San Francisco Theatres: The Oriental Theatre

1035-37 Grant Ave. | map |

Opened: 1909 or a bit earlier. It was on the west side of the street between Jackson and Pacific. We get a look at the theatre in this ad for Wurlitzer Automatic Musical Instruments located by Jack Tillmany. The caption:

"The Plan-Orchestra forms an ornamental centerpiece in the vestibule. In this location it attracts passers-by and then entertains them after they come in; the music being heard equally well both in and outside."

An item about the Oriental located by Art Siegel in the special three-page May 1, 1909 "High Class Moving-Picture Theatres" section of the San Francisco Bulletin.

"Only Chinese Vaudeville House In San Francisco." It's an ad from the October 17, 1909 issue of the Chronicle that was located by Art Siegel.

Jack notes that the Oriental appears in the October 1909 edition of the telephone directory. The city directories list it from 1910 to 1918. It's in the 1912 city directory as being at 1035 Grant. In some listings the address shows as 1037 Grant.

Attendees were treated to a lecture at the Oriental about TB that was enhanced by stereopticon illustrations. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this April 25, 1910 article in the San Francisco Recorder. Another mention of the event at the Oriental was carried in the April 25 Sacramento Daily Union in their article titled "Churches in War on Tuberculosis." It's on the California Digital Newspaper Collection website.

A barrel spinner onstage. The Oriental was one of several theatres discussed in Adriana Spadoni's article "Interview with a Nickelodeon Fiend" that appeared in the August 21, 1910 issue of the San Francisco Call. This shot appeared with the caption "11.15 P.M. The last turn at the Oriental Theater." The page appears on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection. The article also has photos of the Broadway Theatre, 618 Broadway.

Tong wars! The Oriental was largely filled with tourists and visitors in town for Admissions Day celebrations when a shooting occurred. The article appeared in the September 8, 1910 San Diego Union. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it via the CDNC site.

The San Francisco Call went on a big crusade in 1911 to alert the public to the dangers lurking in many of the city's Nickelodeons. The main September 4, 1911 Call article located by Art Siegel via the CNDC website was titled "DANGERS IN PICTURE SHOWS - Law Breaking Exposed to Prevent Tragedy." A section of their coverage that day dealt with a film fire at the Oriental:

"FLAMES CAUSE THEATER PANIC - Film Operator Burned and Several Patrons Injured in Mad Rush - Another case proving the necessity of compelling the nickelodeons to comply with the fire regulations, as urged by The Call, was demonstrated when the Oriental theater, in Grant-avenue between Pacific and Jackson streets, caught fire from an exploding film at 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The stampede of the 200 Chinese who were in the theater, accompanied by cries that resembled the confusion of tongues when the tower of Babel was destroyed, resulted in the injury of several of the spectators.

"Harry Wolf, the operator, was severely burned about the hands and head. Within a second after the explosion the frightened Chinese made a mad rush for the entrance. They fought each other in their wild terror to escape. Many children and women were trampled under feet, and it was only a miracle that;someone was not killed. As it was, many were badly bruised and cut.

"While the audience was fighting to gain the street, Wolf was throwing the blazing apparatus out of a window in the rear of the building. Although he succeeded in getting most of it out, the flames were not extinguished until the fire company arrived. A still alarm had been turned in and the chemical engine arrived a few minutes after the explosion.

"When the firemen gained an entrance the entire operating room was in flames and it was with difficulty that the theater was saved. Wolf was taken to the central emergency hospital, where it was found that he was suffering from second degree burns on the hands and face. He was removed to his home at O'Farrell and Taylor streets. The damage to the theater will amount to several hundred dollars and was covered by insurance."

A show at the Oriental promoted by the Six Companies to raising money for plague and famine relief for China in 1911. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this article in the March 6 issue of the Chronicle.

An undated photo, possibly taken at a 1911 famine relief event such as described in the article above. This was located via the Library of Congress website by Art Siegel. The easel to the right of the boxoffice advised "Special Attention Given to Tourists" and notes the 5 cent admission price as well as listing the showtimes.

It's from the American National Red Cross Collection and was evidently used by them in a 1919 promotion. As Art notes, the 1906 date in the caption taken from Red Cross materials is nonsensical:

"Earthquake, San Francisco. April 18, 1906. Entertainment in Chinatown under the auspices of the American Red Cross for benefit of Chinese First Aid."

"The Wurlitzer PianOrchestra in Oriental Theatre, San Francisco..." The Wurlitzer Company used the illustration at the top of the page again in this ad for the October 4, 1913 issue of Moving Picture World. It's on Internet Archive. Charmaine Zoe includes the photo in her Vintage Cinemas: California album on Flickr.

"Wurlitzer Instruments furnish better music than musicians and reduce expenses. 50 different styles; time payments; big catalog free. If you can't call, write to our nearest branch."

The Oriental appears with the designation "Motion Pictures" in this detail from page 44 of volume 1 of the 1913 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. That's Grant running up the right with the theatre shown at 1037-39. Pacific Ave. is across the top and Jackson St. at the bottom. Stockton is out of the frame, another half-block off to the left. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this in the Library of Congress collection. That big vacant lot mid-block would become the home of the Mandarin/Sun Sing Theatre in 1924.

Closing: The theatre ran at least until 1918. It's in the 1918 city directory with a 1037 Grant Ave. address.

Status: The brick building the Oriental was once in came down in 1953 and was replaced by a two-story concrete building. Thanks to Art Siegel for the research via city records. The 1035-37 address is currently the retail store New Look Fashions.

A c.1940 view south toward Jackson St. On the right is a sliver of the building that once housed the Oriental. The Mandarin/SunSing Theatre, 1021 Grant, is in the next building. It's a photo by an unknown photographer. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it in the Open SF History Project collection.The building on the far right had once housed the Oriental Theatre, 1035-37 Grant Ave.

A detail that Art extracted from the c.1940 image above.

A 40s view north with a bit of the Oriental's building seen on the right. It's a shot that appeared on the San Francisco City Guides Facebook page. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the post.

A c.1949 shot from the Open SF History Project. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it in the collection.

A detail that Art extracted from the c.1949 photo above. On the right it's the building that decades earlier had housed the Oriental Theatre.

A c.1953 view toward Pacific taken after the Oriental's former home had been demolished. Art Siegel notes that a new two-story concrete building went up on the site in 1953. Thanks to Ria Brodell for spotting this image on eBay. He included it as a comment to his post about the theatre on the BAHT Facebook page.