Orpheum Theatre

1192 Market Street,
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Showing 1 - 25 of 51 comments

m00se1111
m00se1111 on November 26, 2023 at 12:43 pm

I gotta concur. It’s definately the LA Orpheum.

Also Mr Cinerama, curious as to where you got the images/adverts from actually? I don’t see any credit as to where they originally came from. Given your insistance for not copying, aren’t you just copying others work too? Asking for a friend.

stevenj
stevenj on November 26, 2023 at 11:09 am

Cinerama…at your provided link above - are you certain the 3rd photo dated 1946 is the SF Orpheum? It looks like the marquee of the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles.

Cinerama
Cinerama on November 26, 2023 at 9:14 am

Hey Kinospotter,

You copied all the picture from https://incinerama.com/ctorpheum.htm. Please remove.

Thanks,

Cinerama

Cinerama
Cinerama on November 1, 2023 at 8:15 pm

Click on link to see ads, articles, and pictures of the San Francisco Orpheum theatre. Please do not copy to this site.

stevenj
stevenj on March 23, 2021 at 4:36 pm

Hi Bigjoe59….according to Michael Coate’s chronology of large format and roadshow exhibition list 1953 - present, Circus World ran 13 weeks beginning Dec 21, 1964.

stevenj
stevenj on March 23, 2021 at 4:33 pm

The Golden Gate and Orpheum theaters, two historic performance venues along Market Street in San Francisco, will be taken over by the Ambassador Theatre Group, the British company that also operates the Curran Theater on Geary Street.

SF Chronicloe

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 on March 8, 2021 at 5:28 pm

Hello-

out of curiosity how long did the roadshow engagement of
Circus World last? I’m not saying the film was Oscar
material but say 2? years ago I watched a first rate HD
transfer on YouTube and found it a colorful entertaining
film. its roadshow engagement in Manhattan ran 14 weeks.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on January 9, 2021 at 7:03 am

I think this theatre building might the one seen briefly during the opening scene of the movie “Herbie rides again”, showing the building on the right being imploded(among other buildings being shown demolished too).

stevenj
stevenj on October 29, 2019 at 12:53 pm

There seemed to be some interest in seeing souvenir programs added to Photos so I unearthed the 5 I had, photographed them and added to the appropriate SF theaters I’d seen the films at over the years. Seven Wonders of the World was the first one I bought when I was 8 years old. My father took my sister and I to see this at the Orpheum Cinerama. We were blown away by the huge screen.

stevenj
stevenj on January 2, 2016 at 5:38 pm

An exterior facelift appears to be in progress. Photo added.

spectrum
spectrum on July 16, 2014 at 10:04 am

The San Francisco Orpheum that Gill refers to in the March 2 email, is the earlier Orheum (built 1887, 2,200 seats) which was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. It is picture number 30 in that big set – left hand size at the bottom.

terrywade
terrywade on August 22, 2013 at 7:59 pm

This was the San Francisco home for CINERAMA in the 50’s and 60’s. What a nice huge curved screen that came out off the stage.

gill
gill on March 2, 2013 at 10:33 am

A 1928 photo of a very different San Francisco Orpheum Theatre appears on the historic-memphis.com website. Here’s a link to the page.

Mikeyisirish
Mikeyisirish on June 26, 2012 at 4:11 pm

A few 2012 photos can be seen here and here.

iatse311
iatse311 on December 16, 2011 at 12:29 pm

http://www.psilo.com/dead/showshow.php?band=1&date=1976-7-18 http://www.archive.org/details/gd76-07-18.sbd.bertha.14838.sbeok.shnf

09825mac
09825mac on February 13, 2011 at 11:04 am

Hello, I saw a posting from FBZ about some small pocket mirrors with vaudeville performer Charmion pictured on them. I collect items with her picture and would be willing to purchase if the owner was interested. Is there any way you or I could contact the owner? Thanks! Jim 973-864-6048

dctrig
dctrig on October 14, 2010 at 1:36 pm

Sometime in the ‘90s I saw Mandy Patinkin perform at the Orpheum. As luck would have it a local radio station was giving away free tickets and I snared a fabulous seat.

William
William on July 13, 2010 at 12:42 pm

Charmion was her stage name, her real name was Laverie Vallee (1875-1949). her art was Vaudeville trapeze artist and strongwoman. She died in Santa Ana, Ca in 1949.

Farmboyzim
Farmboyzim on July 13, 2010 at 12:07 pm

I have quite a few small pocket mirrors from way back in the 20’s or 30’s, that have someone by the name of “Charmion” pictured on the back in various poses. She looked to be a body builder, very muscley. My wife thought it may have been a man. Anyone have info on this act or person? It states “Star of Vaudeville at Orphium”.
Anyone have any clues as to who this may have been and what type of act it was?

Simon Overton
Simon Overton on September 10, 2009 at 1:25 am

Lost Memory… Your 1966 picture of the Orpheum brought back my City visits from 18 months at Oakland Army Base. Memories when I saw “Dr. Zchivago” in this glorious auditorium. Upon departing, patrons were handed postage-paid postcards to mail to friends, encouraging them to see the picture.

Another(live) show later was Eartha Kitt who sang her favorites and popped a few humorous jokes in between. The audience was generous in so much as to laughter, applause but most of all, they listened to her most politely.
I also obtained her autograph. Oh, what a talented and sexy lady!

iatse311
iatse311 on May 6, 2009 at 5:53 pm

Took 3 pics from the stage last weekend…unfortunately it was dark because the “house” wasnt open yet…one decent pic of the auditorium ceiling, the architectural features on sides seem less ornate than in the old pics i’ve seen above…maybe because of all the theatrical lighting ..also threw in some pics of civic center statues with “wicked” in the background

View link

SteveNY
SteveNY on April 2, 2009 at 11:02 am

As a child I saw two Cinerama films at the Orpheum. I agree with “edison school jack” above that nothing comes close today. Most people have no idea what Cinerama was.

Ian
Ian on March 18, 2007 at 11:46 am

A few more pictures of the Orpheum here:–

View link

View link

View link

jaxsterman
jaxsterman on October 13, 2006 at 10:13 pm

As a young boy we(my Grandmother, my cousin and me) went to see the first Cinerama movie there. Then the second Cinerama film. The experience was just awesome. The theater itself was unreal. Huge, overwhelming, a spectacular sight that had to be experienced in order to appreciate the value of the architecture itself. The old three screen (three projector) effect could not be duplicated with the later trials of cinerama. The realism was gone. I think at the time there were only 3 theaters able to show cinerama. One in Seattle Wash, the other in Los Angeles Ca. On the west coast that is.

We also later saw mad mad…… world. It didn’t seem to have the same effect. Later I watched How the west was won. The old Cinerama experience seemed to have disappeared, and was replaced with a single projector which made it nothing more than “over sized” cinemascope with stereo sound.

About the only thing close to Cinerama might be IMax.

The great movie days are gone.