Fox Theatre

This is NOT an atmospheric theatre. You possibly have it confused with the atmospheric Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

WHEN ARE YOU TO HAVE "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"? DO YOU HAVE SEATING CHARTS AND PRICES. I REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS AND APPRECIATE ANY QUICK RESPONSE YOU CAN GIVE ME.

THANK YOU.

This theater was part of the Fox theater chain. It has a twin in Detroit ( theaters are exactly the same except the exterior) The style is best described as Siamese-Byzantine

"THE FABULOUS FOX" is the title of the ANNUAL of the Theatre Historical Soc. of 1985 and it is one of their most elaborate publications with varnished color covers and many other color pages within the 62-page booklet. Except for some differences between the facade and lobby, this movie palace is a twin to the other FOX in Detroit, though that one has had a fabulous new marquee and vertical sign added to it, as was profiled in color in "Signs Of The Times" magazine. This ANNUAL is different in being a co-production with Fox Theatre Associates, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103 through which one might be able to purchase a copy if THSA is out of stock. As one commenter mentioned above, this is NOT an 'atmospheric' theatre, since that term denotes a 'stars-and-clouds' decor quite unlike the awe-inspiring 100-foot-diameter mock tent ceiling here, with the huge, 20-foot-diameter sphere of colored glass jewels which constituted the chandelier. Do not confuse the name of the ANNUAL with the designation of the "Fabulous and Foolish Fox" as the San Francisco FOX was once described, with this theatre, for while both were built by the William Fox Corporation, neither were foolish in that they did, indeed, satisfy the desires of their builders and the public alike, and it is only owing to the foolishness of mankind that we have lost the very fabulous San Francisco house, but is also owing to the farsightedness of some of mankind that we still have, restored, the St. Louis FOX.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either "Marquee" or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on the sidebar of their first page the link "PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List" and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The "Marquee" magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall ('portrait') format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long ('landscape') format, and are anywhere from 26 to 40 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to loan it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]

Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.

Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at: execdir@historictheatres.org
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)

Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM--4PM, CT)

On my down time as a commercial pilot based out of St. Louis I did relief managing for the Arthur Theatre chain and had to report to the offices located on the second level of the lobby on the south side of the mezzanine. There was a mention of three organs in the Fox Theatre to which in all the years I was associated with the Arthur Chain I have knowlege of only one. I tried to contact Ed at the Fox for confirmation and as to where the second and third ones were lcoated. He is off today but left a message for him to contact me. I will post the information when he gets back to me. The Main auditorium organ which was almost sold to a pizza parlor in Arizona was only one of five in the country. This mighty Wirlitzer was designed to Jesse Crawford's specifications so it is known as the Jesse Crawford model. One of the largest ever built, this massive conglomeratin of nearly 4,000 pipes, 360 stops adn a 50 horsepower electric motor is now the only one left that has a quality sound and rises from the floor in a blaze of light. Stan Kahn still performs on the Mighty Wurlitzer at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.

The legends of the Fabulous Fox are many and varied. One of the greatest is how Mary and Leon Strauss saved the Fox from the fate of many other movie palaces. Im 1980 the Fox was in a state of disprepair, the roof leaked causing considerable damage to ornate plaster works, wall grates were kicked in, most of the plaster was no longer on the walls and the ceilings but laying in the floors.The ornate woodword had cracked and chipped. The once elegant carpeting was worn thin from usage and was torn and frayed. The utilities had been turned off because of the expense. The once brilliant lite chandelier was ill lite and missing many of its lights. Leon Strauss saw the Fox as a potential redevelopment project. Leon and his wife Mary felt a duty to save this rare jewel. Mary Strauss was appointed as director of the project. Her first decision was to either restore or rehabilitate the Fox. Since she liked the designs of the Fox she felt any changes would destroy the theatre's greatness as a movie palace. That's when she decided to restore the palace to its past grandeur.
She had the curtain that had been lying on the stage , the wood was tested and plaster surfaces to decide how they would be cleaned. Som plaster surfaces could not be duplicated because the design was destroyed. Mary got in touch with the management of the Fox's twin in detroit and obtained photos and plasters in St. Louis recreated the missing plaster panels.
A group was formed known as the Fox Associates and spared no expense in restoring the Fox. Specialits were found that could do the scagliola on the pillars flanking the lobby and the auditorium. When completed the scagliola resembled a rare maroon marble, it ws costly due to the time it took to complete the task.
Carpeting was replaced and Mary decided to go with the original pattern which had to be speciallly woven. The grand lobby is not carpeted and retains the original terazzo floor. Almost 7,300 yards of ornate maroon colored carpet with elephant heads and designs carpet the ausitorium and balcony floors. The seats were removed and reupholstered with maroon velvet.
During a remodel in 1959 Arthur Theatres reduced the number of seats to 4,503. The orchestra section has 34 rows divided into six sections which run from left to right. The third and fourth section stand in the center of the theatre. For an idean of size the orchestra section extends 133 feet fro the stage. The length from the stage to the last row in the balcony extends 160 feet which is the width of a football field.
At last the Fox has been restored to original granduer and is the talk of the city. The Fox is being used for concerts and broadway shows. The Strausses helped the Fox return to Fabulous for this temple of art and entertainment. The half century old theatre is still alive and thriving today.

An update on the three organs of the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Naturally there was and still is the Mighty Wurlitzer in the main auditorium, the second Fox organ was Moller lobby organ that is gone from the Fox and now in a church somewhere in Southern Illinois. The moller was replaced with a wurlitzer for the lobby and is located in the lobby third level south side. It is only played before all Broadway Perfornaces. The third organ at the Fox was located in the basement level screening room. It has been gone for years and when the Fox was restored the screening room was done away with. So as it stands today the Fox has two Wurlitzers.

To update Charles describtion, the lobby floor was covered up in 2000, when the lobby was restored. The reason for covering up the lobby floor was so that no one would slip and fall. The carpet matches the original design, that was already in the auditorium. During the restoration, they finished restoring the mural on the lobby ceiling. In 1982, they had run out of money before it could be restored. The theater also has its original elevators. They still have to be manually operated.

The wurlitzer in the lobby was supposidly originally in the Majestic theater in East St. Louis.

Melders, by any chance do you know where the Wurlitzer was between the time it was removed from the Majestic and then put in the third floor level of the Fox lobby? By any chance do you have an eamil address or IM since there are times that it seems we have or could use information on some of the the same theatres. my email is
charlesvanbibber@msn.com
Thanks

I believe I found the info in a book on East St. Louis, but can't remember for sure. It was just a few weeks ago when I saw it.

The Mighty Wurlitzer organ at the Saint Louis Fox was not really designed by organist Jesse Crawford per se, although he had specified some ranks (sets) of pipes for the New York Paramount Theater organ, which was the first of five identical models to be known as "Fox Special" WurliTzer organs. See the article at the American Theater Organ Society's website: www.atos.org/Pages/Journal/CrawfordSpecial/CrawfordSpecial.html It gives a fascinating story of the real Crawford Special. It's fortunate that four of the five Fox Special WurliTzers still survive. Here are/were all the locations:

* Saint Louis Fox Theatre (still original)
* Detroit Fox Theatre (identical theater and still original)
* New York Paramount Theatre (now at the Wichita KS Century II Convention Center, new duplicate console)
* Brooklyn Fox (sold for parts)
* San Francisco Fox (now totally restored at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles

The other Fox flagship theatre was the Atlanta Fox. It is graced by a 42-rank M.P. Moller organ which has been lovingly cared for by Joe Patten since 1963. It known to be in better than originally installed condition.

Saint Louis is fortunate to have Stan Kann back at the Fox. I met him a few years ago and he invited me to visit him at the Fabulous Fox. Something on my "to do" list, to be sure.

My information on the Mighty Wurlitzer was taken fro the book "The Front Row, Missouri's Grand Theatres."

That web page makes no mention of the "Fox Special" but it does refer to the organ as being commonly called a "Crawford Special", even though Mr. Crawford had nothing to do with the design.

Charles: Decided to check out this other 'fabulous Fox' that is in St. Louis and remembered you say you are in that city and Hawaii...then read that you are a commercial pilot based out of St. Louis so now beginning to 'connect the dots'! I figured I'd see some posts from you after I made the St. Louis/Fox connection to you so have been reading what you have to say about this other Fab Fox!Interesting that this other Fox was saved, too. So the Fox in Atlanta and the Fox in St. Louis are surely 'soulmates'!

I just took a virtual tour of the Fox/St. Louis and it is breathtaking. I've been to St. Louis, but at the time didn't know a thing about this theatre so only saw the arch and the ballpark. :-(

Patsy, actually the Fox in Detroit is the sister theatre to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. They are the twins except for the exterior, the Fox in St. Louis is what you would call a Free Standing Theatre, the entrance to the Fox in Detroit is located in an office building. The restoration of the Fox has been a blessing to what was once called the Grand White Way in St. Louis where most of the big movie palaces were located. The Fox and the St. Louis (Powell Symphony Hall) are the only two palaces left standing. The area around the Fox is now called the Grand Center, including the Fox, Powell, the Grandel Theatre, the Sheldon, and recently the Molah Temple which opened as a single screen movie theatre on Dec. 22, 2004. The area is reviving more and more all the time. First night is being held there tonight after a one year hiatis to Forest Park.

Charles: Thanks for the additional Fox information. Charlotte is having First Night downtown tonight with a huge lighted dance floor at the intersection of Tryon and Trade Streets along with fireworks!

How come the current marquee has not been restored or upgraded after all these years. The Fox is more successful now than at anytime in its history. I feel the marquee on the Atlanta Fox and the Detroit Fox are more spectacular and the St Louis Fox leaves something to be desired. Maybe they can charge an extra dollar on tickets sold to restore the marquee.I have stated this before when a grand movie palace is restored the marquee should should also be restored or at least improved to match its history from the 1920's,1930's,1940's and 1950's.brucec

I also believe that the Fox Theatre marquee should be restored to its original appearance. I also believe that the roof top sign should be restored, especially since you can see the grid it went on from the Interstate. But we must also remember that the marquee wasn't that much more exciting that the one that is currently on the theater, at least not compaired to the other theaters of its time.

Interesting Fox organ history through the life of this theatre!

THe third organ referred to probably was not an organ but the slave console ( for the 36r)that once was in the building. None of the stop keys worked but the combo action did. The console was bought by John Ferguson of Indiana. The Fox lobby Wurli is from the Majestic in E. St. Louis. Norm Kraemer, local organist bought it form the theatre and later the St. Louis ATOS bought it from him The organ speak from different location than the original Moller did. The Wurli is up around 10 ranks now and is maintained by St. Louis ATOS
JamesGrebe

pianoman@accessus.net

James: You mentioned 'slave console' and it reminds of the fact that there used to be 'slave clocks' for certain bank clocks that hung on the outside of buildings, but were regulated on the inside by a 'slave clock' so the term is universal, it seems.

Hi Patsy,
You are right on the slave clocks. I just happened to read an article a few days ago on the clocks used in public schools. They, too, were slave clocks so all the clocks in the building showed the same time.
On slave consoles, usually they did not have the stop tabs connected but worked the combo action. This is different from the instalations with dual consoles like the Radio City Music Hall Wurli in NY.

James: Thanks for your 'slave' input!

In 1929 on display in the Fox lobby, right in line with the steps, was a Curtis-Wright airplane. The single engine aircraft was there in recognition of National Aircraft Month. I have a 8X10 B& W from the Mo Hist. Society showing the same.
JamesGrebe pianoman@accessus.net

That very photo of the plane in the lobby is reporduced on page 160 of David Naylor's GREAT AMERICAN MOVIE THEATRES, to be seen at many libraries, and sometimes available from such as www.Amazon.com

The pic I have is what is called a study print from the society , which means it is a copy from a copy machine of the photo. It also means that it cannot be published, only studied. At that time a copy in picture form that can be published cost $75 from the Mo. Hist. Soc. and it can be published.
JamesGrebe pianoman@accessus.net

Current view of the theater, a bit obscured by some trees:
http://stlouis.about.com/cs/artsentertainment/l/blfoxtheater.htm?terms=theater+photographs

I have a study print of the site beforre the Fox was there and a church was on the site.
JamesGrebe pianoman@accessus.net

Back in the 1980's when Marlin Mackley was restoring the Fox 4m/36r he had asked me to tune the piano in the chambers. The Fox organ piano is a standard 52" Wurlitzer player piano , minus the player roll assembly. The piano sits on a platform with it's back right in front of the swell shades. The piano was about a quarter step flat, as who knows if the piano had ever been tuned before, since it's instalation. The ivory keytops were still snow white as the chamber was almost perfectly dark all the time since it's placing there. It is light that causes ivoery to turn yellow. The piano came up to standard pitch without a hitch. That was in the 1980's and I have not tuned it since, though I have volunteered to tune it at no cost again. This year for our upcoming "Extravaganza" I will volunteer to tune again to the powers that be. for the upcoming Kay McAbee and Stan Kann concert. For some reasons people think player pianos sound better when they are out of tune. To an organist, it just means that you do not use it, as it does not blend with the organs' pipes. It is like only using 36 out of 37 possible ranks.
JamesGrebe pianoman@accessus.net

I stopped in St. Louis while on my way to New Mexico (where I now live, alas!), and made a special side trip to see the outside of this theatre. While parking the truck my friend and I noticed a couple of people at the stage door. When we asked if we could see the inside of the theatre they not only said "yes", they gave us a personal tour! What a spectacular building! It's always amazing to me how much photography utterly fails to convey anything but the slightest suggestion of the magnificence of a place like this. I want to return and see a show (preferably a silent movie). I hope the folks in St. Louis realize what a national treasure is sitting in their back yard.

I don't remember the woman's name who gave us the tour. I wish I did so I could thank her again.

Ziggy: Thanks for such the nice Fox story and I, too, hope that the folks in St. Louis realize that they have a national treasure! I recently spoke to some folks from Richmond VA who have 2 national treasures in their city and one of the them is an Eberson/atmospheric!! I even took the time to print out the links on this site for them to read and to learn about 2 theatres in their 'backyard'!

The lady who gave you the tour sensed that you had more than just a passing interest in old theatres so she then took the time to show you around. Hopefully you can thank her again, in person! When one sees interest in a person who takes the time to stop and ask to see the inside of a particular theatre then they immediately are left with a sense of importance in regards to 'their' theatre.

St. Louis does recognize the national treasure they have in there city. Too bad they didn't recognize the Ambassador the same way. One thing that has always puzzled me is why the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and the Fox Theatre in Detroit are National Historic Landmarks, and yet the one in St. Louis is only on the National Register of Historic Places. You would think that if the twin Detroit Fox is a National Landmark, the St. Louis one would be worthy too!

Good question and perhaps someone from the Fox camp(s) will give us all an answer, in time. I've not been to the Fox theatres in Detroit and St. Louis, but I have seen to the Fox in Atlanta and it is breathtaking!

The reason the Ambassadore was a problem was that it was only part of a huge office building that was run down and there was no way to seperate it from the building since it was part of it. The office buildeing was not usable without HUGE sums of money and the land was very valuable
JamesGrebe Pianoman@accessus.net

The United States designates its ‘National Treasures’ in buildings in two ways: first is the National Register of Historic Places, and this must be started by locals who can mount an effort to get their State Historic Preservation Officer to designate a building a state landmark according to the guidelines published by the History Div. Of the National Park Service which administers the program. Then, the state must complete forms to petition the Park Service to grant National Register status, but this is largely contingent upon locals being able to get behind the property, and if the owner protests -- as often happens -- then the designation will often fail. There are a number of technicalities and politics, local, state and national, do figure into the granting of the placement on the Register, which is to document LOCAL and STATE significance, but not necessarily any truly nation-wide significance. In contrast, the NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS program is designed to recognize structures that had a national impact, rather than merely local or state importance. A site would have to be first admitted to the Register in order to be considered for the NATIONAL LANDMARKS listing, and then the promoters would have to do far more documenting to convince the feds of the national scope and significance. When I wrote the Nomination documentation for the PABST THEATER in Milwaukee, it went to 800 pages and some 20 pounds sent off to the Park Service, which granted the designation unanimously in 1991. Such documentation is then sent to the National Archives, and a plaque is designed for the premises.

If someone is to get behind the FOX, they must do the research to convince the property owner and other notables of its importance; that will get the officer at the state capitol to grant state recognition, and then one can fill out the Nomination to the National Register. After that is granted, one can attempt to get the more restricted designation of National Historic Landmark. See: www.NationalParkService.gov/history

THe St. Louis Fox is a beautiful Place. I Remember back in the 1940s we would ride the street cars to go to movie row on Grand Ave. It was the first movie palace I was in that had air- cond. it was like going to heaven on a hot Missouri day. Viva la Fox. Paul Andrews 2;44 P.M.March 14th 2005...

If the land the Ambassador sat on was so valueable, why was it replaced with a driveway? It was only torn down because the bank next door was tired of looking at it.

Unfortunately in this great land of ours (and I DO love the U.S., so please don't get me wrong on that statement) the bottom line is all that most people care about. The reason that the Ambassador was torn down for a driveway is likely that the property taxes for a driveway were considerably less.

According to my friend, Marlin Mackley, who refurbed the 4m/36r from the time the Strauss's got the building in the 80's til about 2 years ago there was not another organ or console in the building in the screening room. The slave console was already gone when Marlin arrived on the scene.
James Grebe

After Jim Grebe asked my several questions about the Fox I decided to have a look myself at your site, and I am impressed! I worked on the Fox Wurlitzer for 20 years 2 months and watched the restoration of the theater from before the work started. I am really busy at the moment but as time permits I would be happy to share many of the hundreds of photos of the building and organ, and also stories of the restoration. I hope to soon have my web career history up and running on my web site, www.studio4-17.com , which will have some of the Fox stuff on it. I am also in the early stages of writing a book on the project, but that will have to wait for my first book to be finished.
Keep up the good work!
Marlin Mackley

Anyone interested in seeing a filmed segment on the Fox St. Louis, rent the documentary, "Hail, Hail, Rock & Roll" for Chuck Berry's tour of the theater with storytelling about how as a child he was denied a ticket to the theater in his hometown only to return to play there for this special performance many years later as a celebrated musician. The concert in the film was shot at the Fox. Features Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. Don't know if it's available on DVD, but the VHS version is available. Blockbuster may carry it.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300987477/qid%3D1113158290/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/104-0463151-3289512

One of the greatest thrills of my life, and I sincerely mean this, was having our documentary about the 1904 World's Fair premiere at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis in the summer of 2004. We sold out the theater (now slightly less than 4500 seats) and I was amazed to see crowds stretched around the block in each direction before the show. Everything about that night was better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Being back stage at the Fox was a real treat (BTW, they offer tours to the general public and I'm told Stan Kann sometimes shows up during a tour to play the Mighty Wurlitzer). The walls are painted with artwork from the various musicals that have played there - signed by cast members - along with caricatures of some of the stars who have graced its stage. I felt like a real "big shot" being able to use the main dressing room to prepare before the movie began. Waiting behind the curtain with my co-director and the Mayor of St. Louis, about to step out and stand before a crowd at this amazing theatre, is a feeling I will cherish the rest of my life. Words can not adequately express how privileged I feel to have something I worked on shown at such a marvelous, historic theatre.

Bob Miano, Director
www.civilpictures.org
www.theworldsgreatestfair.com

Dear Mr. Miano, you have a wonderful memory there and it is generous of you to share it with those of us who can only imagine how great and unforgetable is must have been to stare out from that stage into that imensity of applauding people in that magnificent place! May you have many more years there and perhaps another evening of that filled-house magic. From one theatre devotee to another: BRAVO!

Thank you for your kind comments. I am very happy to be able to say that the Fox has already asked us (like they even NEEDED to ask) if we will premiere our next documentary about the Gateway Arch there in 2006 - Of course the answer is an enthusiastic "YES" and we are honored to do so!

Love the site, especially the great technical information on the Fox in St.Louis.

I was a fifteen-year old who, with great trepidation, attended the infamous world premiere of "The French Line" with several similarly Jane Russell-obsessed adolescents that January, 1954, Saturday night.

I even remember the double-bill feature, "Crazylegs," the semi-documentary saga of Leroy Hirsch of the LA Rams. We made up the allibi, in case we got caught transgressing the severe condemnation of the Archdiocese of St.Louis, that we went to the Fox that night to appreciate Leroy's legs rather than Jane's.

Fortunately, we didn't need this lame story. Don't bother with the sanitized version of the movie. The original that night was in 3-D, and it delivered on the promise, "She'll knock BOTH your eyes out!"

I noticed the other day Jane had her 84th birthday, bless her heart, but the image of her I'll always carry was engendered that night at the Fabulous Fox.

I get a very proud feeling when I read the glowing remarks about the Fox interior. My grandfather was the interior designer of the Detroit Fox, the twin of St. Louis. He was considered an acoustical genius, in his day. He also had a magical sense of imagination, as displayed in the Fox.
When he retired he gave all his drawings to my father who stored them in our garage in Detroit. When the drawings were made for the Fox, drafting paper had not been invented. Architectural drawings were made with India ink on starched linen. When my mother wanted a dust cloth she would send my brother to the garage and have him wash out an old drawing. Unfortunately, I am sure a lot of the Fox drawings ended up as poor dust clothes or polishing rags.
My grandfather lived out his later years in Midland,Michigan where he became friends with Eldon Dow of Dow Chemical.

Something to note (if not said already),

The only way the Fox auditorium differs from the one here in Detroit is that Detroit's Fox has a support column at the South East end of the balcony. This was because Detroit's Fox has an attached office building thus needed the extra support.

I have heard when the Fox in St.Louis opened, the photo in newspapers was actually the Fox in Detroit. They must have thought they looked the same, but that support column was there.

For those of you interested in the Fox Marquee I have good news. The current marquee has been removed and will be replaced with a new one - in the style of the original! I will post details when I get them. I was able to watch the old marguee being removed last week and later passed it on the back of a semi being hauled away. As far as the rooftop sign goes, sorry but no plans are in the works to restore it to its former glory...Yet!

It would be nice if the rooftop sign could be restored. The Orpheum in LA restored there rooftop sign a few years ago and its spectacular. The Orpheum in LA doesn't have the funds that the Fox in St. Louis has. It would help light up the theatre/arts district of St. Louis which is needed. Im very happy to hear that they are restoring the Fox marquee which will be a much needed improvement to the exterior.brucec

This is a 2003 photo of the Fox Theater in St. Louis.

There is a new site with many fine photos of the interior details of the FOX by photographer and stagehand, Noah Kern: http://www.pbase.com/affablebeef/stlouis
You may leave comments there regarding the individual photos or the entire theatres of this and the many other theatres there pictured. Let him know how fine you think his photos to be.

I was just reading about another theatre in St. Louis called the Majestic which is in East St. Louis. It's facade is cathedral-like and should be a restoration project, but it may just be too late for this one!

lostmemory: The photo on your Sept. 21st post is fantastic. The lighting really shows of the brass doors! Doesn't the RCMH Christmas Spectacular come to this theatre?

Patsy....Don't tell anyone else about this but East St. Louis is in Illinois. LOL

The Majestic in East St. Louis was similar to the St. Louis Granada facade. The organ , Wurli 2m\8r, originaly a 2/6), now a 2m/10r, from the Majestic is in the Fox lobby. A name used in the 50's for the Majestic was, "The House of Blue Lights," used as a night club. Norm Kraemer bought the organ from the Majestic owners and lastly belongs to the St. Louis ATOS.
Jim

Did the Fox ever get its new marquee?

I recently found pics of the new marquee. I was disapointed because I thought they where replacing the vertical marquee, but it was just the lower marquee. The new one appears to have a digital screen on the sidewalk side.

The Fox Theatre opened on Jan. 31st, 1929.

I played the Fox a couple of times with touring shows. One of the interesting things about the house is that - in addition to the usual route of climbing up through the public areas and balcony - access to the projection/spotlight booth can be had by taking the dressing room elevator up and entering the top part of the auditorium in front of the stage left side of the proscenium. There is a walkway around the top of the auditorium --- I guess it provides access to the indirect lighting. Anyway - you can walk all around the top of the auditorium, behind the decorative plaster, and get to the booth via that walkway.

Makes it a lot quicker and easier to get to your position by show-time, but also, it's awesome to be able to be that close to the chandelier and dome, and survey the entire auditorium from that vantage point!

All of the big movie palaces --and most of the smaller ones-- had "walkways" like the one described above called "Catwalks" They were indeed used to access the indirect lighting and chandelier winches and were often spooky journeys in the ill-lit vastness of the multi-story heights between the auditorium ceiling and the roof where there were no windows. In the larger theatres, some architects specified concrete catwalks with steel strap railings, but in many lower budgeted houses it was a few boards just set upon the trusses with nary a railing in sight! Not every workman was as surefooted as the rest, as a scar in the repaired ceiling of the SOUTHTOWN in Chicago testified to the puncture of it by the body of a man who stepped off the catwalk, showed as he fell to his death upon the seats below.

Theatres have many fascinating areas not found in other buildings, but often dangerous ones! The FOX was blessed to have two ways to get to the booth (actually a large Projection Room suite of rooms); most theatres had but one way, and if it were blocked by fire, there was often only the window to crawl through and one hoped for a sturdy fire escape nearby.

I was so excited to hear about the new marquee until I saw it. It has a large griffin ornament hanging on both corners. It looks like it's straight out of a Disney cartoon.

Also, they didn't replace the vertical. If it had one more letter it could double as a PARK sign.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976

Fox Theater *** (added 1976 - Building - #76002261)
527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis (Independent City)
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Crane,C. Howard
Architectural Style: Other
Area of Significance: Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation
Period of Significance: 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Theater

Does anyone know why the all records say the Fox was added to the National Register in 1976, but the playbills from the Fox all claim it was added in 1987. Is there some reason, or do the Fox people just have it mixed up?

I would LOVE to see pictures of this joint from the 70's when it was limping away on a steady diet of Blaxploitation flicks! All of my family members have stories of going to The Fox during those days but I was a bit too young to go with them. Although I may have gone there as a baby.

If you've got 'em, post 'em!

Here is another photo of the Fox Theater.

I must agree that the griffins on the new marquee are a bit much.

Alas, in installing the new marquee they forgot(?) to include floodlights to illuminate the facade after dark. The old marquee had these lights...and it is really a loss. The floodlit terra cotta facade was a beautiful sight.

Next, we hope, will be the replacment of the 1960s vertical with a replica of the original. (Dept. of Pipe Dreams?)

Recently completed, is a Stan Kann interview of some 56 pages and illustrated and annotated and a Complete History of the St. Louis Fox Theatre Lobby Pipe Organs by James Grebe of some 78 pages profusely illustrated with color photographs.
James Grebe

Hi JAlex. In response to your desire for a replica of the original vertical sign, if memory serves me correctly there was no vertical sign on the Fox. However, the framework above the facade, visible in Lost Memory's recent photo, used to hold a large incandescent sign which was visible all the way to downtown St. Louis. That's something I would like to see restored!

The Fox had its original vertical until 1960. It was that year it was removed and replaced with the monstrosity that can be seen today.

The rooftop sign had three lives: the first was the original reading "Fox Theatre" with incandescent bulbs; the second was three hugh neon letters, F-O-X; the third, the present, no sign but the framework remains.

It would be nice to see this restored, but I think the vertical matter is more pressing. Besides, the current management can't even keep this one relamped.

In looking at a postcard of the original roof sign, it looks as if it is neon with no incandescent bulbs. It does read FOX on the top line, THEATRE on the bottom line.

Good news! I, and a couple of hundred other people, heard Mary Strauss say they intend to replace the current vertical with a replica of the original. This was stated at a luncheon meeting at the Missouri Historical Society on October 9th. When asked about the roof sign, she did not offer much chance of replicating.

Here are some photos of the Fox Theater. Click each photo to expand it.

I saw a Supertramp concert at the St. Louis Fox Theater in 1974 or 1975. It was an imposing palace even in its decline. Good to hear that the place has since been restored.

This is a 1930s postcard view.

Any news on the new vertical sign?

I have two paintings by "A. Lambeth" that my mother bought in the 1960s or 1970s from the St. Louis Fox Theater. One shows 2 swans in the foreground, 1 in the midground, and 3 in the background, all floating in a lake, but it isn't signed. The other shows two storks standing in a pond near some lilypads, and this one is signed "A. Lambeth 1903." Both of them are in wooden frames measuring about 3' tall by 1' wide. I would be interested in selling them.

To whom it may concern:

I am a student at Boise State University, studying for my M.F.A. in Poetry, and the editor of the student newspaper there.
I bought a used copy of "Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. at a local thrift store for 50 cents. Inside the book, on page 83 (the start of chapter IX) I found a ticket stub from the Fox Theatre, St. Louis Mo., dated March 16, 1978, 8 p.m. Sec. 4, Row Z, Seat 116.
I have looked around the Internet trying to find out what was playing that night in the theatre for a poem I am writing on this odd happenstance and I have come up empty. I understand the Fox closed that month, that year. Was this perhaps the last night? There is also the word "Doucette" across the top. Does that mean anything?
I would also like to know anything you would be willing to disclose about the player piano, the wurlitzer, still in use at the theatre. I am trying to figure this out and would be greatly helped with a nudge in the right direction.

The only "player " piano in the Fox is the one that is part of the 4/36 Wurli in the chambers. The original lobby organ had an Moller Artiste PlAYER CONNECTED TO IT but it is long gone. It had no piano connected to it. There are no other player piano in the theatre.
James

Attn: Dustiniapray.

Program of 3/16/78 was concert performance by Bob Weir and Doucette.
This in a brief period when, after theatre had closed as a movie house (3/1/78),they were booking live attractions.

The theatre's Grand Avenue facade is one of a number of St. Louis location shots in the 1981 film "Escape from New York."

Does anyone have any information on when the new vertical sign mentioned by JAlex will be installed? I haven't been able to get in touch with the "higher ups" at Fox Associates, and of course, none of the receptionists have a clue what I'm talking about when I ask. It's been almost a year since the project was announced.

According to the official website, the current name is Fox Theatre (not Fox Theater).
The spelling of the "T" word needs to be corrected in the introduction.

FOX THEATER PAINTINGS FOR SALE
I am going to put up for auction on EBAY two paintings that my mother purchased a bunch of years ago from the Fox Theater. I will be selling them as a single lot. They are beautiful period pieces. Please check them out by doing a search on EBAY for FOX THEATER PAINTINGS. Several photographs of the paintings appear on the auction listing. The auction starts at 7:00 PM on Thursday, July 24, 2008, and it ends at 7:00 PM on Sunday, August 3, 2008. It's a 10-day auction with no reserve. One painting is signed and dated "A. LAMBETH, 1903."

Here is my previous comment, posted on Cinema Treasures:
I have two paintings by "A. Lambeth" that my mother bought in the 1960s or 1970s from the St. Louis Fox Theater. One shows 2 swans in the foreground, 1 in the midground, and 3 in the background, all floating in a lake, but it isn't signed. The other shows two storks standing in a pond near some lilypads, and this one is signed "A. Lambeth 1903." Both of them are in wooden frames measuring about 3' tall by 1' wide. I would be interested in selling them.

Whenver I get to travel around the Country, I make it a point to visit some of our finest (and not so fine) theaters and movie palaces of yesteryear. The Fox St Louis is one of my favorites. Here is a link to an interesting article regarding the theater which includes a few photos.

http://www.atos.org/Pages/Journal/StLouisFox/StLouisFox.html

Warren G Harris: Quite an astute eye for detail! Interesting but the T in the Fox has always been spelt "t-h-e-a-t-r-e". The owner/builders choose to spell it the International British spelling. Morever, the National Association of Theatre Owners recognizes that "theater" are for movie houses and "theatre" are for stage.

Please note that both the Kodak T and Nokia T venues in Los Angeles are spelt with "-re".

I keep getting emails from cinema treasures saying that someone has responded to my comment, but where do I go to read their response? My email address is drabc26@aol.com If anyone can tell me how to do this, I'd appreciate it. You can email me to let me know, or just type a comment in this website, and eventually I'll see it. Thanks!

Has this been posted yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe3E66gwTUo

ylyly: If you have commented on any particular page at Cinema Treasures and have ever checked the "Notify me when someone replies to my comment?" box at the bottom of a comment form, you will receive a notification e-mail every time any new comment is added to that page, regardless of the content of that comment (i.e. whether or not it is a response specifically replying to your own earlier comment.) Cinema Treasures does not post replies to specific comments on any page other than the one on which that specific comment was posted, so if you don't see a comment specifically replying to your earlier comment here, there are none.

You will continue to receive Cinema Treasures notifications for a page on which you've commented until you click on the "To remove yourself from receiving further notifications from this thread, click here:" link at the bottom of the e-mail itself, which will un-subscribe you from that page (though you might also stop receiving Cinema Treasures comment notifications- as I have- if your e-mail service simply decides not to deliver them. I haven't gotten any notifications for almost three months, due to my ISP e-mail service, the mediocre AT&T-Yahoo, having put Cinema Treasures mail on its "no delivery" list.)

Joe, thanks for your detailed comment! I don't think I commented on any page, although I may have put my initial comment in as if it were in reponse to a page. I like Cinema Treasures' website. It's a great way to focus attention on that wonderful theater. I'll continue to have delivery. I can always put it on the no delivery list.

Meanwhile, here are two little memories I have of the Fox. When I was a kid, I liked to play tricks on people. I can't believe I did these things, but I did. And it's all a part of the history of the theater, too.

(1) My cousin Gail, my aunt, and I went to see "Spartacus" at the Fox. I was a freshman in high school. In one scene, Spartacus and about 6000 other Roman slaves were put to death on crosses that lined the Appian Way. Spartacus's wife/mate was walking with their baby looking for him. It was very tense. You could hear a pin drop in the theater. And this, please forgive my teenage wildness, is what happened: I whispered loudly to my cousin, "Crucify the brat, too." She burst into tears, and then into laughter, and then she punched me on the arm.

(2) My brother and I went to see The Tingler, a sci-fi movie. The Fox theater was rigged with a device that caused the seats to rumble at scary parts. I forget the name of this special effect, but it was effective. We were sitting behind two younger kids. In the middle of an especially scary scene, I reached under the seat in front of me and grabbed the one kid by his ankles. He screamed in terror.

The effect was one of Director William Castle's infamous movie promotion gimmicks called "Percepto".
You can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tingler

Here's a nice shot of the Fox playing FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN in 1943:

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u235/BobFurmanek/FMTWFox.jpg

This is a nice September 2008 exterior view and here is a shot of the interior.

Those animals mounted on the marquee were a cool idea, but I don't think they quite make it.

It would also be nice if they either put up a new roof sign or took down the frame, although I realize both take money.

Like Mary does not have any money?

Pardon my ignorance: who is Mary?

I'll take a guess and say Mary Strauss. Read the comment above dated Mar 26, 2004 at 11:21am.

Legendary St. Louis Fox Theatre organist Stan Kann has died this morning at St. Louis U Hospital undergoing heart surgury
An era ends.

Stan Kaan ,the "HAPPIEST MAN" , and one of the MOST "Genuine ", too
God Bless Stan, His Family , and Friends...he belongs to the Ages....

There will be a Memorial service for Stan on Sunday at 2PM at the Fox

The name listing needs to be changed to FOX THEATRE from the incorrect FOX THEATER. Please check the official website for confirmation: http://www.fabulousfox.com/

Theatre has just installed a new vertical...observed last night and, if not a reproduction of the original 1929 design, it sure comes close. Sign is yet to be lamped, so don't know if it will feature neon or led/incandescent.

Does anyone have any photos of the new sign?

former resident:

I took a shot the "opening night". Would be glad to forward to you, but I need an e-mail address. The lighting, incidentally, is red neon. As well, flood lighting of facade is functioning again. In other words, the theatre glows...quite a sight.

JAlex my e-mail address is kerchoffl@mail.santarosa.k12.fl.us Thanks. Send me your e-mail address as well.

FYI. Fox organist Stan Kann has nice obituary in the current Old Cars Weekly magazine written by Gerald Perschbacher.

It mentions his 22 year Fox career, memorial and scholarship fund set up at the theatre.

Also that he later had appeared a record 77 times on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and 89 times on the Mike Douglas Show. "A vacuum cleaner & gadget collector who hilariously fumbled his way into the hearts of millions of Americans". All of which was after his move to California.
He was also unbeknownst to most people, a car collector.

It further states that he "was hailed as the best known concert organist in North America".

The new sign looks great! Hopefully, when Fox Associates realizes how much the St. Louis community appreciates the improvement, they'll be more inclined to restore the roof sign as well!

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=157692&catid=3

The speech goes on forever. But then at the end they finally light the sign:

http://www.fabulousfox.com/NewSignVideo/Default.html

This is an April 1951 photo of a St. Louis theater from Life Magazine. The theater is unidentified, but the marquee matches the photos of the Fox as seen above.
http://tinyurl.com/5c9jwe

Nice pic. Spike Jones Live.
It's five minutes to ten though, what are those two little kids doin' out?

I don't think it was summer vacation. They look kind of cold.

Some kids were spoiled then just as they are now.

I guess I shouldn't talk. We were regulars at the midnight double features at Chicago's Playboy (later Sandburg) Theatre, when we were all of 12-13 years old.
Also once saw Jerry Vale at the Empire Room well past 10pm, when I was 10 myself.

I was close to six feet tall when I was 14. While waiting for my grandmother's bus to arrive at the station in Philly one day, I paid a dollar and saw a couple of adult films at a grind house on Market Street. Not parentally approved activity.

I'm sure that many kids passed themselves off as being older than they really were. I went to a bar at age 15 when the drinking age was 18 and was never asked for proof of age. As for the kids in the photo, maybe it was Christmas vacation and that is the reason those kids were out so late.

I was able to grow a full beard at age 17 and went wherever I pleased (until I got sick of the beard and shaved).

I spoke to the people at Fox Associates a couple of weeks ago about the possibility of restoring the roof sign. Theey said that, " it was not being considered at this time because the metal scaffeling that holds it up is very deteriorated due to the age of the structure."

New vertical sign:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coleorton/3062273247/

Wow! I think it looks great! Every bit as colorful and glamourous as it should be.

Here is another view of the Fox:
http://tinyurl.com/catpr7

Another photo link nigh view with the new verticle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/army_arch/3386707293/sizes/l/in/pool-53328547@N00/

Another shot of the verticle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/army_arch/3387519404/sizes/l/in/set-72157594534555707/

1985 photo of the Fox Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c25%2c3%2c-1&SortField=ProductName+DESC%2cProductName&catpageindex=11&ProductID=29281
1986 photo of the Fox Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c25%2c3%2c-1&SortField=ProductName+DESC%2cProductName&ProductID=29279

Here is a shot from 1959:

http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=fox+st.+louis&ProductID=29277

I like this marquee better. More neon and fewer giant lions.

This is a 2009 photo.

LM, that photo really shows of the new verticle.

The Fox looks great Chuck. The people of St. Louis should be proud of this theater. It's a good example of how a neglected theater can be brought back to life.

They should replace the current photo on this web site with a photo of the theatre in its restored form.

Going back to the entries of last November concerning the Life Magazine photo: Shot was taken the night of Friday March 30, 1951. The special midnight show was for the benefit of St. Louis policeman Aloysius Nelke, who had been paralyzed by a burglar's bullet. As for the two children seen--1) It was a Friday night, no school on Saturday; 2) By themselves? I would think they were with the woman seen immediately behind them.

Information about the Wurlitzer Organ and the Late Stan Kann, can be found at the Saint Louis Theatre Organ Society web page:
http://www.sltos.org/ The Organ will play again. The theatre has selected organists to play for the tours.
http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=184204
News Story from NBC In Saint Louis

I'm glad the organ is geing heard again. Stan would have wanted it that way. I think that the theatre is looking fantastic recently. I sincerely hope that the management will consider reinstalling the roof sign. That would be the final component to the completion of the exterior. If they don't, they should at least take down the metal scaffoldinjg. What do you guys at CT think?

From the late 1940s, a photo of the Fox Theatre in Saint Louis.

Don...

Nice to learn that St. Louis has the Fox!

Here are some photos of the Fox.
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/slfox1.jpg

http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/slfox2.jpg

http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/slfox3.jpg

http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/slfox4.jpg

click each photo for a larger view.

Chuck: Beautiful photos....Thanks! And 4500 seats.....Wow!