Fox Theatre
1350 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94102
1350 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94102
44 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 163 comments
1961 picture in the photo section.
A homeowner in the Balboa Park district of SF has found original blueprints of the Fox in a cabinet in her garage. She has arranged to donate them to the SF Public Library’s History Center.
Fox Blueprints
Hello-
as grand as this theater and the Roxy in Manhattan were they were doomed with a capital D the second t.v. became commomplace in the American home.
A B&W trailer for the Fox’s “First Anniversary Show,” with musical accompaniment played on the theatre’s Wurlitzer organ, can be viewed here
June 28th, 1929 grand opening ad in the photo section.
1951 photo added courtesy of the Robert’s World Facebook page.
The Fox was the best looking theater and the largest in San Francisco. Frequently, I would enjoy a Saturday afternoon matinee which cost about 25 cents in the early 1950’s. You get get a soft drink, popcorn and candy for 50 cents. The Fox had so many levels to the balconey you could walk up three and four levels to the top of the world and the screen from the upper level looked like a small postage stamp. The Fox was a little displaced since most of Market street theaters were between seventh&fifth and market but she still had a strong following. When it came time to demolish her some city leaders dicussed using it for the SF Opera but that never materialized. In fact, it was during her final hours that they located some vagabond living in the attic who had been there sometime (if my memory recalls). It certainly was a San Francsico Treasure lost in time. We will never see another Theater with her grandeur and charm!
Scrolled back to 2008, and don’t see that this link was posted previously. It has demolition footage of the Fox.
http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Fox_Theater
2 photos added via the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page. One is a demolition pic from
63, the other undated, but likely late30’s.In 1963 I was the Capt of the Ushers Mr.Zotera appointed that to me as he liked me and he was not a heterosexual! He caught me making out with an Usherette in the bathroom and fired me!
Underneath the Stage was a row of small little wooden door makeup rooms for the movie stars that came to the theater to perform. Black and white autograpgh photos were hung in each room by many famous big name stars.
My mother recently passed away at age 98 and when I cleaned out the attic of her garage I discovered 12 authentic theater seats from the original Fox Theater in San Francisco. These are evidently collectors items my dad bought in the early 60’S when they tore down the old movie palace. This row of theater seats is now 85 years old and still has the original undamaged steel structure, red corduroy backs, and hardwood arm rests. They need to be restored and reupholstered after all the years of heavy use at the FOX but they could be quite a conversation piece in a home theater for someone.
Does anyone have any idea what these 12 seats could be worth to a movie buff?
As a boy of 7, my parents would take me to visit my uncle in San Francisco. His name was J. D. Griggs. I would ride with my dad in the car when he would drop him off at work in the afternoon right in front of the Fox. He was one of the full time projectionist at the Fox! I can remember him telling us of the grandure of the theater. He loved his work. He also worked at most of the other big movie houses in the “city”. I can also remember his comment when running Disney’s Old Yeller of all the patrons in the audience crying the hearts out. I wish I had been a little older to be able to appreciate the importance of this great landmark. In my later years I was able to obtain the 3 volume set of Fantasy Records LP’s, “Farewell to the Fox” with Tiny James and Everett Nourse at the console which I still have today. The sound of this mighty Wurlitzer is amazing and still raises a few hairs on my head.
rferjo/ Rob – It’s fabulous you’ve come to this website, especially as there is such interest in re-printing the Preston Kaughman book. It;s been a while since your comment back on Feb – is there any progress in interest in re-printing it from your original plates? I’d leap at the chance to buy a new copy without spending $500.
sorry, my above comment I meant to address to rferjo.
@hdtv267, have you approached publishers, Chronicle Books for example, about reissuing Mr. Kaufmann’s book again since it’s out-of-print? Or perhaps SPUR organization in SF about an exhibition?
Need some advise, I worked with Preston Kaughman back in the late 70’s. I was the pressman and owner of the printing company that ran I believe 3 runs of “THE FOX” Book. I do have 2 copies of it along with all the printing plates and negative. After Preston past on he left everything to me. All the pictures and artwork are sitting in boxes. If someone is interested, make me an offer I can send pictures or make arrangements to see everything. (Rob)
Missed the newsreels and “Leagues under the Sea” movie… It was great & wanted more, but it all disappeared so fast! I was only ten in 1963. Thanks for bringing a tiny piece of time back.
Saw the Raven @ the Fox in early 63. And was inside after wrecking ball punched a hole in wall with daylight. And my Parents were divorced in summer of 63. So early Feb 63 sounds right
I saw 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea at the Fox in October of 1963. Problem. The theater was supposedly torn down in February of that year. Thought I was crazy, went back and looked up the movie listings in the Chronicle on microfilm. It’s there, lots of other movies showing at the Fox all the way through Dead Ringers and Dr. Crippen in February of 1964…
Is the date of demolition 1963 a mistake that has been copied over and over again?
Or, was there another Fox Theater at Ninth and Market??????
My greatest posessions are my “Fox, the last word” so well written by the late Preston J. Koffman -what a tallented and careing kid he was. I’ll never tire of reading it… and a Cherub which was positioned over the center front inner lobby doors. Damn those greedy fools for destroying such a magnificent treasure.
This theater’s Wurlitzer “Crawford” (or Fox) special is based on the one which was installed in the N.Y. Paramount. That instrument proved so popular that Fox ordered one for the S.F., St. Louis, and Detroit theaters. The one from this theater survives intact at Disney’s El Capitan theater, in Hollywood, Ca. It is played frequently, and receives very good care. ==== Remember the S.F Fox! ====
I have seen Bill Swain’s photos online- nice work. They really give you a feel for the grand palace that was, and sadly, was lost. The S.F. Fox is my favorite of all the big movie palaces. It’s loss is on a par with that of the St.Louis Ambassador in the mid 90’s. It’s nice that the Fox’s Wurlitzer is alive and well under the loving care of Disney in southern California. If Donald Trump wanted something to pattern a new casino or hotel lobby from, this theater would be fantastic!
HI EVERY ONE I AM JEFF HERSHEL THE GUY THAT TRULY WANTED TO SAVE THE FOX THEATHER I WROTE THE ORIGNAL BOOK ON THE FOX THEATHER. THE FOLLISH AND FABULOUS FOX. I SPEAR HEADED THE ENTIRE FOX CAMPAGAIN. WITH ALL TYPES OF EVENTS. I HAVE A GREAT COLLECTION OF PICTURES POSTERS FROM THE ORIGNAL SAVE THE FOX THEATHER. YOU CAN REACH ME ON
This was my favorite Movie Theater in the whole World!!! It was like a Palace! It was soooo beautiful!!! It had 24K Gold Plated Faucets and Italian Marble floors in the Ladies Room!
I was there the day that the wrecking ball struck. I cried so hard and cried all the way home.My Dad was so cool! He got me some souvenirs and the Book “The Fabulous And Foolish Fox”. That book is worth a fortune now.
I think it was “NOW” or “NOW in” CinemaScope on the sign.