Fox would post this and somes of the box office for some of the films that played the Fox.This would help with the history of this theatre. There isn't enough comments posted about this fabulous theatre which was one of the most spectacular ever built. The Fox is considered among the top five movie palaces ever built. The Fox was considered the greatest Fox theatre ever built. Help bring it back to life with your comments.brucec

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you just the book, like so many of us did.

Bill the book is no longer available. Many people have posted films that played the theatre's such as the Paramount{Portland},Stanley{Pittsburg},Capitol{Wash DC} and it adds to the history of the theatre on this site. William has done a wonderful job of listing the films that have played the historic Roxy in New York City. If anyone has the book and would like to post some of the films that played the Fox. I would be interested to see the films that played the Fox starting with the "Robe" until its closing in 1963. Bill I do have a book about the Fox while it was still open,it was given to me by Nate Grossman who managed theatres in San Francisco until he retired in 1977.The book doesn't mention the movies that played the Fox through the years.brucec

Bill/Bruce:

I have a copy of the Kaufman book, and have started posting the playlist for the Fox SF on the Fox San Francisco Website at http://www.historigraphics.com/fox/default.html under the "Playbill" button.

So far, I have 1929-1932 completed, but, since I do this in my spare time (!not), it may be slow going... I'll see if I can get at least one year up each week or two.

I remember seeing the first Cinemascope picture, "The Robe," at the Fox - hey, maybe I'll plug in 1955 and newer years from time to time, until they're all done!

Dick

From the SF Public Library:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8693.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8721.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8722.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8811.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8812.jpg

Some additional photos:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8694.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-4861.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8697.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8698.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8706.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8719.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8740.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8741.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8745.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8753.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8757.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8758.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8765.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8766.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8772.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8773.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8774.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8775.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8776.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8778.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8779.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8780.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8781.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8782.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8786.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8788.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8796.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8799.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8818.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8819.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8825.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8826.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8827.jpg

Some additional pictures from construction, grand opening and later on in the mid 1940s:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8737.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8732.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8733.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8736.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8726.jpg

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-4862.jpg

Crowds waiting in line to get in:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-4859.jpg

The last shot - a hole in the ground where the Fox once stood:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-8696.jpg

I just finished sitting down and viewing my copy of Cinema Treasures and was appalled by the demolition of this Lamb Fox theatre in 1963! The ornate front facade is clearly seen in the book on page 56 and then in the book on page 136 the devastating demolition! Shame! shame!

Then on page 166 there is an old ad entitled "TWIN'EM!" The company is the Forest Bay Construction Corp.located in Woodmere NY with the phone number,516-295-0099. I wonder if this company is still in existence? I'm sure they are not still 'twinning'! Any comments will be 'entertained'!

Bryan: Your Nov. 29, 2003 post with link to a b/w photo of the Fox facade still standing is very very sad to view and the preservationists back then certainly dropped the ball and let the wrecking ball swing!

What is located on the former Fox Theatre site now? An office complex or a parking lot?

And glad to read on the El Capitan link that the restored organ is now in that Disney owned theatre!

And glad to read that the restored organ is now in the Disney owned theatre, El Capitan in LA.

Ken, those are fantasic photos. Thank you for putting them on this site. It seems that the first photo for the December 11 post is misidentified. The theatre is clearly not the Fox (the sidewalls are different, and the balcony support posts suggest a theatre of an earlier date than the Fox). There seems to be a date of 1906 in the corner of the photo, so this is possibly a photograph of a San Francisco theatre damaged in the earthquake.

Vintage photo of the Fox Theatre can be seen on this link
http://businessimagegroup.com/sfimages/history/Rec_theaters.html

Ken, that long line in the photo is probably the crowd attending the 30th anniversary celebration in July of 1959. The formal celebration was on the night of June 28th, as I recall, and the film opened on July 1st. I was a young fashion designer in San Francisco and was commissioned to create dresses for the six hostesses for the occasion. We were photographed seated on the steps of that fabulous grand staircese. It was a night to remember.......

"FOX THEATRE IS PEOUD TO CELEBRATE ITS
30TH ANNIVERSARY BY OFFERING YOU THIS
GAY PROGRAM"

"FOX MOVIETONE NEWSREEL OF 1929 STAR-
STUDDED OPENING OF THE FOX THEATRE."

"SAY ONE FOR ME" - 20th Century Fox's Cinema-
Scope DeLuxe Color Musical - starring
Bing Crosby
Debbie Reynolds
Robert Wagner

"HERE COME THE JETS" - 20th Century Fox's first
story of commercial jets in test - starring Steve Brodie.

AND EXTRA ATTRACTION*******
***GEORGE WRIGHT at the FABULOUS FOX PIPE ORGAN
George Write, who became inspired at the age of 9
when he witnessesd the opening of the Fox Theatre and
the playing of the organ, determined then to become
a great organist. Today he has his own organ recording
studio in Hollywood and has made the organ popular
again with his two hit albums "George Wright's
"SHOWTIME" and "THE ROARIN" TWENTIES" both
recorded on the San Francisco Fox's organ.
(George Wright played at the Fox Theatre, 1940 - 41)

Hostesses -
Nancy Taylor - Coronet Modeling Students, appearing
in Lin Barkhurst Original Creations.
(insert - The name I was using at that time)

TAPED INTERVIEWS OF SPECIAL GUESTS by RADIO
STATION KYA - Listen for them.
KYA repeats history tonight when they again cover
a big event at the Fox Theatre, just as they were on
hand to air the parade of 100 Hollywoodd stars and the
grand opening of the Fox Theatre back in 1929.

- Miss Beth Virus - Portrait Artist in Lobby -

The back of the folded page program has this opening speech by
MAYOR JAMES ROLPH JR. AT THE FOX THEATRE OPENING IN 1929.......

MY FELLOW CALIFORNIANS

The modern school house and the modern theatre, both keeping pace with the world"s progress, make for America a better educated people who can never take a backward step nor be dispossessed of their citizenship or liberty.
On the 28th of June an event of historic importance will take place in the City of San Francisco.
This city, over which I have the honor for nearly twenty years to preside as Mayor, is famous for its schools, its playhouses and places of healthful amusement.
But on June 28th something is to occur which will surpass anything of the kind in the world's history.
On that day William Fox, builder of the world's finest playhouses, is to throw open the doors of the greatest theatre in the world; in San Francisco. It is to be a red letter day in the istory of San Francisco.
The Fox Theatre, adjoining beautiful Civic Center of San Francisco, is the most remarkable playhouse ever built. Constructed at aa cost of $500,000, it has a seating capacity of 5,000.
The ceremonies to occur within the theatre and at the Civic Center adjoining will be historic. It will be a scene never to be forgotten.
As Mayor of San Francisco I invite you to visit our city June 28 to join with us in the festivities of the day, and be a living part of the historic ceremony.
Come to our city; wander in admiration along the broad avenues of our Civic Center with its flower-beds all aglow with the blooms of spring. I will be at the Fox Theatre personally to welcome you in the name of Mr. Fox and the City of San Francisco.

I no longer have the photos taken on the grand staircase.
I did find three of the small Art Deco bullet shaped ash urns in vertigre cast tripod stands at a flea market, and sold them to a B&B

The Fox Theatre opened on June 28th, 1929.

Yes William, as documented. (Read my first paragraph again) I think the film must have opened on the following day, June 29th for its regular engagement. I don't know why I wrote July 1st...sorry.

The theater was closed to the public on that day until the festivities began in the evening, and I don't remember what time that was. It was a Gala Event, and invitational, I am pretty sure. Perhaps one of the historians might have a record of that event?

That piece describes the 30th anniversary and it's printed program handout, which quoted the opening day speech given by the then Mayor of San Francisco. I did not buy one of the fancy programs, if there was one, and I didn't stay to see the film, "Say One For Me".

Linden, I have those program plus the original opening programs for the theatre.

Those would be very interesting to see, William. I would also enjoy reading the book. I have two books that acknowledge the Fox but not to great extent. (American Picture Pacaces - Naylor, and Movie Palaces - Pildas)

I know that some of the auditorium seats were acquired by a small S.F, performance theater, but I can't recall it's name..One of its triumphs was Alec Teague's Beach Blanket Babylon.

I knew Alec when he relocated to Ashland Oregon in the early 80s and produced entertainments (Aside by Aside, Alec Teague's Scrooge) on the stage of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Angus Bowmer Theater.

The three bullet shaped bronze ash urns are well located and admired in an exclusive B&B in historic Jacksonville, Oregon.

The Preston J. Kaufmann book "Fox, The Last Word" is the one to read and see all those great pictures of the theatre. The Theatre Historical Society of America has an Annual (#30) from 2003 about the Fox Theatre in San Francisco, It's 36 pages long. The former projectionist from the Fox has a VHS tape that shows the final days and the razing of the theatre in 1963. I got mine at a screening at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland a few years ago.

Thank you, William
This kind of research is fascinating indeed. We are lucky to have access to this website. I found one of my boyhood movie houses in these archives as well. An Art Deco movie house, the Cascade Theater in Redding Ca, which has been faithfully restored and is now a performing arts center operated by Jefferson Public Radio of Ashland, OR. They have a broadcast studio in an area where the adjoining soda fountain had been. I think it was named The Golden Pheasant...not sure.
I will try to get a copy of the book and Annual you mention.
Thanks again, William.
Linden Carlton

It is not too often that I say something like, "it was a crime to demolish this theatre." Much as I love old buildings there simply is not a place in the modern world for every 1920's cinema. But this was quite a place. It certainly should have been preserved. I think I would trade the Warfield, Golden Gate and the Castro if we could have the Fox back.

This lobby photo from the USC archive is dated 1915, which is before the theater opened. Perhaps the date is a mistake.
http://tinyurl.com/3y5vkc

This photo really shows the fine detail in the Art Deco decor of the intimate areas of the building. I hadn't seen this one before - thanks for posting it, Ken. I wonder how many others are in the USC archives.

The date of 1915 is definitely a mistake, not "perhaps." The Fox started building in the spring of 1928 and opened in June, 1929. Someone should alert the USC archive, since such errors tend to become accepted as fact if not corrected.

Some of your viewers might be interested in Richard Apple's excellent web site on the Fox Theatre.
He recently has posted a number of pictures that I reconstructed from old publicity photos, many of which were taken between May and July, 1929.

http://www.historigraphics.com/fox/swain_photo_collection.shtml

More will be added from time to time, as they are completed. I would welcome your comments.

Bill Swain, San Francisco

Thanks for the link, Bill. Richard's access to information and details on this palace are unique, and his contributions are priceless, and very generous. Combined with the photos posted by Ken, there is a complete pictoral history of the building's interiors as it stood before demolition. Charles Lamb would be very pleased.

I think that you mean that Thomas Lamb, architect of the Fox, would be very pleased. Charles Lamb was a revered English poet and essayist who died in 1834. I don't know if they were related. Thomas Lamb was born in Scotland.

OMG...thanks. Duh

Recently, a dozen more high class negatives taken in 1929 of the Fox Theatre's public rooms have been lent to me. Richard Apple has offered to post some of them on his web site, after the positives have been run through PhotoShop. They came from his father's collection.

Bill Swain

I will wait with baited breath!

I will wait with baited breath!

Bill, it's a wonderful collection of photographs, but I'm sure that some will cause as much controversy as "colorized movies." Many thanks for giving us the option to view them in the original B&W as well.

I have enjoyed looking at these slides in both formats. The color brings out the richness and suptious plushness of the interiors.

In this aerial view circa 1955-60, the Fox Theatre can be seen in the foreground. The larger octagon-topped building behind the Fox is Civic Auditorium. Beyond and to the left is City Hall. Behind City Hall are the Opera House and Veterans Building:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/aerialfox.jpg

Thanks again, Warren. I remember seeing the Fox from this vantage point in the former San Francisco Merchandise Mart building on the opposite side of Market Street. That building is no longer there, either. This photo must be from the same time as the street shot showing that pie shaped vacant corner lot.

Someone above asked what is there now in this located. It is an office building and residences called the Fox Plaza. So the name apparently lives on.

The actual address of the Fox Plaza is 1390 Market, but this complex covers the land at 1350 where the Fox theatre in fact stood.

I wish someone would research it and could tell me who was the actual executive in charge that made the decision on behalf of National Theatres & Television Inc.. to demolish the Fox.
So many treasures, investments, large companies are demolished, bancrupted, or destroyed and you never know who the person is truly responsible and should be held accountable. only recently the government has focused in and the press has pin-pointed execs like ken lay (Enron and MCI Worldcom) that were the persons that made the decision.

Who was the man that made that decision. Thats what we need is a web site called "Executive held responsible"

what months in 1963? i remember driving by it when the stage was gone and the wrecking ball was demolishing the balcony seats. it was so vast to see it from the street. Sad

The Fox was demolished nearly half a century ago. I think it's a bit ridiculous to "try" the person or persons responsible at this late date. More than likely, they're dead and buried, or close to it. But if you must have a name, the demolition announcement was made by Eugene V. Klein, who was president of National General Theatres at the time. Fox Theatre historian Preston Kaufmann once described Klein as a "former auto salesman turned theatre entrepeneur."

Don't forget the chain offered the theatre building to the city of San Francisco on a bond measure. The city would just have to buy the land the theatre sat on and they would get the theatre building. The citizens of San Francisco voted againist it. This was around the second round of property down sizing the chain did. On the East Coast they closed and razed the Famed Roxy Theatre in NYC.

This is really facinating reading. My older brother and sister told me we saw a "Sampson" movie there which means I was 3 years old then.

Hard to believe there were once 2 dozen movie theaters between 4th & 10th on Market street. What a MAGICAL time that must have been. And so tragic that most all are gone. Sad.

What is a "Sampson movie?"

I suspect that "Sampson" is a mangling of the name "Samson." In December, 1962, the Fox Theatre ran a double bill of foreign-made exploitation movies, "Son of Samson" and "Prisoner of the Iron Mask," which grossed $6,972 in its first and only week. A month later, in January, 1963, the Fox presented "Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World" paired with "Warriors Five," for a gross of $10,531 in an engagement that lasted nine days...I've been doing a study of grosses reported in the appendix to Preston J. Kaufmann's "Fox: The Last Word." In 1962, which was the last full year that the theatre operated, the average weekly gross was $8,891. In 1961, the weekly average was $10,490, and in 1960 $9,247. Small wonder that National Theatres had to close the Fox.

The bookings for the Fox in the 1960's were not very good and the film studio was having financial difficulties so little wonder that National General wanted to drop this large house. Attendance and film production declined in the late 1950's which hurt many theatres across the nation. The major studios now were only producing two event films a year presented at the long run roadshow reserved seat theatres with desired seating between 1200-1500. This left the Fox without the big fims they were playing such as the "Robe" a few years earlier. Its to bad that the Fox wasn't divided into two theatres playing the roadshow fims which may have saved it from the wrecking ball and then could have been restored back at a later date. The balcony could have been turned into a second theatre without damaging the decor because it was such a large space. I wonder if anyone had thought about doing that at the time because the Golden Gate was divided two years later.brucec

The sad thing about the San Francisco Fox not only was it one of the greatest theatres ever built in the United States along with the Roxy in New York it would have been a huge hit today.The three most successful theatres in the United States are the Detroit Fox, Atlanta Fox and the St Louis Fox. The San Francisco Fox was the grandest of them all. Had it survived it would have housed concerts, Broadway Shows and conventions.It would have been a great site for classic film and organ conerts.brucec

Does anyone know if there is any info about a VHS video documentary about the fox? I remember it had a section about the organ with Ev Nourse as well as the facade falling down at the end. What was the name of the video and where can I get it?

"The Fabulous Fox" 1929-1963 A Bartel-Thomsen Pictures Presentation Released 1988 Running time 28 minutes Color

'Experience the elegance and grace of The World's Finest Theater. Explore the lavishly decorated lobby, the magnificent 5,000 seat auditorium and hear the mighty Wurlitzer'

Hi Ken, Thank you for your quick response. I have been looking for this video for years. I used to have it. Everyone I ask either does not have it or has never heard of it. I would love to have a copy of it or by an original from somewhere. If you hear of anything, let me know. Thanks. here is my email wurlitzer11@hotmail.com

Me too, Ken!...aarundell@charter.net (Linden Carlton)

There's a new Fox DVD collection of original "Fly" films, and one of the extras is a Fox Movietone Newsreel segment showing the premiere of the original "The Fly" at the Fox Theatre on July 16, 1958. Sadly, the segment is all too brief.

That documentary about the Fox shows also shows some footage of the farewell show before it was torn down.

A couple nice videos on YouTube:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8o90jvKRec&feature=related

This one is from a period newsreel or documentary from 1963. It starts with some documentary color footage of the auditorium and organ chambers with descriptions of the pipe setup. Then continues to newsreel footage of the demolition and concludes with the final organ solo played at the Fox during the farewell concert. Really interesting to see the inside of the organ chambers during a concert with the shutters swinging and the relays in action!

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roTPtB30d0A&feature=related

This one shows a lot of color still photos of the Fox auditorium, lobbies and lounges with some narration about its demolition and the performance of a final medley on the organ just before the organ's removal from the theatre. The Fox portion starts about 2 minutes into the video.

Happened to read some of the ROXY Theater NY comments. It's also facinating movie palace nostalgia to rival the FOX.

Regarding the old San Francisco Paramount Theatre:

I recently obtained a homemade open reel stereo tape recording of a May 30, 1964 live broadcast of the wonderful Wurlitzer pipe organ in the old Paramount Theater in San Francisco. The broadcast was produced by well known Bay Area broadcasting "legend", Jim Gabbert over KPEN.

Part of the broadcast was devoted to a "mini tour" of the mechanical works below the floor of the main auditorium in the Paramount, SF.

Incidentally, this broadcast was aired from 1:00 - 2:15 AM on May 30, 1964, mostly for audio enthusiasts and night-owls, without any commercial interruptions.

I am going to present the re-mastered cd to the archives of David Jackson's wonderful site devoted to Bay Area Radio Broadcasting History: http://www.bayarearadio.org/hof/

And let me just say that the quality of this broadcast was really quite impressive, considering that FM multiplex stereo broadcasting had only been offered in the SF / Bay Area for perhaps three years when all of this happened.

What a unique document of that wonderful Wurlitzer!

Thanks!

Richard Links
Links Sound
Berkeley, CA

Just one more little detail:

Apparently, demolition of the old FOX THEATRE, San Francisco, was completed on February 16, 1963, leaving open a unique option to KPEN and Jim Gabbert to engineer the broadcast of the theater pipe organ in the San Francisco Paramount Theatre on May 30, 1964.

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

In regards to Mr. French's comment about the Fox book, I assume he is referring to the excellent Preston Kaufman's "Fox-The Last Word."
If Mr. French can find a copy of that book for a hundred dollars, I would like to know where.

I bought my copy when it was new for $35.00. A copy in excellent condition goes for over $1500 on either E-Bay or Amazon.com.

I also have all the articles I saved on the Fox starting with the 1961 notice of closing. Copies of these articles are in the Kaufman book.

It was the demolition of the Fox, together with the razing of the Penn Station in NY which made people aware they should save these treasures. Take SF for example - the theater had magnificant acoustics, could seat nearly 5000 people. The city spent millions to build Davis Symphony Hall, only to spend millions more to correct the terrible acoustics which STILL don't equal those of the Fox.
There would have been no need to build the Moscone Center either, as the Fox could have served as a good convention center.

The city could have had the Fox for just the price of the property, about a million dollars. Instead, the foolish people rejected the theater and spent billions unnecessarily on the two structures (Davis Hall ahd Moscone) where the Fox would have been a perfect solution.

The only good which came out of this terrible loss (of the Fox) was that other cities (including Oakland) learned the value of these theaters. The St. Louis Fox was saved as well as other fine theaters.

What is lost can't be replaced. Right?

One note: the SF Fox Organ is now installed in the El Capiton Theater in Los Angeles.

Trainmaster

Such a tragic loss. The Roxy demolition in NYC was also a mammoth miscalculated loss.

In response to Mr Steve Griffin's question on who was the executive
responsible for the demolition of the S.F. Fox......

I lived in the area at the time and had attended the Fox many times. I saved all the newspaper articles and still have them which followed the issue.

To be fair to Fox West Coast Theaters, they really did NOT want to tear down the Fox. They tried in vain save it. Like the Roxy Theater in New York, they could not afford to keep the theater open, nor could they afford the taxes on a closed theater with no revenue.

They offered to GIVE the theater to the City of San Francisco. All they asked was that the city purchase the property ONLY - not the theater. That was a very generous offer.

You can begin your blame on Mayer George Christopher, but he is no longer around. Enough people signed a petition to place the issue on the 1962 ballet. It was 1961 that National General announced the Fox was closing. Mayor Christopher led a successful campaign to defeat the saving of the Fox and the proposition was defeated by a very slim margin. Had a mayor who was in favor of saving the Fox been in office at the time, I am sure negotiations could have been made to place the matter on the ballot again. However, Mayor Christopher was very anti-Fox, saw no use in the building (it never occured to him that the San Francisco Symphony, which was using the Opera House for its concerts at the time, might want a place of their own, plus the city needing a convention center) and called it a burden on taxpayers. (He was very conservative). If the person before him or Joe Alioto who succeded him was in charge, I think the Fox would still be around.

As tragic as the loss of the Fox was, one good thing came out of it.
The Paramount Theater in Oakland, one of the finest Art Deco theaters in the nation was in the same situation, and once again, Fox West Coast Theaters did NOT want to tear it down, made the same offer to Oakland. The Oakland Symphony needed a place and Fox West Coast offered to GIVE them the theater if they would buy the property. They HAD to have $1 million for the theater, but would donate half that cost if the Symphony would come up with the rest.

They solicited Becktal and Kaiser who each donated $250,000 and the theater was saved! Later, the city of Oakland took over operations of the Paramount and bought the Fox Oakland as well.

The idiots on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors led by a mayor
who was against spending money on anything worthwhile are the ones to thank for the loss of the Fox. San Francisco learned a very expensive lesson and the city (and country) suffered an irreplaceable loss.

One note of interest not related to this topic: The Gothic CD label, which usually deals with classical recordings, has acquired the rights to the George Wright recordings and they are available on CD. There were two record albums titled "Farewell To The Fox" at the time of the theater's closing. Wouldn't it be nice to reissue
these recordings onto CD?

As to the KPEN recording of the last sounds of the Fox, I have that on reel-to-reel tape - I recorded it when it was broadcast in stereo!
If I ever get another reel-to-reel recorder, I will transfer it to CD. The same statement applies to the two "Farewell" albums.

Trainmaster

Is this FOX THEATRE related to the FOX in DETROIT?

It is HEARTBREAKING when grand palaces fall to the wrecking ball
Thank You for Your Time

The Fox Theater in Detriot and St. Louis are "Siamese Twins" that is, identical.

The Fox San Francisco was the last of the theaters and the most opulant built by William Fox. So yes, they were all under the same ownership.

The Siamese Twins are still standing and in great shape and slightly larger than the S. F. Fox. The Detriot Fox still shows movies and
has performing arts. In the early 1980's, things looked gloomy for the St. Louis Fox. It was in a shambles. Fortunately, the theater was rescued, restored to its original appearance and serves as a performing arts center now.

Too bad the S.F.Fox didn't last long enough for such an option. Of all the grand theaters build by William Fox, all are saved except the S.F. Fox, the theater William Fox saved for his last - and best one!

The Atlanta Fox was built the same years as the S.F. Fox in joint partnership with the Shriner's and William Fox. The Shriners quickly pulled out - the theater was almost lost in the 1970's
and had a date with the wrecking ball. The city of Atlanta rallied to buy the theater and save it for performing arts. At least the people of Atlanta had more sense than the City of San Francisco.

Trainmaster

In reference to Steve2's comment on the Roxy Theater in New York...

I was in that theater a number of times as well as the S.F. Fox.

Which theater is more opulent is open to personal opinion. There is no doubt that if any theater equalled or even surpassed the S.F. Fox, the Roxy would be the one. The Roxy Rotunda was overwhelming!
The theater auditorium was gorgeous! Although the proscenium was ruined because of constant changes, last being to accomodate Cinemascope presentation (235:1) (where the S.F. Fox could do it without any alterations), the Roxy was a first class theater. You can add the Mastbaum (Philadelphia) to that list as well and the Paradise in Chicago. They are all gone.

The Roxy had no demolition warning - it was just closed and the wrecking balls came in. The old Hotel Taft (which shared space with the Roxy for the entrance) was responsible for that loss - the Hotel was owned by developers who tore down the Roxy and erected a high rise, leaving the Hotel Taft intact and still in use. Today, the Roxy entrance is a TGIF restuarant.

Although I detest that high-rise that stands on the S.F. Fox site, I must give them credit for hanging beautiful pictures inside the entrance which show you the view you would see where you are standing of the great theater. They also named their building after the theater.

They didn't do any such thing for the Roxy. Both of these theaters were the greatest! It's just my opinion, but RCMH didn't compare with the Roxy, even though Roxy, the person, completely designed RCMH. It was designed in moderne (art deco). I am not saying RCMH is not a beautiful theater - it just does not compare with the Roxy or S.F. Fox.

One word to ANY of you S.F. Fox Fans.....although there is an excellent book on that theater by Preston Kaufmann, it was a local printing and since he has passed away, very unlikely it will every be reprinted. The copies printed were very few. I was one of the lucky ones to purchase it in 1982 when it came out for $35.00. Today, a book in that condition goes for around $1500.00. Just check Amazon.com for an excellent like-new copy.

HOWEVER - all hope is not lost! There are a few remaining copies of the Theater Historical Society's 2003 Annual which is about the S.F. Fox and is loaded with pictures! The cost is $10.00. While this annual in no way compares with the Kauffman book, it is the next best thing and full of photos. Anyone wanting one better order now because they are in short supply and once they are gone - that's it!

Trainmaster

Trainmaster

My thanks to trainmaster for answering my quetion about the S.F.FOX and the Detroit FOX i though that thay might be becuse to me the vertical sign that says FOX looked to be the same on them bouth.

Thank You for you time on this question.

They were. They were built by William Fox when he had his empire and built four fabulous Fox Theaters, the San Francisco being the last and most opulent (and smallest of them all).

The entire list was

Fox Theater Detriot
Fox Theater St. Louis MO
Fox Theater Atlanta Ga
Fox Theater San Francisco **

William Fox also owned the Roxy New York a few years after Roxy left.

The Federal courts issued a ruling that movie studios could not own theaters, so all the movie studios had to diverse it self from the theaters. Fox West Coast took over operation of all the theaters.
Every Fox Theater had a identical sign to the Fox Theater listed above, but were not build by William Fox.

If you have dollars to spend, I recommend you look on Amazon.com for Preston Kauffman's excellent book "Fox - The Last Word." That book goes anywhere from $400.00 to $1500 depending on condition. Read the fine print about condition. If you can afford one, get it! It will never be published again and I guarantee you that the book will go up in value due to its scarceness and high demand.

By the way, I don't think anyone answered Paty's question about what is on the Fox Site now - it is a high rise building called "Fox Plaza" and consists of office buildings and condiminums for sale.
The entrance to the building has beautiful photos of the great theater, so at least they paid tribute to it.

For those of you interested in checking out the other great Fabulous
Foxes, google Fox St. Louis and Detroit and also the Fox Atlanta.
The THS has a few limited copies of the Fox St. Louis at $15.00 as well as the 2003 annual of the Fox San Francisco for $10.00. While the latter doesn't compare with the Kauffman book, it certainly has a lot of pictures and is well worth the money. I am sure the stock will be depleted soon, so if you want a copy, better order now.

Trainmaster

The federal courts ruled that movie studios

trainmaster, What about the Fox Theatre in Brooklyn?

That has gone Bye-Bye! You can get an issue on that theater from Theater Historical Society. It is Annual 1982 # 9 and will tell you everything you want to know about that one and includes many pictures.

Trainmaster

It is HEARTBREAKING when grand palaces fall to the wrecking ball

posted by CHI74

I wish there could be a great big neon sign with the statement above!
It was very hard and emotional on me to watch both the S.F. Fox, The Paramount (former Granada) in S.F. and the New York Roxy come down!
That statement especially applies to the Fox and Roxy! They were, in my opinion, two of the finest theater was built. Which one was more opulent? That is a hard question to answer. The Fox appeared it its glory and in excellent condition even during the last week.
The Roxy had suffered neglect, the front prosenium torn apart, but any of that was repairable. Both theatres were outstanding.

I am now concerned about the Los Angeles - they have been closed since 1994. While the Los Angeles was deliberately built to somewhat resemble the S.F. Fox, the owners didn't have the money the Fox empire had to splurge! It is a beautiful theater and STILL here (and hope it stays so) but it can't even begin to compare to the S.F. Fox, not to mention the New York Roxy.

As I posted earlier, the St. Louis Fox (larger than the S.F. Fox was almost torn down, but saved and had millions of dollars spent on restoration to make it appear exactly as it did on opening day. I recommend the VERY VERY limited supply of the St Louis Fox 1985 Annual No. 12 from Theater Historical Society to see what the Fabulous Fox looked like. The Detriot was identical and under city ownership as is the St. Louis. The last of the Fabulous Foxes, the Atlanta one also has a Cinderella story, being saved at the last minute. This theater is different, has an "atmospheric" interior and the largest theater organ (42-rank Might MO) after the RCMH. Wurlitzer. Atlanta Fox was slightly larger than the S.F. Fox but not as opulent. William Fox deliberatly saved the "best for the last."

Some of the historical remarks made by "trainmaster" on 2/19/08 at 9:29 AM need to be corrected. William Fox bought control of the NYC Roxy Theatre soon after it opened in 1927. "Roxy" Rothafel continued as managing director until he left in 1930 to take charge of the new theatres planned for Rockefeller Center...The Fox in downtown Brooklyn, NY, should be included on the list of "Fabulous Fox Theatres." When the Fox circuit declared bankruptcy, the creditors of the Brooklyn Fox sold the operating lease to Fabian Theatres, a division of Warner Brothers, so the Fox lost its connection with Fox (later known as 20th Century-Fox). From then on, Fox releases usually opened in downtown Brooklyn at the RKO Albee...Studios never owned theatres. The federal anti-trust suit was against five major corporations (Loew's, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century-Fox, RKO) that owned studios AND theatres. The defendants were ordered to "divest" one or the other, and all opted to retain their production-distribution facilities.

I'd add the 16th & Market Street Fox Theatre in Philadelphia to the list. I understand it was also called Fabulous Fox.

I think that to be considered "Fabulous," a Fox Theatre has to be at least 4,000 seats. The Philadelphia Fox seated only about 2,500. The Fox in Atlanta comes to mind, but it was built as a Shriners' Temple and became a cinema by default.

I thought the Fox in Atlanta,Detroit,Brooklyn,St Louis and San Francisco were the Five "Fabulous" Fox Theatres. They all sat over 4000 seats.Is this correct Warren? brucec

brucec, I believe you're right. Although there were certainly other beautiful Fox theatres, such as the Fox Oakland at roughly 3300 seats, the five you named are the only ones that seated over 4000. Fortunately, 3 of the 5 are extant.

I don't know if the expression "Fabulous Fox Theatres" existed when those theatres were actually operating. It might have been dreamed up much later by theatre historians.

I'm pretty sure the Philadelphia Fox was in ads as the Fabulous Fox so theater historians can select some other name to characterize ones they view as most special. Philadelphia has a right! (though the theater is gone).

I stand corrected on William Fox's purchase of the Roxy -

According to David Naylor's "American Picture Palaces (1981), the Atlanta Fox was planned as a Shriner's Temple - they didn't have the money to complete it, so William Fox put up the money in exchange for a long-term lease. The Shriner's bowed out in 1939 leaving sole ownership to William Fox.

The five "fabulous Fox" theaters, according to this book are,
Detroit, St. Louis, Brooklyn, Atlanta and San Francisco. and were built in this order: Fox Brooklyn (4088 seats) Fox Detroit (5048 seats) in 1928; Fox St. Louis (5042) Fox Atlanta (3934) and Fox San Francisco (4651) in 1929. The S.F Fox was bigger than the Atlanta and I mis-read something about that in some other book. (Probably "America Goes To The Movies" nice book- but full of errors).

The Fox Oakland on Telegraph in Oakland designed by Weeks and Day was originally to be called the Bagdhad - it is the 2nd Fox Oakland.
The original Fox Oakland was on Broadway one block from the Paramount. For some sort of legal reasons, the name was changed to the Orpheum; it was demolished in 1967, having been closed many years. I have newspaper clippings I optained of the opening of the original Fox Oakland on Broadway. That was a beautiful theater on the inside, but is long forgotten.

I don't know about the name "Fabulous Fox" and where it came from - I do know the S.F. Fox (and most of them) were advertised as "The Last Word." S.F. Fox also had "World's Finest Theater. Consult the Kaufmann Book for the adjective "Fabulous Fox." I might research it when I feel up to it. Anyone else want to comment, I would love to hear.

There were six Fox "Super Theatres" as they were originally called, the five mentioned above, and the Fox in Washington, D.C., which later became known as Loew's Capitol. If this theatre was overlooked in David Naylor's book it would not be surprising, since I have found several errors in that publication.

I just hit the wrong button - I wanted "preview" and instead posted it.

I had one point of disagreement with the very helpful Warren on information. The studios DID own theaters, that is, until 1948 when the U.S. Federal Courts ruled against it. (You can read the legal issue at wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Paramount_Pictures,_Inc. complete with reference to U.S. Federal Court sites)

William Fox owned his empire, Paramount -Publix from Paramount Studios owned theirs, MGM was in partnership with Lowe's and Warner Brothers had theirs.

And talk about timing - read today's editorial in the New York Times
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE2DF163AF936A15751C1A961948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

It seems that there are provisions for the studios to get back into some ownership of theaters! That is today's edition of the NY Times!

Studios had to divest of them after the court order. That is one reason "Fox West Coast Theaters" was created. And, NO, they really didn't want to tear down the beautiful Fox Theaters - several examples are the Fox Theater San Francisco where they offered to give the theater to the city if S.F. would just by the property at its value - the Paramount (Oakland) was due to be torn down for a parking lot when Fox West Coast aproached Oakland and the symphony was looking for a new home; the asking price was the same as the S.F. Fox - one million dollars for the property, for which Fox West Coast donated half of the cost.

The most important point in this statement that FWC wanted to preserve their theaters was in the FOX Oakland (#2). In 1977 an auction sale was held for the theater. A number of developers bid.
And along with them, a little old lady named Erma Deluchi. She bid $340,000. The Fox executives were quite surprised and asked why she even had an interest in the theater and what was she going to do with it? She replied that she met her husband there, it was very special to them and she planned to restore it to operation. Her bid was the lowest. She was told FWC would get back to her.

Although her bid was the lowest, it was accepted. There was hope for the Fox-Oakland. However, her husband passed away shortly after she bought the building and lost all interest in restoring it. She sold it to the City of Oakland (by public domain) for 4 million dollars. Talk about a profit!! Oakland is searching for someone to restore it as they want the Fox in operation for their downtown revitalization project. The Friends of the Oakland Fox (FOOF) have more information on this subject.

Trainmaster

Oops -- one can get fooled. It was published Christmas Day 1987 New York Times - somehow today's date appears.

This can be confusing for an older guy and sorry for the blooper.
But the contents are interesting just as well. Just copy and paste the link.

Trainmaster

I can't find any reference to Lowe's Capitol or Fox in Washington D.C. in Mr. Naylor's book.

I am not sure, but I doubt William Fox built the theater, as Rapp & Rapp were the architects, which he never used. He mostly used C. Howard Crane, with the exception of the Atlanta Fox (probably because of the Shriners) which was designed by Olliver Vinour and the San Francisco Fox, designed by Thomas Lamb. Rapp & Rapp did great jobs - just that William Fox never used them - at least for his "Super" theaters. Maybe someone else knows.

However, there is short mention of that place thanks to Sister Aimee Semple McPherson on page 231 of Ben Hall's "Best Remaining Seats."
According to Cinema Treasure's description, the Washington D.C. Fox was the finest in that city.

Like so many great theaters, it is gone.

trainmaster in the above post you stated that.
"Studios had to divest of them after the court order. That is one reason "Fox West Coast Theaters" was created."
Can you put a year to that statement?

Also according to the Cinema Treasures website the Fox in Washington was built by William Fox in 1927. Ben Hall's book lists it as one of the Six Fox "Super Theatres", and I really wouldn't put much stock in what David Naylor's book says. As I already stated, it has many inaccuracies in it. Any further discussion regarding the Fox in D.C. should probably be moved to the "Loew's Capitol" page. If you wish to continue the topic there I'll be glad to oblige.

Very interesting comment comparing the Fox and NY Roxy by Mr. Jim Rankin.

Although, to the best of my knowledge, no book was written just on the Roxy alone, Ben Hall's "Best Remaining Seats" concentrates mostly on the Roxy, his favorite theater. One of the Theater Historical Society's first annuals was on the Roxy. It took them about another 33 years to get to the S.F. Fox, which is good for some of you folks, since the Roxy Annual is long sold out...VERY FEW of the 2003 Fox Annual remain.

As I said before, I have been in both theaters and leave it up to the readers to decide which one was more opulent. However, I still say the N.Y. Roxy was far more gorgeous than RCMH. It's sad enough to think both the NY Roxy and SF Fox are gone!

For anyone interested, if you can find a copy, KTVU-Channel 2 in Oakland did a documentary "San Francisco As It Was" and shows beautiful movie footage of the Fox inside and out as well as what happened in 1963! It also includes footage on other S.F. landmarks long gone as well.

Trainmaster

I was reading about the Fox Cathway Theater in L.A. (demolished in 1970). It was a first-class theater and had many famous movie premires.

Today, this generation of young people hardly know about that theater.

Chances are, if one goes to 50th and 7th Avenue in New York and wanders into TGIF (the former entrance of the Roxy) or the office building which replaced the theater and ask about the Roxy, hardly anyone will know.

One positive thing about the S.F. Fox. The development which replaced the theater was named "Fox Plaza." There are pictures inside of the theater. And, the staff is well trained about the theater's history, so anyone who asks "Why is this place named Fox Plaza?" at least, they will hear about the grand movie palace.

That is more than can be said for the other two mentioned places.
It's sad when great theaters are forgotten.

One update: the City of Los Angeles plans to revitalize and refurbish Broadway Street to make it look like it did in the golden days and included is the Los Angeles Theater! So things look up for that movie palace. The Fox Oakland is scheduled to re-open October 26, 2008. Let's hope all goes though.

Trainmaster

It's the Fox Carthay Circle Theatre.

TRAINMASTER:My Thanks to to for helping my point :)

In Reguard to my statement above about the "Wrecking ball"
i urge you to view the following theatres here on CT.

1. The MICHIGAN THEATRE - DETROIT, MICHIGAN
238 Bagley Street By Rapp and Rapp

2. The UNITED ARTISTS - DETROIT , MICHIGAN
150 Bagley Street By C.HOWARD CRAIN
If you do a map search of the to adresses you will find that thay are down the street from each other.

3.The SOUTHTOWN THEATRE - CHICAGO , ILLINOIS
By RAPP and RAPP

And now thies are the ones that REALY HURT!!

4. THE ROOSEVELT - CHICAGO , ILLINOIS
By C.HOWARD CRAIN and H.KENNETH FRANZHEIM

5. THE UNITED ARTISTS - CHICAGO , ILLINOIS
By C.HOWARD CRAIN

6. THE PARADISE THEATRE - CHICAGO , ILLINOIS
By JOHN EDERSON

7. THE MARBRO THEATRE - CHICAGO , ILLINOIS

8. THE GRANADA THEATRE - CHICAGO , ILLINOIS
( The Marbro and the Granada were twin sisters )

All of thies can by view right here on CT i hope that you and evey one will view the pages .



All of thies GRAND PALACES have fallen to the wrecking ball.


I thank you all and i thank TRAINMASTER for the readdiation of my statement.

And i leave you with this quote...................




" GREAT ARCHITECTURE HAS ONLY TWO NATURAL ENEMIES :

WATER AND STUPID MEN" -------- Richard Nickel ------

Their is a link to pictures for som of the theatres listed above the link is WWW.MEKONG.NET/RANDOM/THEATRES.HTM

Their are pics of the Grananda and the UA chicago thank you for your time .

Thank you for your comment. The Marbro Theater was originally owned by the Marks Brothers and it was sold the the owners of the Paradise.
Both theaters seated over 3,000 people and within walking distance.

Since the Malbro had superior acoustics, the new owners decided to keep it open and close and demolish the Paradise in 1956. Paradise lost!

The Malbro met the same fate in 1963.

Let's add to that list above:

The Amabassador St. Louis is now demolished.
The Fox Carthway in Los Angeles had more premires than Grauman's Chinese Theater and, it too, went to the wrecking ball. To add insult to injury, the surviving statue of the figure pouring water was stolen recently. (In yesterday's news).

A number of theaters face an uncertain future. I am glad from yesterday's news that the Los Angeles was taken off that list.
The city has plans to revitalize that area and the theater is certainly included. I was concerned about that place, because it's a beauty. Anyone who has NOT seen these beautiful pictures are directed to this link:

http://www.losangelestheatre.com/

S. Charles Lee built the theater and it was deliberatly designed to somewhat resemble the San Francisco Fox. Unfortunately, Lee did have the money the William Fox empire had to splurge on the theater.
So, it is much smaller, less opulent, but still beautiful and still around and looks like it will be around for a long time. It has its own restuarantk, ballroom, has been closed since 1994 but made money by being rented out. (Any newly-wed love birds need a grand place for a reception?)

Thanks very much for your comments CHI74? I take it you live in Chicago? If you do, what is the status, if you know, of both The Chicago and Oriental Theaters? I believe they are still standing.

Trainmaster

I have seen all of these theaters and I URGE everyone to look at them as well. They are gone. L

William, you are indeed correct, sir! This small font type is hard-to-see and any spelling errors are not deliberate.

For those of you who want to know where the Fox Carthay (I probably mispelled it in the post above) was and what replaced it, you can see two huge beautiful pictures in the FIRST (not current) edition of "Above Los Angeles" by Robert (??) Cameron (those books are hard to pull out - I just looked at them!) the 1978 edition (1st one) and it is one page 68 under "now and then." These pictures are gorgeous.

If I could upload pictures, I would do it. Are they every going to get that section fixed? And when they do, how do you use it?

I have so many pictures of the S.F. Fox and Los Angeles theater I could put up for you to see. And I am sure many of you have pictures to share. I urge the site owner to please get the picture update section fixed and notify us when it is operating again.

And for those of you who correct either my facts or misspelling, I appreciate very much your time and effort. Nobody if perfect or knows everything. One person stated the Naylor book had errors.
So these corrections are welcome as far as I am concerned.

I enjoy all the posts from everyone! It is nice to re-live the "good old days."

Best wishes to all

Trainmaster

You don't need to wait for the photo section to be "fixed." You can start a scrapbook (free of charge!) at websites such as Photobucket, insert your theatre photos, and then post links at the listings for the theatres. Even for computer illiterates like myself, it's very easy to do.

TRAINMASTER : The CHICAGO THEATRE and the ORIENTIAL THEATRE are still standing thay are centers for preforming arts.

THE ORENTIAL is now call "ORENTIAL THEATRE FORD CENTER FOR THE PREFORMING ARTS" it was a joint efford between the CITY of CHICAGO, a production comp LIVE VENT and the FORD MOTOR COMP. .
It is now opperated by ''brodway in chicago'' the profiles for the ORENTIAL and the CHICAGO can be seen right here on CT .

For years the ORENTIAL was shuddered but now it it back to the glory.
I was part of the FOH (front of house staff) when it was being brought back.

The CHICAGO now does concerts and special events you can even book it (if i am right) for wedding receptions!

It was on the Connon O`brian show i think last summer.
Some work to the marquee and a new vertical sign (the old one was in bad shape) but on summer nights that area is lit up like Las Vagas , but it is still not the was it used to be something like 5 city blocks nothing but LIGHTS and NEON great times !!!!

Thank you for you time

Hello:

The trainmaster wants first to address the gentleman named "William"

trainmaster in the above post you stated that.
"Studios had to divest of them after the court order. That is one reason "Fox West Coast Theaters" was created."
Can you put a year to that statement?
posted by William on Feb 20, 2008 at 2:54pm

Sir William, with all due respects, I will work on it; not feeling my best lately due to a very bad back, but I will research and let all of you know. I am very good at researching.

And to the ever-super helpful kind gentleman named Warren:

Thanks for the info on the picture site! I will do that in a few days. Many of you may not have the theater books I do and would like to see some of these photos, so I will attempt to create a theater album. By the way, let me say that if any of you good folks have problems with your computer feel free to ask me, since I work on them, and I will attempt to help. You can write to me at abner2665@yahoo.com with your questions. But, to save time, please tell me your Operating System, the amount of RAM you have, how old your computer is (but I can tell by the OS) and I can attempt to help. I recommond that you do NOT waste money calling tech support - they are just people who read from a book and have no knowledge of computers. Please title your message COMPUTER PROBLEMS, as I use that address for junk mail and might overlook it if any other subject title is there.

Sorry to stray off subject, but thought it might be helpful.

Hey, CHI74, thanks for the information! That is good news! What is in place of the the Paradise and Marboro?

William:

The information below is what I could come up with at the moment to your question:

trainmaster in the above post you stated that.
"Studios had to divest of them after the court order. That is one reason "Fox West Coast Theaters" was created."
Can you put a year to that statement?
posted by William on Feb 20, 2008 at 2:54pm
*****************************************************
The whole process began as early as 1938 when the Justice Department went after studios for owning theaters and "black booking" and other questionable acts as well. It was called "The Sherman Act."

The case was sent to the US Supreme Court under the title Full case name: United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. et al

Citations: 334 U.S. 131
Prior history: Injunction granted, U.S. District Court (66 F.Supp. 323)

It was argued February 9 - 11, 1948.

A final decision was handed down May 3, 1948.

Unfortunately, anyone wanting to read the entire description of the case would have to go to a law library, which, I think, one usually has to a member of the bar. So, we have to make do with what is available.

Trainmaster

Okay, Sir William:

Here is the entire case of 334 U.S. 131
United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. et al

You can find it at this site and read it in its entire form:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=334&page=131

Hope that helps


Trainmaster

TRAINMASTER : The PARADISE demo was to take 6 months it took 2 years on the spot was bult a supermarket the supermarket was taken down and now if i am wright the spot is fenced in and is being used for storage of construct equptment.

As for the MARBRO i think that it is now eather a bank or a fast food place.

Thank You for your time.

Thanks, CHI74 for the info. I was aware it took 2 year to tear down the Paradise, but wondered what was in the place of both theaters.

Sad thing is, when a building doesn't make money, down it comes.
It has been written that the landmark case listed in my post, above, played a big role in the demise of great theaters, along with the introduction of television. Another factor was people moved from the city to suberbs, and smaller theaters were erected to serve them - and many suberban residents chose not to drive into the city.

The final death knell for large screen theaters, both city and suburban came in the form of multiplexs - you know, broom closets with no atmosphere, basic set-up, smaller screens and the various fly-traps all shared space with the entire building, instead of one big theater for a feature and another across the street.

I am not fond of multiplexs, but if movie exhibition is to survive, that is the only way it will. The slogan "anything you can do, we can do better" is a fierce competition between home theater (say, a high end one) and those fly-traps.

And, when you look at beautiful theaters like the San Francisco Fox or Chicago Paradise, these multiplexes are broom closets in comparison! Most of them don't even have a curtain! It's economics and entry level all down the way. Instead of beautiful murals on the walls or plaster designs, their walls are cheap curtains or some sort of cover-up. Just seats and a screen.

"We sell tickets to theaters - not movies" by Marcus Lowe may have been true in the good old days, but many of the theaters today are not worth the price of the tickets - not to mention the movies!

Trainmaster

Thanks trainmaster for the info. But Fox West Coast Theatres dates back to the late 1920's.

You are correct Sir William, the Fox West Coast Theaters was owned by William Fox. But after the U.S. vs Paramount et al in 1948, he had to make the chain independent of the studios.

Interesting story of William Fox on;
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug00/3on1/movies/fox.html


Trainmaster

Theater expert Jack Tillmany has the correction information on the name:

It was the Fox Theater, period.

It can be referred to as the Fox Theater in San Francisco, but it was NEVER called Fox Theater San Francisco, as compared to the FOX OAKLAND.

Some people get confused that the theater's name was Fox Theater San Francisco. Same info applies to the Fox Theater in Atlanta, St. Louis, Brooklyn and Detroit.

Mr. Tillmany is quite a theater photo collector and has one of the largest collections of Bay Area theaters. He has two books out:
Theaters of San Francisco and Theaters of Oakland. Both books are excellent and highly recommended. You can get them from amazon.com.

Trainmaster

Trainmaster

I've just been skimming through Preston Kaufmann's book about the Fox, and the spelling used throughout its nearly 400 pages is "Fox Theatre," not "Fox Theater." Sometimes, the Fox used a logo which had the middle "O" filled in with "World's Finest Theatre." Other times, the logo had three solid letters and "Theatre" under the name. (Quotation marks are my own.)

Sir Warren, you are correct about that. Too bad the book is no longer available to others, although I bought mine brand new in 1982.
It was at Holmes Book Store in Oakland. There were 2 copies. Hindsight is 20-20. I SHOULD have bought the other book as well, seeing how valuable it is.

My main point was not the spelling of the Theatre or Theater, but
people referred to the "San Francisco Fox" which was not the correct name. It was the Fox Theatre IN San Francisco. The middle "O" had either "World's Finest Theater" or "The Last Word" which the latter was more often the case.

If you read, I believe (since I don't have my copy in front of me) the rear cover flap, Mr. Kaufmann was going to do books on other theaters as well. Too bad he never got around to it and his passing, like Ben Hall's was a great loss.



Trainmaster

One thought on Preston Kaufmann's "San Francisco Fox - The Last Word" book.

In the 2003 annual eidition of THS dedicated to the S.F. Fox, it mentioned Mr. Kauffman's recent passing and the fact that the book is scarce and it is doubted that it would ever be printed again.

Mr. Kauffman wrote and placed a copyright on the book in 1979. The copyright lasts for 25 years. It MUST be renewed before it expires,
or it becomes public domain, which means anyone can print it.

If some company who was interested in reprinting the book could locate the lost plates, or whatever they use in publishing from his company which want broke, there might be a chance, a very slim one, that the book could be reprinted, since there are no copyright protections to worry about. The book cannot be copyrighted again, since he was the original owner.

Something to think about - what do you folks say?

Trainmaster

I think that copyright protection in the USA exists for the duration of the author's lifetime, plus seventy (70) years after his/her death. Where did you get 25 years from?

The copyright laws. A group of us put out an album and to deal with the copyright laws with attorneys specializing in that area, same ones which apply to books and movies. You get a copyright. It is good for 25 years - you have to renew it BEFORE it expires - even if one day lapeses after it expires, it is in the public domain and anyone can distribute it. Every 25 years, the copyright has to be renewed. I brought up the point that if one counts from 1979, Preston Kauffman's copyright would be up for renewal (fees have to be paid and forms signed, nothing like the first time) in 2004 and I understand he passed away before then. By the way, many movies have fallen into the public domain because the studios were careless and forgot to renew their copyright. There is no such thing as a "lifetime" copyright unless you continue to pay the fees before it expires. Most authors and companies are careful about it - a few are not.

Although the corporation we created for the album no longer exists,
the owner of the work still continues to renew the copyright.

Trainmaster

One thing I forgot to add:

This is speculation, but I supppose the 25-year period of copyright protection requiring renewal is because the government wants their fees. It costs them so money to process the forms and put it in their database. You know whenever you deal with the Federal Government, there is always red tape!

The first time, you send a copy of whatever it is you want to protect. You have tons of forms to fill and the the initial fees to be paid. Renewal is much easier. Just fill out a simple form, they already have your work - if you revise it, you will have to copyright that portion, otherwise if it is the same, just pay your fee and you are good for the duration which is 25 years.

Been there - done that!

Trainmaster

Warren:

I owe you an apology - you are correct. The laws changed in 1978 before we dealt with it. You are a very knowledge person and must be a historian or attorney, but in any case, you are right! I am sure the owner I spoke of wished he did his copyright before January 1, 1978.

The law you speak of is U.S. Title 17, Chapter 3, Sub-Section 302.

Anyone who is willing to digest the copyright law information, which is up-to-date is welcome to....here is the website:

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.pdf

Anyone can horsewhip me if they have a horse!

Trainmaster

To Mr. Richard J. Apple:

If I am correct, your father managed the Oakland Paramount after the demise of the Fox, correct?

I know he has passed away, but must be smiling above that, at least, they saved the Paramount! I think it was under Mr. Apple's direction that a Rodgers Electronic Theater Organ was installed for a short time there. I remember hearing Larry Vannuchi or some name like that play there. That was around 1964. The event was put on by Leatherby Music Company, which had distribution rights for Rodgers at the time and they were next to the old ABC-owned KGO-TV and Radio on Golden Gate Avenue.

By the way, you site is magnificant! You speak of Bill Swain - is he the same person who is co-owner of the pipe organ firm Swain & Kates?

Trainmaster

I'm not sure of exact dates, but prior to the current copyright coverage of 70 years after the author's death, the period covered was 50 years after the author's death. The various writers' unions fought for and and finally won an extension of 20 years. I'm the author of nine books, the first of which was published in 1974, when the term was still lifetime plus 50 years. I guess that 1978 could have been the year that the post-death coverage was extended to 70 years.

Warren-- As far as I know, the date of the change in copyright coverage began in 1979, and one of the leading lobbyists for it was the Disney Corporation. As you know, Disney's Mickey Mouse made his debut in "Steamboat Willie" at the Colony Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1928, and the owner corporation began pushing for an extension of the copyright law several years before the little rodent's fiftieth anniversary in order to protect its investment for years to come. When I published my own first book in '78, I needed to pay no royalties for quoted materials published more than fifty years earlier. For my second book (1982), I needed to pay hundreds of dollars for quoted materials published in the new twenty-year extension. For a book I published last year, I paid tens of thousands of dollars for such permissions.

The relevance of my comment to this pages on this site is to invoke the power of Disney's movies to create change (for better or worse), and a question about whether the Fox ever booked Disney product the way NYC's Roxy did in the fifties (Peter Pan, 1953), Lady and the Tramp, 1955) and Radio City Music Hall did early (Snow White, Bambi) and late (Mary Poppins and a host of other bookings in the early fifties). To me, as those large theaters turned to Disney, it seems that their horizons faced economic troubles.

Sorry-- Radio City Music Hall in the early (and late, after the Fox's demise) sixties (Pollyana, Absent-Minded Professor, Happiest Millionaire and many others that would take too much space to mention

Bill, Preston Kaufmann's book about the Fox has a list of every movie that played there. I'm sure that you will find some Disney movies included, especially in the final decade when the Fox didn't play as many 20th Century-Fox releases as it did before that.

P.S. The final Disney movie at the Fox was "In Search of the Castaways," which was shown during the Christmas holiday season of 1962, with "Hand in Hand" as co-feature. The gross was $14,768 in the first week, $15,288 in the second, and $10,968 in the third and final week (which carried over into 1963), according to Kaufmann's book.

To Warren:

Sir, you are the author of nine books?

Are they on theaters?

If so, I would like to know the titles, so I can search for them!
Maybe some are still in print, manybe not-but used copies do show up.

I certainly would appreciate any information you have on your titles.

I collect theater books.

I also assume you are a member of Theater Historical Society - I wonder if this is a way they could reprint sold-out copies of Marquees and Annuals? I could call them be wondered if you knew.

Yes, it is sad to say that due to these copyright laws, probably no more new pressings of the classic Kauffman book will be released.
That is sad for many, but good for those who have a copy that is very scarce and valuable.

Trainmaster

There will always be differing opinions as to which theatres were the greatest, most opulent, etc and there is no doubt that the S.F. Fox will be included but for my money Lamb's New York Capitol has to be the most beautiful picture palace of them all - I am judging this from photos only as I never actually visited the theatre. Like many others it was altered (wrecked) in the 60's but in its original state it was less over the top than many later palaces and was a supreme example of Thomas Lamb's classic style.
It's worth remembering that another of the truly greats still exists and is fighting for its life - I refer to the Chicago Uptown, again arguably Rapp and Rapp's finest effort and in it's way as fabulous as the much lamented SF FOX.

I've written no books specifically about theatres, but all of them are biographies of stars, so theatres (cinemas and otherwise) are fequently mentioned. Three were dual biographies ("Gable & Lombard," "Lucy & Desi," and "Natalie & RJ"), and the others individual biographies, including Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and Broadway's legendary Marilyn Miller. If you need more details, you can e-mail me privately at Warrengwhiz@nyc.rr.com

In response to trainmaster's post of Feb 22:

Thank you for the kind words about the Fox website and my father, Robert M. Apple. He truly loved the Fox, worked hard to save it, and eventually agonized over its loss - I don't think he ever got over it.

That said, he also loved theatre organs - and when he discovered that the original pipe organ had been unceremoniously removed from his new assignment (in 1963, at the Oakland Paramount, as Managing Director), he first tried to find a way to get a new pipe organ; when that idea wouldn't fly, the only thing he could come up with (somewhat apologetically, as I recall) was an electronic organ.

I think he was worried about the future of the Paramount, and all the other large houses that he had worked in since the Great Depression (the Oakland Paramount had been his first assignment about 1932, as doorman). He also sensed that awareness of the entertainment and architectural value of some of the large palaces was only slowly growing (through events he helped book, such as the George Wright and other organ concerts). He was hoping the Rodgers organ might do its part to preserve the Paramount. Luckily - for this and many other reasons - it has survived magnificently!

I wish he'd lived to see the Preservation Movement grow and take hold in future years (he died in 1965)- I'm just grateful for folks like the ones reading this blog, for keeping the preservation issue out there.

PS: Someone in the recent flurry of posts (what happened all of a sudden?) asked about which movies may have been booked at the Fox - I have posted all that info from Kauffman's book in the "Playbill" section of the Fox website: http://www.historigraphics.com/fox/playbill.shtml

The only thing I left out were the weekly grosses (maybe sometime in the future?) I'm also considering posting some newspaper ads for some of the movies - my grandfather was on the Fox West Coast payroll as a "commercial artist" and did these ads between 1918 (for Paramount Publix), and 1966. He worked on the 8th or 9th floor in the rear of the Fox building (near the old screening room)... so famil attachment to the theatre runs deep (btw: if anyone is interested in some of the other theatres in San Francisco that pre-dated the Fox - such as the California on Market Street - I have some background information in the career/biography section of a web site devoted to my GRANDfather's theatre career and artwork:
http://www.historigraphics.com/jwbubar/biography-career.html )

PPS: I don't know if Bill Swain is the co-owner of Swain and Cates, but I've emailed him to find out.

Hope this helps the discussion!

Richard Apple most likely was not aware that I was the owner of Swain & Kates, Inc. I undoubtedly forgot to mention it to him. About 10 years ago, after almost 45 years, I turned the company over to my loyal employees, and they have continued it on in great fashion. I am proud of them and the quality of their church pipe organ work here in northern California.

For those of you who have been interested in my restoration and coloring of original 1929 photos of the Fox, I am preparing a new CD for Dick to add to his excellent web site.

Bill Swain

Dear Mr. Swain:

Those photos you did are fantastic!!!!

Also, I met you a couple of times. You won't remember me because there were so many people in line.

In the San Francisco Bay area, there are 4 magnificant installations you did (you were still active with your company then):

First Presbyterian Church - Richmond CA 1965

First Presbyterian Church - Concord CA 1977-78 (I met you at that meeting when the church approved the renovation of the organ)

First Presbyterian Church - Lafayette-Orinda (???) magnificant sounding organ!

The Mormon Tabernacle in Oakland

First Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek (1992) I again shook your hand and told you I really liked that organ better than the previous Cassavant-Feres which, unfortunatly, burned down with the building.

I am very happy with your interst in both theaters and of your magnificant organs. I am a professional organist myself, holding a Master's Degree in organ.

My passions are (1) trains, (2) organs) (3) theaters....hence my name "Trainmaster.

I assume you are interested in the latter two - I'd love to communicate with you via e-mail. Just send a message to me
abnerck@msn.com

Warren - I will write you privately since you gave your e-mail address. I DO appreciate very much your comments and information!

I also enjoy haering from the rest of you on theater topics.

And, thanks to you, Mr. Apple, for responding. Yes, I did meet your father a couple times as well at the Paramount. A fantastic gentleman! I can only imageine (from up above he is looking down) he is very pleased that the Paramount now has a 4/33 rank WurliTzer instead of that Rodgers and that the S.F. Fox organ he loved so very much is playing again for the public at the El Captain. Too bad they couldn't bring it up to Oakland and install it in the Fox for their October 2008 debut! That organ WAS from the Bay Area, and really belongs there! However, it is still great to be able to see and hear it again. A celeste rank was added to make it a 4/37. Kudos to the Disney Company to restoring the appearance of the organ to comply with the original appearance. George Wright and Everett Nourse would have been pleased.

Has anyone heard of the possibility of the "Farewell To The Fox" records being available on CD? I know the Gothic label (which specializes in classical recordings) has the rights and is re-issuing the George Wright theater organ recordings. How odd for a label like Gothic, but with their top-notch quality, how fortunte!
I was shocked when I received the Gothic Catalog and saw the George Wright CD's available.

Kindest Regards to all. Please excuse my spelling errors - I can't see that well and this print is SO small!! Guess I am getting old (aren't we all?)

Old organists never die - they just lose their wind!

Trainmaster

Several years ago I bought a 2CD set of George Wright on the SF Fox organ issued by BANDA records, which were originally recorded in Feb 1958 and mastered from 1/2 tapes that had been "recently re-discovered". The audio quality on these is oustanding. I beleive they are still available in the BANDA catalog. About a month ago I found and bought a 2 disk (33rpm LP) set of the "Farewell To The Fox" concerts on e-bay. These were pressed by Fantasy Records in 1964. I don't beleive these have ever been issued on CD. Both disks were in excellent shape. I have one of those direct-to-digital turntables so I made digital copies for myself to protect the originals. The LP's were in such good shape that I decided not to use any additional noise reduction or EQ when digitizing them, other than the standard RIAA curve.

Here's a new link to an aerial view. The Fox is in the lower left portion:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/aerialfox.jpg

I don't know if you've seen this one before but this link has a photo of the Fox. Year given for photo is 1961.

The 1961 photo must have been taken in January or February of that year, since Disney's "Swiss Family Robinson" is displayed on the marquee. "Family" opened in the third week of January and held over into February, playing at the Fox for a total of five weeks, according to Preston Kaufmann's book. The first week's gross was $21,861; second week, $16,256; third week, $10,093; fourth week, $12,566; fifth week, $8,051. All but the third and fifth week were above the Fox's weekly average gross for 1961, which was $10,490.

This is from Boxoffice magazine in October 1961:

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.-The huge Fox Theater here will be replaced whether or not the city purchases the 5,000-seat house. Eugene V. Klein, president of National Theaters & Television, which owns the Fox, said the new theater will have no more than 1,500 seats and will be equipped with a ground-level parking lot for patrons. Construction will start "practically immediately".

The Fox marquee still looked spectacular in 1962:

http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=fox+san+francisco&ProductID=24725

http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=fox+san+francisco&ProductID=24726

Here are two 1963 photos:

Photo1

Photo2

Here is a drawing by Thomas Lamb, as seen in Ben Hall's book "The Best Remaining Seats":
http://tinyurl.com/qttd5a

1963 photo of the Fox Wurlitzer
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=Theatre+Interiors&catpagesize=25&ProductID=24734