Warnor's Theatre

OPENED ON OCTOBER 28, 1928. ARCHITECT WAS B.MARCUS PRITECA. A GREAT EXAMPLE OF AN ITALIAN PALAZZO EXTERIOR WRAPPED AROUND A SPANISH BAROQUE THEATER. A GIANT STAR PATTERN DOMINATES THE AUDITORIUM CEILING.

Warnor's was purchased by the Caglia family in the 70's, for approximately $170,000, to save it from destruction. Originally it was know as the Pantages Theatre and was build at a cost of $650,000.

The Warnors Theatre, nee Pantages also houses the last original installation Robert Morton pipe organ in California. The 4 manual 14 rank instrument is also the last such Pantages instrument still installed beneath the stage in the US. The organ's pipes speak into the orchestra pit.

The Caglia Family is to be commended for their attention to both the theatre and the pipe organ.

I show the address for the Warnor Theatre as 1400 Fulton Street in my records, and that at one time it was also named the Alexandra, correct me if am incorrect. I know that it opened as the Pantages so I am assuming that between being the Pantages and the Warnor it was named the Alexandra. Don't have a seating capacity.

The seating capacity has been variously reported as between 2,169 and 2,400. The auditorium is similar to Priteca's Pantages/Orpheum in San Francisco. For many years, the theatre was known as the Warner or Warner's. I suspect that it became the Warnor when the next management tried to save money by changing only one letter on the marquee. Which reminds of the Earle in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, becoming the present Eagle.

The same type of name change happened at the Warner's Downtown Theatre in Los Angeles. The theatre opened as a Pantages Theatre and was soon picked up by Warner. It be came the Warner's Downtown Theatre and later the Warners. When the Stanley Warner chain dropped the house, Metropolitan Theatres operated it till it closed as the Warrens Theatre.

It was also known as the Warner Cinerama and ran 3 strip Cinerama from 12/22/62 thru 5/26/63 and 7/25/63 thru 5/20/64. It them ran 70MM Cinerama starting on 5/29/64 but retained the 3 strip installation.

I remember well that Cinerama came to Fresno, California, at the Warner Cinerama Theatre. As a child, I saw "Gidget" there; "Auntie Mame," "The Pajama Game," and scores of other motion pictures. I remember the theatre manager, Bill Korenbrott (sp?) He once claimed that I spent almost as much time at the theatre as he. As a very young adult, I was working in advertising and publicity at Cinerama Releasing Corp., at 292 La Cienega, Beverly Hills. One day, Korenbrott walked into my office. Delighted and surprised to see one another, we chatted about the "old days" at the Warner Theatre. It didn't become Warnor till sometime after I ankled Fresno in 1969.

In Cinerama, I remember "How The West Was Won," "The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm," "Cinerama Holiday," and others in the 3-strip process, at the theatre.

I remember well that Cinerama came to Fresno, California, at the Warner Cinerama Theatre. As a child, I saw "Gidget" there; "Auntie Mame," "The Pajama Game," and scores of other motion pictures. I remember the theatre manager, Bill Korenbrott (sp?) He once claimed that I spent almost as much time at the theatre as he. As a very young adult, I was working in advertising and publicity at Cinerama Releasing Corp., at 292 La Cienega, Beverly Hills. One day, Korenbrott walked into my office. Delighted and surprised to see one another, we chatted about the "old days" at the Warner Theatre. It didn't become Warnor till sometime after I ankled Fresno in 1969.

In Cinerama, I remember "How The West Was Won," "The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm," "Cinerama Holiday," and others in the 3-strip process, at the theatre.

Another long ago memory of the Warners Theatre. In the mid 1950s, I was still a young boy living in Fresno. My parents bought tickets for us to see Betty Hutton, live, on stage, at the Warners Theatre. She was trying out what would be her Las Vegas stage show in several small towns, Fresno included. It was a very rainy Sunday afternoon when we went to Betty's show at the Warners Theatre. Only a handful of people had bought tickets to see the famous motion picture star of "Annie Get Your Gun" and "The Greatest Show On Earth". My parents, both born and raised in New York City, were embarrassed that Fresnans did not support this star in her live performance. But, back then, Fresno was a small agricultural town of about 50,000 people. Today the population is nearly 500,000. As I remember, Miss Hutton's live show was a high-energy musical-comedy treat. But the audience was scant. It's unlikely that anyone else who visits this site will remember Betty Hutton, live at Warner's Theatre, because there were so few of us there.

When first opened as the Pantages Theatre on 20th October 1928, the seating capacity given was 2,169. It had a Robert Morton 4 Manual/14 Rank theatre organ (Opus 2416) with the organ chamber beneath the stage.

Warnors theatre was highlighted this evening on California's Gold with Huell Howser on a Los Angeles PBS station. I'm sure it can be ordered, or information when it is broadcast again can be found at
http://www.calgold.com/


Calfornia's Gold - show 8008


Warnors Theatre

This is a recent photo of the Warnor's Theater.

Here is an extensive essay on the Pantages/Warnor's, at the Historic Fresno web site. The theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Here is a close-up photo of Warnor's Theater.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978

Pantages, Alexander, Theater (added 1978 - Building - #78000663)
Also known as Warnors Theatre
1400 Fulton St., Fresno
Historic Significance: Person, Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Priteca,B. Marcus
Architectural Style: Other
Historic Person: Pantages,Alexander
Significant Year: 1929, 1967, 1928
Area of Significance: Architecture, Performing Arts
Period of Significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949, 1950-1974, 1975-2000
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Commerce/Trade, Education, Recreation And Culture, Social
Current Sub-function: Civic, Organizational, Theater

This is a 2007 photo of the Warnor's Theater.

A 2007 view of the Warnor's Theater at night can be seen here.

recent photos of gorgeous ceiling of auditorium:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzportraits/1491322278/in/pool-cinemasignage/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzportraits/1491322898/in/pool-cinemasignage/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzportraits/1490466833/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritamatem/358810755/

Set of exterior 2007 photos including close up of Ticket Booth:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrphancy/sets/72157602199520406/

Close-up of exterior neon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79761301@N00/332091679/

Close-up of marquee:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10915930@N00/376352916/

Marquee lit up at night:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tspauld/402851299/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tspauld/446673046/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tspauld/446680561/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mister_goleta/455086150/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mister_goleta/455086154/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mister_goleta/455086148/

Exterior ornamentation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzportraits/603379894/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mister_goleta/136098481/

How funny that they only changed one letter to save money. In LA, the downtown Warners theater became Warren's for a while, but that would have meant replacing no letters, just reversing the last syllable.

October 19 is to be the 85th anniversary of KMJ radio. The event is to be held at Warnors featuring the recreated "Rat Pack" that appears regularly in Vegas. They are great! The organ will be used as a pre-show. Wish I could go, but I'll be on my way to NYC that night. Tickets are available on the Warnors and KMJ 580 websites.

Here is another recent photo.

This next Sunday, April 13, veteran theatre organist Bob Mitchell is going to play the Robert Morton theatre organ in concert starting at 3pm. Bob is one of the two oldest/longest surviving theatre organists from the silent era.

This is an August 2008 photo.

The year given for this photo is 1929.

Here is a vintage photo, probably circa 1950s:
http://tinyurl.com/cz2azq

Here is a 1981 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/d36ec3

Fresno's Cinerama history posted here.

Here is a nice 2009 shot of the Warnor's.

Here is another recent shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakeight/3714781977