Fox Theatre

phantomhillbilly on September 18, 2009 at 4:58 pm

I actually was taking Thai Kung Fu at the Martial Arts studio. There was also a video store that had both Beta and VHS. A pizza store towards the front. The Las Vegas Library was over on the side. The whole mall definitely had an odd “Dawn of the Dead” abandoned vibe and you felt like you had the place to yourself. Wasn’t there also a petting zoo there? It had a Gigantic parking lot in the back that was empty and crumbling, sprouting up weeds, back to back with Crestwood Elementary School.

My next door neighbor was the manager of that Woolco until it closed. And good old Thriftimart was of course owned by Vegas politico Jan Laverty (later married to Fletcher Jones Jr.).

The Fox Theater was one of the most classy theaters around. Red velvet curtains that opened and closed. Beautiful light fixtures on the wall. In the seventies around Halloween they would show classic horror movies at midnight!

robgw on February 9, 2010 at 7:48 am

This theatre had one of the best managers in the business, and he was also my dad. Richard Goldsworthy took the movie experience way beyond anything anyone else was doing at that time. From the “kid shows”, “Freaky Fridays” with my mom or me dressed up and lying in a casket, to the premiere of Annie, where the entire shopping center was tranformed with characters and propaganda that matched the show. My mom was the shopping center manager, Elsie Goldsworthy. I used to play all over the mall and theatre as a kid. Boy times have changed, my kids don’t have the freedom I did, and what a shame. I miss those old times, it is too bad that all that I have left is stories and photographs of the good times I had growing up. I am going to create a web page dedicated to my father with memories of the mall and theatre. Please email me if you have anything you would like posted when it is complete.

Robert Goldsworthy (email:)

Corey Miller on November 7, 2010 at 12:10 am

A photo of the original neon sign from 2009, found in the Las Vegas Neon Graveyard:

View link

Scott Neff on May 28, 2019 at 2:34 pm

I recall seeing an document kept by the Century Theatres' marketing team that suggested they operated the theatre from 2/9/1983-3/31/1988. I cannot vouch for how accurate this information is, but it’s a start.

Whoman Jim on June 17, 2023 at 7:27 pm

Dear folks, The last movie that ran at the Fox was “The Emerald Forest” with Powers Boothe in the summer of 1985. Sometime afterwards, the theater was TORN DOWN, so that the Charleston Plaza Mall could (did) do a remodeling job. As for richjr37’s comment that “‘Police Academy 5’ was the last movie to play there when it closed on March 30, 1988” - HIGHLY UNLIKELY! Then again, this is a guy who believed he saw “The Black Stallion” at another Vegas theater (the Parkway 3) in 70mm… So tell us Rich - HOW was that possible, ESPECIALLY since United Artists NEVER released that film in that format?

I’m sorry, folks, but my problem with this richjr37 is the fact that this person HAS NO IDEA was he’s talking about - let alone even commenting on Vegas movie theaters SINCE HE HAS NEVER LIVED HERE & IS BASED SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!!

To Scott Neff - As for that Century Theatres' document, remember - Century was originally known as Syufy Theatres, and because of what was known as “the ‘Annie’ fiasco” (a story in itself!), Syufy eventually took over the 2 Mann indoor theaters - the Fox & the Boulevard Twin, as well as Plitt’s only Vegas indoor theater, the Parkway 3. As pointed out above, the Fox closed during the summer of 1985 after its engagement of “The Emerald Forest”. Both the Boulevard Twin and the Parkway 3 were still in operation in 1988 - hence that document of yours. It’s my guess that “Police Academy 5” played at either one or the other - as well as the Red Rock 11.

Rich, do us a favor - unless you know your facts, do not - repeat - DO NOT comment on ANYTHING regarding Las Vegas movie theatres.

Jim Perry - a TRUE Vegas Native.