The California / Allies / Crescent / Liberty / World Theatre

649 Broadway | map |

Opened: The theatre opened as the California Theatre on November 28, 1909. Jack Tillmany notes that there was no mention of the opening in the English language newspapers but it was covered in L'Italia. The 1915 photo of the theatre's entrance is from the Jack Tillmany collection. 

Seats: 800  

Architect: Unknown.

An item Jack located in the Saturday November 27, 1909 issue of the paper L'Italia. The theatre was opening the next day. The paper didn't print on Sundays. 

A news story about the impending opening that appeared in the November 27 edition of L'Italia.  

 

It was renamed the Liberty August 6, 1910. Jack found this announcement of the name change appearing in that day's issue of L'Italia. 

 

"Moving Pictures and Vaudeville." The Liberty appears in this detail from page 44 of volume 1 of the 1913 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. That's Broadway across the top of the image, Stockton on the left and Pacific Ave. across the bottom. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this in the Library of Congress collection. This map shows 655 Broadway as the theatre's address.

It became known as the Allies Theatre in 1919 and in December of that year hosted an engagement of the Florence Grand Opera Company. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding this ad which appeared on December 17.  

In the next chapter, the theatre was called the Crescent from 1923 to 1925. Jack has the report:  

"In November 1919 the Crescent Theatre Corporation received its permit to operate from the State of California and immediately took over the Verdi across the street. Apparently they also took over the Allies Theatre as soon as the Florence Grand Opera Company departed and renamed it the Crescent. 

 

"They also took over the Rialto on Market Street and renamed it the Rivoli Opera House. We know about that. They faded away in 1926-1927, at which time Liberty quietly regained its identity; the Rivoli soon reopened as the Embassy, and the Verdi soldiered on." 

Harry Farros brings roadshow burlesque to the Liberty, promising "a troupe of no less than 69 people" and "a typically bohemian atmosphere, including murals imported from France." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding this article in the April 4, 1936 issue of the Examiner. Farros later had the Portola Theatre on Market which, during his tenure, was renamed the Farros Theatre. 

Jack notes that Farros might have been trying to attract customers with a new name during the 1939 Fair. He spotted the Liberty's address as Chez Broadway on a list of theatres from the "1939 Famous Guide to San Francisco and the World's Fair." 

Eddie Skolak took over the house in 1941 following the closure of the Capitol Theatre on Ellis St. where he had been running his burlesque shows. He rebranded the Liberty as the Liberty Follies. 

 

A July 1, 1941 story about elements of the shows that had been at the Capitol Theatre moving to the Liberty. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for his post about the Capitol for Ken's Movie Page on Facebook. Skolak later moved on to the President Theatre on McAllister St.

 

 

This rare photo of the Liberty dates from 1941. Thanks to Lily Castello for finding it on eBay for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Jack Tillmany comments:

"'What Price Decency?' was a poverty row pre-code film that played the lower half of the Fox in December 1933 (when the Fox was at its lowest ebb, grinding out garbage from the independent studios). It didn't surface again until around 1939 when it showed up at the Egyptian on Market St. and then in September 1941 at the Peerless on 3rd Street. The Liberty opened it 25 October 1941, which is the date of the photo."

A 40s ad for "French Burlesque" at the Liberty that appears on page 59 of Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco." It's also been seen on the Facebook page Lost San Francisco.

A 40s flyer from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "I suspect 'Half Way to Hell' was yet another re-titled re-appearance of the ever-popular 'Reefer Madness.' No information on 'Secrets of the Stork' but I doubt it's a Walt Disney True Life Adventure. How lurid can ad copy get? This was a flyer handed out at nearby watering holes, not a newspaper ad."

A 40s billboard for the Liberty Follies that greeted cable car passengers at the Northern Terminal of the Powell-Mason line. The photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection.

The view west on Broadway with the Liberty on the left and the Verdi (later renamed the World) on the right. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: 

"The year is 1946 and an aged Market Street Railway veteran is making one of its last trips to the Union Iron Works on Third Street on Muni's wartime #16 line. If you look very closely, on the same side of the street as the Verdi, you will see Bocce Ball Court. That's the old Broadway Theatre, which goes back to 1909."

 

A detail from the photo above. Jack notes it's the only street shot he's seen from the 40s days with the theatre running as the Liberty Burlesque.  

 

A 1948 ad. It was a "Big 3 Unit Show" but it was all on film. It's unknown when the Liberty dropped the stage shows. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it in the June 7 issue of the Chronicle.   

 

It was renamed the World Theatre in 1949. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting this story about the renovations that appeared in the February 24 issue of the Chronicle. 

"Foreign Pictures of Distinction." This ad appeared March 10, 1949.

 An April 7, 1949 ad. 

A July 22, 1949 ad. Thanks to Gerald DeLuca for the 1949 ads. He posted these and others on Cinema Treasures.
  
Closing: April 1953

Status: The theatre was demolished later in 1953. There's currently a motel on the site. The World name, vertical sign, and booking policy moved across the street to the venue that had been called the Verdi Theatre.  

A rendering for a proposed remodel in 1926. Gary Parks comments: "Interesting factoid about the Liberty: While its original facade was basic Beaux Arts--in the late Twenties, it was planned to get a facelift by Reid Bros, using the exact design and cast concrete ornament they'd already utilized in their from-scratch Golden State Theatre in Monterey. For this photo of their Golden State Theatre facade rendering a slip of paper was added at the bottom of the rendering with 'Proposed Facade Renovation--Liberty Theatre, Broadway, San Francisco' written on it. I'm assuming the idea never got beyond the initial presentation to the property owners."

More Information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller. 

The site Cinema Treasures has a page on the Liberty.

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