Parkside Theatre

933 Taraval Street,
San Francisco, CA 94116

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres, Golden State Theater & Realty Corp.

Architects: F. Frederic Amandes

Firms: Clausen and Amandes

Functions: Daycare Center

Previous Names: Fox Parkside Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Fox Parkside Theatre exterior

The Parkside Theatre was a large neighborhood theater when it opened in 1928. After six decades in use, the Parkside Theatre, which had once belonged to the Fox West Coast Theatres chain, closed in October 1990. Its colorful lobby and auditorium drifted into the past when it was gutted in 2001. The building houses a daycare center today.

Contributed by Juan-Miguel Gallegos

Recent comments (view all 48 comments)

MSC77
MSC77 on October 21, 2018 at 10:59 pm

bigjoe59: By “heyday of roadshow engagements” I assume you’re referring to the 1952-73 period, in which case I’m aware of three (Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Blue Max). See: 70mm and Roadshow Films in San Francisco.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 on October 23, 2018 at 3:54 pm

Hello from NYC-

thanks to MSC77 for the info. I did in fact mean the time period of the Sept. 1952 roadshow engagement of This Is Cinerama to the Dec. 1972 roadshow engagement of Man of La Mancha. now this theater only held three that you are aware of but there were countless other roadshow engagements in S.F. as there were in Manhattan. so what theaters were used on a regular basis for roadshow engagements in S.F. during the approx. 20 year period noted. thanks in advance.

MSC77
MSC77 on October 23, 2018 at 6:51 pm

bigjoe59: Click the link to the San Francisco Bay Area 70mm & Roadshow article that I provided in my earlier comment and you’ll find much of the info you’re seeking.

stevenj
stevenj on October 23, 2018 at 7:15 pm

46 years have gone by since the last reserved seat engagement in SF (Man of La Mancha at the Golden Gate 1) began in Dec 1972. This past August 2001: A Space Odyssey played in 70mm/IMAX for a week at the Metreon IMAX as a reserved seat engagement.

bigjoe59….10 theaters are listed at the link in MSC77’s link. One of them, the Orpheum Cinerama started reserve seating in 1952 with This Is Cinerama but that and subsequent 3 strip Cinerama at the Orpeheum is not listed because the link is for 70mm/roadshow.

MSC77
MSC77 on October 23, 2018 at 11:55 pm

stevenj and bigjoe59: The San Francisco Cinerama history can be found here. And you’re overlooking a 1973 roadshow release: “Last Tango in Paris” (which, in SFO, played seven months at the Royal).

Chromejob
Chromejob on March 4, 2019 at 10:13 pm

I just remembered that in the late 1970s, my father and I watched a whole-day screening of Bondarchuk’s WAR AND PEACE (four parts totaling 400 minutes), a real endurance event. Anyone else remember seeing it?

stevenj
stevenj on March 4, 2019 at 11:10 pm

MSC77….just saw your Oct 23 post – forgot all about the LTIP Royal engagement. Thanks.

EdwardD
EdwardD on April 16, 2021 at 10:31 pm

The Towering Inferno played here 1st run. It was reserved seats in some engagements. Don’t know if it was here.

larrygoldsmith
larrygoldsmith on April 16, 2021 at 10:46 pm

I was one of two managers for the opening of Towering Inferno. The entire run of this engagement was Box Office open seating.

thomdlt296
thomdlt296 on December 7, 2023 at 1:53 pm

One of my favorite movie memories is watching “48 hrs” at the Parkside, probably in 1984 or 85. When the bad guys in the movie get on the L-Taraval streetcar at the Castro Station, we all cheered with various “Yeahs” and “Right ons!” because, like me and my brother, half the theater probably took the L to the Parkside that night.

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