Nile Theatre
1721 19th Street,
Bakersfield,
CA
93301
1721 19th Street,
Bakersfield,
CA
93301
6 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Bakersfield Live (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres
Architects: Simeon Charles Lee
Functions: Live Performances
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Bakersfield Opera House, Bakersfield Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Bakersfield Opera House opened in 1906. It was renamed Bakersfield Theatre on October 19, 1919. On February 5, 1925 it was renamed the Nile Theatre, presenting John Barrymore in “Beau Brummell”. It was remodeled in 1927.
In 1937 it received a new marquee and an Art Moderne renovation designed by S. Charles Lee.
By the time the building was vacated in 1994, it had been divided into a twin. In July of 2006, the former Nile Theatre was reopened as the Nile Bar & Grill. By September 2017 it was in use as a church. It reopened in early-January 2024 as a live performance venue.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
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Recent comments (view all 41 comments)
1975-76 Bookings:
2/19/75: Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins; A Man For Hanging
3/05/75: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; Summertime Killer
3/21/75: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; Our Time
3/26/75: My Pleasure is My Business; Little Laura and Big John
4/02/75: The Yakuza; Hot Rock
4/09/75: The Streetfighter; Hard Contract
4/23/75: Chinatown; The Conversation
4/30/75: The Prisoner of Second Avenue; C.C. and Company
5/07/75: Dirty Harry; Mahgnum Force
5/28/75: Enter the Dragon; Red Sun
6/04/75: Gone With the Wind
6/11/75: Lepke; McQ
6/18/75: Bug; SSSSSSS
6/25/75: The Drowning Pool; The 7-Ups
7/02/75: The Drowning Pool; Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins
7/09/75: Mandingo; The Klansman
7/16/75: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad; Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo
7/23/75: Return To Macon County; Mr. Majestyk
7/30/75: Night Moves; Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York
8/06/75: Doc Savage; Westworld
8/13/75: White Line Fever; The Stepford Wives
8/20/75: Black Christmas; The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
8/27/75: Black Christmas; Enter the Devil
9/03/75: Tidal Wave; Cooley High
9/10/75: The Wild McCullochs; Macon County Line
9/17/75: The Exorcist; Zardoz
(9/19-9/20/75: Midnight: Journey Through the Past; Jimi Plays Berkeley; Rock n Roll Your __________)
10/01/75: Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold; Capone
10/08/75: A Clockwork Orange; Deliverence (added: Ali vs. Frazier Superfight III)
10/15/75: Coonskin; Return of the Dragon
10/22/75: Let’s Do It Again; Brannigan
11/05/75: Crazy Mama; 2nd feature
11/12/75: Lisztomania; 5 Fingers of Death
(11/14-11/15/75: Midnight: Yessongs; Fillmore; Gimme Shelter)
11/19/75: Gone In 60 Seconds; Outer Space Connection
11/26/75: Gone in 60 Seconds; Return To Macon County
12/10/75: Wild Heritage; George!
12/17/75: Lenny; Last Tango in Paris
(12/24/75: Theatre closed)
12/25/75: Dog Day Afternoon; The Drowning Pool
1/21/76: Dog Day Afternoon; Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
2/04/76: Dog Day Afternoon; Born Losers
2/11/76:The Sunshine Boys; Kotch
(2/18/75: Theatre closed for TWINNING)
That should be
(2/18/76: Theatre closed for TWINNING)
The theatre would reopen on Friday, March 26 with Theatre 1 showing BARRY LYNDON and theatre 2 showing I WILL, I WILL…FOR NOW and WHIFFS
Two VERY different types of Films,Wouldn’t get much walk over in one sells out!
Some of those double-features are positively surreal!
Thanks for posting thjem, Plinfesty.
This sounds like the perfect neighborhood theater—if your neighborhood is on Mars.
I positively love it!
Photo as Bakersfield Opera House 1910 added.
Also original facade photo circa 1928 added. Courtesy of Mark Mcgowan. Possibly the same from the 2008 post, but the link no longer reaches the photo.
Appears to have been in use as a church as of September 2017.
Recent pictures posted in the Photo section – May, 2018.
From SFGate:
“Bakersfield art deco theater back after years as a church A once-forgotten art deco theater is lighting up downtown Bakersfield again.”
Nile
Should be listed as open.
It looks like the entry above is simply a “guessy-date” entry with information not in evidence.. I think looking at the day-to-day timeline suggests a much different timeline:
November 5, 1906 - R.G. Baron opens the new-build, Bakersfield Opera House with the live racing play, “Checkers.”
In late 1918, Charles and Cornelius Grogg of the Grogg Theatre Circuit, locally, died during the influenza pandemic. Wife of Charles, Olive Grogg, took over and decided to update both opera houses seeing that movies might be the more profitable path. The Bakersfield Opera House becomes the Bakersfield Theatre on October 19, 1919 (ad in photos). Over at Scribner’s Opera House, it is basically gutted with some elements incorporated into a movie house called the California Theatre with a $10,000 Robert Morton pipe organ for playing films opening on September 14, 1920 (it has its own entry).
Olive Grogg ends Grogg Amusement’s hold in Bakerfield selling the Pastime, Hippodrome and Bakersfield to Gore Brothers and Sol Lesser of Los Angeles in January of 1921 as the transition to West Coast Theatres occurs.
February 5, 1925 the changeover ad from the Bakersfield Theatre to the Nile Theatre takes palce with John Barrymore in “Beau Brummell” in ads (put picture in ads just to suggest a different history than the entry above) with new operators.
I don’t see any evidence of the 1927 remodeling referenced above (each day has programming without a stoppage). However, George Elliot is the operator and runs it as primarily as a live house. Late in 1928, Elliot dies and the the Nile becomes / returns to a full-time motion picture house with a refresh under new management assigned, officially, from Pacific National Theatres.
The theatre is wired for Western Electric sound in 1929. It was then given a major refresh including additional wiring for Vitaphone sound at a reopening on October 16, 1929.
Under the Fox West Coast Theatre Circuit operation, its three theaters are given overhauls in 1938. The Hippodrome was given a name change and refresh and on February 19, 1938, there is a contract for a “new” Nile Theatre at 1721 19th Street which will basically gut the former opera house. The $125,000 job to the plans of architect S. Charles Lee will make the building earthquake proof. The venue’s new projectors are on display at Weill’s Department Store to get people ready for the transition. On February 27, 1938, worker John C. Latham is killed during the demolition of the old theater’s walls.
On July 28, 1938, the New Nile Theatre with its streamline moderne design opens with “I’ll Give a Million” and “Army Girl” supported by the Disney cartoon, “The Fox Hunt.” The theatre has air conditioning and its new projection system includes Simplex audio for improved fidelity.
On February 11, 1954, the Nile Theatre is equipped for CinemaScope beginning with the film, “The Command.”
A major refresh decimates the Nile as it is twinned following a brief closure on February 11, 1976. Original elements dating back to the 1930s are sold off and the shocking new look is revealed on March 26, 1976 as the venue becomes the Nile Theatre I & II launching with “Barry Lyndon” and “…I Will for Now.”
Looks like the twin’s closing date was February 26, 1995 ending things with “Interview with a Vampire” and another feature, possibly, “Street Fighter.” And that is on best evidence - following a 90-year timeline suggesting a 20-year initial lease ownership transferred from Grogg to West Coast in February 1925 all the way to an end of lease closure (likely a 30-year and two 20-year) to February of 1995.
Please understand that to most these nuances and, overall, this information is not particularly significant or worth noting; but, also, guessing dates should be listed as “guessy” instead of stated boldly as fact.
please to update the website
https://www.bakersfieldlive.com/
this is for not only the Nile, but also the Fox.