The Alcazar Theatre

260 O'Farrell St. | map |

Opened: December 23, 1911 as the Alcazar Theatre. Or as, the Chronicle called it, the New New Alcazar. It was on the north side of the street between Powell and Mason. The October 1928 photo with Marjorie Rambeau in "Antonia" is one that was published in January 1951. The photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection and appears on the Cinema Tour page about the theatre. There's a smaller version of the photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. The news copy that went along with it in 1951: 

"The old Alcazar Theater on O'Farrell-st between Powell and Mason was the key house in Henry Duffy's chain of stock company theaters in the twenties. It is now the United Nations Theater, a movie house."

The first Alcazar, destroyed in 1906, had been at 116 O'Farrell St. A quickly built replacement opened in 1907 in the Fillmore district. It ended its days called the Uptown Theatre. This third Alcazar was a move back downtown where the future of the legit theatre business was. Belasco and Meyer were the initial operators. They had also operated the two previous Alcazars. 

Architects: Cunningham and Politeo

 

A big article about the theatre's imminent opening appeared on page 21 of the December 17, 1911 Chronicle. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding it via Newsbank. The article notes that while the Alcazar management was the first to build a new home after the 1906 earthquake, they were the last to return to a new theatre downtown.

 

 

The cover of the program for the theatre's initial attraction, the play "The Fourth Estate" by Joseph Medill Patterson and Harriet Ford. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this when it appeared on eBay. An inside page gives us the show title and date. There's another page that lists at least part of the cast.  

A program cover for the operetta "A Modern Eve" at the Alcazar in 1914. It's on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library. 

Seating: 1,145. It was a single balcony house.

A main floor seating chart appearing in the 1915 edition of the San Francisco Blue Book. Thanks to Glenn Koch for sharing this image from a copy of the book in his collection.

A balcony seating chart from the 1915 San Francisco Blue Book.

A cover for the 1922 program for "Scrambled Wives." It's on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.  Belasco and Mayer were still the operators.  

 

In the early 20s it was known as Wilkes' Alcazar. The Wilkes clan also operated the Vine St. Theatre in Hollywood, a venue now known as the Montalban Theatre. 

A 1922 program for the theatre under Wilkes management for "The Champion," a comedy by Thomas Louden and A. E. Thomas. It's on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.  

  

Another program cover from the Wilkes era. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it on eBay. 

A drawing for the new vertical in the mid-1920s. The 1911 sign had a different look. This second sign came down in the 40s when the theatre became a film house called the United Nations. The theatre never got a new vertical when it went back to the Alcazar name in the mid-1950s. They only used a banner. Thanks to Dan Fontes for sharing this as a comment on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes that the sign company was Blumfield Northern Lights Company, located at 965 Folsom St.

Later the theatre was run by the Henry Duffy circuit. He had legit playhouses up and down the coast including the Dufwin in Oakland (renamed the Roxie when it went to movies) and the President (later called the Globe) in downtown L.A. and the El Capitan in Hollywood. Richard Marshall was Duffy's manager at the Alcazar. 

One Duffy production in 1927 was the comedy "Pigs" that played in October.  See a program that Art Siegel located on eBay: "Pigs" program front | "Pigs" program rear

The cover for the 1931 program for "Topsy and Eva." It's on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library. 

The cover of the 1931 program for the Henry Duffy production of Ring Lardner's "Elmer The Great." It's on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.  

A 1932 program for the Henry Duffy presentation of Billie Burke in "The Marquise," a comedy by Noel Coward. It's on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.

 

It became a film house in the mid-1930s after the Duffy circuit fell on hard times. It was used by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project in 1936 and 1937. 

 

 

   

The cover of the program for the c.1937 Federal Theatre Project production of "Run, Little Chillun." 

 

 

The inside of the "Run, Little Chillun" program. 

 

Coming attractions from the FTP. Thanks to Kevin Walsh for sharing this on the BAHT Facebook page. 

 

 

By 1942 Sid Grauman was operating the theatre. His production "Sid Grauman's Highlights of 1943" opened December 25, 1942. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for spotting this handbill for the show when it surfaced on eBay. He's working on a book about Sid Grauman and also curates a superb website about Grauman's Chinese.  

 

 

The copy on the back of the "Highlights of 1943" handbill.  

 

 

A page from the program for "Highlights of 1943." Thanks, Kurt! 

Sid was the producer for the 1943 San Francisco engagement of "Born Happy" with Bill Robinson. It opened April 12. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for the shot of the cover of the program from his collection. Later Sid took the show to the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles for two weeks and, with other producers, it later played the Mayan and Orpheum theatres there.  

 

 

Sid Grauman turns the theatre over to Fox West Coast in 1943. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating the image for a post on Cinema Treasures. The caption: 

"A momentous night in 1943 for the Alcazar. A changing of the guards took place as the legendary Sid Grauman is on hand as the theatre goes from his organization to the Fox West Coast Theatre Circuit. Fox gets off to a strong start with 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' with performer Katin Paxinou (in the center) making a personal appearance."

Fox West Coast tried first run bookings but it segued into becoming a double feature second run house. 

 

Looking for usherettes at the Alcazar and Telenews in 1944. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for including this in a Facebook thread about the theatre on Ken's Movie Page. 

 

After a 1945 renovation by Fox West Coast it was called the United Nations Theatre, a venue open only to delegates and staff in San Francisco for the Peace Conference. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this April 28, 1945 article in the Examiner. Fay Reeder was managing the house.

 

A preview of "Diamond Horseshoe" with Betty Grable. It's a June 12, 1945 Examiner item located by Ken. 

 

 

 

Fox West Coast decides to stay with the United Nations name after the theatre is reopened as a public venue. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this item that appeared in the June 16 issue of the Examiner.

"Open to the Public - Starting Today!" It's a June 27, 1945 ad. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

 

A March 1947 ad in the Call-Bulletin for "The First 3-Hour Picture Since 'Gone With The Wind.'" Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad. 

 

A June 1948 ad for an English language version of "La Traviata." Thanks to Gerald DeLuca for locating this. It's unknown when Fox closed the theatre as a film house.

On July 8, 1952 it got the Alcazar name back and reopened as a legit house managed by Randolph Hale. Records were set with a long run of "The Anniversary Waltz." Stimulated by its success, top of the line stars in top of the line attractions became its trademark. Notable productions included "Marriage-Go-Round" with Claudette Colbert and Charles Boyer and "The Diary of Anne Frank" with Joseph Schildkraut.

Jack Tillmany notes that the venue had trouble with the Musicians' Union: 

"As I remember it, if they had a single musical show in the season, they had to hire pit musicians to play before the performance of each and every other show, even though it was not a musical. From the standpoint of a young member of the audience, it was a nice touch, but from the standpoint of economy, a waste of money, and strictly featherbedding on the part of the Union. And of course, any cost factor that got in the way of a show yielding a profit instead of a loss, was one more thorn in the side of its ultimate survival."

Closing: December 31, 1961 was the end. The touring production of "A Far Country" with Kim Stanley was the final show. Jack Tillmany comments: 

 

"After that time, there was the usual series of attempts at a reprieve, and efforts to save the theatre, but they all failed, and demolition began in February 1962 more or less the same time as the California/State, with the Fox announced in the Examiner as being next in line." 

 

The Handlery Hotel is now on the site.

 

Interior views:

This photo from the Jack Tillmany collection appears in his Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco." The page with the photo can be seen in the preview on Google Books. 

An ante-proscenium detail from the Jack Tillmany collection. The mural, by John McQuarrie, was discussed in the page 21 article in the December 17, 1911 Chronicle. They note: "It depicts a Spanish wedding just after California was admitted to the Union as a state, and the scene is laid presumably somewhere in the neighborhood of Monterey, where the cypresses grow." The article also contains a detailed description of many other areas of the house.

The rear of the auditorium with the original decorative treatment. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. 

The house in July 1945 after the Fox West Coast Skouras-style remodel. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "After having been renamed the United Nations and reopened to the public after having held the initial UN peace conferences there (as well as at the Opera House), the freshly Skoura-sized UN reverted to the grind policy of its former identity as the Alcazar which began in the 1930s when the introduction of sound motion pictures & the Great Depression ended its legitimate career (at least for the time being)."

Gary Parks comments: "The Skouras era mural seems to depict someone astride a lightning fast steed, if the flying hooves to the right of the chandelier are any indication."

A July 1945 sidewall shot from Jack Tillmany showing more of the Skouras re-do. Hey, don't those boxes look great? 

 

 

A 1961 publicity shot of Zero Mostel taken when he was appearing in a production of Eugene Ionesco's 1959 play "Rhinoceros." Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting the shot on eBay. 

A February 28, 1962 look onto the stage as demolition is beginning. It's a photo by Pat Petrishin for the San Francisco Examiner that appears on the Open SF History Project site.  Also see another similar view.

Looking toward stage right. It's a February 28, 1962 photo by Pat Petrishin for the San Francisco Examiner appearing on the Open SF History Project site.

A view into the house. It's a February 28, 1962 photo by Pat Petrishin for the San Francisco Examiner appearing on the Open SF History Project site.

More exterior views: 

We're on O'Farrell at Mason looking toward Market St. Note the big traffic jam --part of it is the cable cars on O'Farrell. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the 1910s vintage photo from his collection. A smaller version is on the San Francisco Public Library website.  

A 20s look west on O'Farrell toward Powell St. The Alcazar is down in the next block. In the foreground is the Union Square, a 1914 vintage house at 160 O'Farrell. Earlier it was known as the Gaiety and the Hippodrome. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo from his collection. The pre-quake Alcazar had been in this block where we see the Union Square. Both the pre-quake and the 1909 version of the Orpheum were across the street.

An October 1929 look at the theatre during the run of "Girl Trouble." It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo appearing on the Cinema Tour page about the Alcazar. There's also a version of the photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. 

A March 1930 photo looking west on O'Farrell. The theatre on the left with the signage saying Erlanger's Columbia is the rebranded 1909 Orpheum. Across the street is the Union Square Theatre with the Alcazar seen down in the next block. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo from his collection.

A summer 1944 view west with the Alcazar as a double feature bargain house running "Gaslight" and "Between Two Worlds." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the photo on the Open SF History Project website. 

It's May 1945 and they're putting the finishing touches on the theatre under its new name, the United Nations. Fox West Coast was the operator. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

A July 1945 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The "open to the public" bit on the marquee was due to the fact that the theatre had been closed for private peace conference events. Note the double feature grind policy, similar to what the house had been doing when it had become a film house in the 30s while still called the Alcazar. 

Another July 1945 photo from Jack Tillmany giving us a closer look at the entrance.

A March 13, 1947 shot of the opening of the first run engagement of "The Best Years of Our Lives." It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection appearing on Cinema Tour. A version of it is also on the San Francisco Public Library website.

The theatre never did well as a film house. Here, in this photo from the Jack Tillmany collection, it's 1952 and the place is available to buy or lease.

A 1955 view toward Mason St. with the theatre on the left in the next block. The Art Frisch / Chronicle photo appeared with Bob Bragman's November 2016 SF Gate story "Post-war San Francisco under construction - from unseen Chronicle archives." 

Another 1955 photo by Art Frisch for the Chronicle. Jack Tillmany notes that the work seen in these 1955 photos was the removal of cable car tracks, last used in 1954.

A facade view taken by an unknown photographer in September 1959. It's a photo appearing on the Open SF History Project site. 

Looking toward Market in September 1959. The photo by an unknown photographer is on the Open SF History Project site. 

Another September 1959 photo on the Open SF History Project site. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting these 1959 views on the site.

A 1961 photo by Barney Peterson for the Chronicle. Here it only has a couple more months to live. The photo appeared with a March 2016 article by Bob Bragman on SF Gate "A 100 year look at San Francisco marquees and theaters." 

 
An October 1961 photo taken by Jack Tillmany. He comments: "It was announced that the Alcazar was going to be closing soon, so I had to knock one off. Interesting that after it was renamed the Alcazar once again, and the United Nations signage removed, only that vertical cloth banner served as its exterior identification. 'Rhinoceros' opened a 3-week engagement at the Alcazar on Tuesday October 3rd and closed Saturday October 21." Thanks to Matt Spero for work on the photo's color. 

A December 1961 photo by an unknown photographer with "A Far Country," the theatre's last show, on the marquee. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it on the Open SF History Project website. The touring production opened December 18 and closed December 31.

The front of the marquee coming off. It's an Art Frisch photo taken for the Chronicle in February 1962. The photo appeared with the March 2016 article by Bob Bragman on SF Gate "A 100 year look at San Francisco marquees and theaters."  

Checking out the display cases as demolition begins. It's a February 28, 1962 photo by Pat Petrishin for the San Francisco Examiner appearing on the Open SF History Project site.

Guys on the marquee figuring what's next to come off. It's a February 28, 1962 photo by Pat Petrishin for the San Francisco Examiner appearing on the Open SF History Project site.  

Another early demo view. It's a February 28, 1962 photo by Pat Petrishin for the San Francisco Examiner appearing on the Open SF History Project site. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the demo photos on the site. 

The facade of the theatre crumbling in 1962. It's a photo from the San Francisco History Room at the San Francisco Public Library. It's not yet in their online collection. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for snapping a picture of it at the Library and posting it on the BAHT Facebook page. 

More Information: See the page on the 1st Alcazar Theatre at 116 O'Farrell St. The 2nd theatre with the name opened as the New Alcazar in 1907. That theatre, at Sutter and Steiner, ended up as the Uptown. The 4th Alcazar Theatre was in a building at 650 Geary St. that opened as a Shrine temple in 1917. 

Fred Beall wrote an article for the Theatre Historical Society on the four San Francisco Alcazars. It's down at the bottom of the page about the 1st Alcazar Theatre. Cinema Treasures has page about the theatre. Danni Bayles-Yeager's Performing Arts Archive site has a page on the Alcazars.

The BAHT Facebook page albums of Downtown Theatres Off-Market and Market St. Theatres have several hundred photos of other theatres in the neighborhood.

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.

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