San Francisco Theatres: The Fox Theatre: stage

A construction view looking out onto Polk St. showing the location of the stage lift, the horn lift and the pit lift. It's a photo from Preston Kaufmann's 1979 book "Fox, the Last Word..." appearing with Bob Foreman's Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'"

The horn lift at its full height of 17' above stage. Note the PA speakers above the proscenium. It's a 1929 photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. The Library has over a hundred Fox Theatre photos if you'd care to go browsing.

Rigging: The counterweight system was a Peter Clark installation operated at stage level off right.

Lifts: There were 4 screwjack units, designed and installed by Peter Clark: organ, orchestra pit, Movietone lift (aka the horn lift), and a stage lift.

PA speakers: An array was concealed behind the lambrequin above the proscenium opening.

Stage: The proscenium was 60' wide and 40' high.

Depth: Usable depth was about 33 feet. The back wall wasn't parallel to the proscenium.

Dimmerboard: It was by Westinghouse, located off right.

Organs: The main instrument, now at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, was a 4 manual, 36 rank ‘Crawford special’ Wurlitzer. The upper level of the north end of the lobby had a separate instrument, a 3 manual, 12 rank Moller organ.

Original screen size: 22' x 29'. There was also Magnascope capability.

Dressing rooms: There were various spaces in the basement and at stage level but most of the rooms were in an 8 story stack off left. There was elevator access.

Loading: In the back wall stage right.

Stage access from the auditorium: Via the doorway under the house right organ grille.

Another view of the horn lift, this time not up at full height. At the top of the image note a bit of the screen. It's a photo from Preston Kaufmann's book "Fox, the Last Word..." appearing with Bob Foreman's Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'" Thanks, Bob!

We get a peek off left in this photo that appeared in the August 3, 1929 Motion Picture News along with the article "Huge Auditorium for Sound Film and Allied Entertainment..." It's on Internet Archive.

Downstage we have a view of the 1st borderlight. Behind, with no screen yet installed, is the screen frame. Off left we get a peek at a vertical array of spots just upstage of the proscenium as well as the deck of the lighting bridge running upstage.

The stage lift is up at its upper position in this 1929 pre-opening photo from the San Francisco Examiner archives. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting it on eBay when it was for sale. Note the spotlights off left.

A look off to stage right. It's a photo from Preston Kaufmann's book "Fox, the Last Word...Story of the World's Finest Theatre" (Showcase Publications, 1979). Many thanks to Bob Foreman for reproducing this and other images for his terrific Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'" He has lots of data on PA systems, Movietone and stage lifts and more. Much of it is distilled from the Preston Kaufmann book plus there are also fine comparisons with the other big Fox houses.

The dimmerboard off right. Westinghouse put their label on it but a quick look tells you it was manufactured by Hub Electric. They also did the boards in the Foxes in Atlanta, St. Louis and Detroit. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. For more about similar boards, especially the one in Atlanta, see Bob Foreman's wonderful article "Secrets of Preset Pre-Selective Switchboards" on his Vintage Theatre Catalogs site.

On the extreme left are the pushbutton controls for the lifts. To their right are mic outlets. Just to the left of the dimmerboard is the dressing room call system.

"Painting with light in San Francisco." This Westinghouse ad appeared in the July 12, 1930 issue of Motion Picture News. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

A c.1962 photo by Larry Moon that's in the San Francisco Public Library collection. It's unknown who the guy is in the pit but the shot gives us a nice glimpse at the double row footlights.

A January 1963 view of a couple of cars in the pit and the organ lift up to "Top." It's a photo taken by Jack Tillmany that appears on the Cinema Tour page about the Fox.

The pit on March 30, 1963 during demolition. It's a San Francisco Public Library photo.

A main floor stage plan. It's a detail from Preston Kaufmann's book "Fox, the Last Word...Story of the World's Finest Theatre" appearing with Bob Foreman's Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'"

A stage basement plan. Again, it's a detail from a drawing from Preston Kaufmann's "Fox, the Last Word.." that appears with Bob Foreman's article. Bob has identified the service corridors in yellow and notes that actors making a crossover through the trap room would have to navigate around the machinery for the stage and horn lifts. See the full plan as well as four others on the page about support spaces.

In the trap room downstage right looking at the horn lift (aka Movietone lift) straight ahead and the stage lift upstage on the left. It's a photo from Preston Kaufmann's book "Fox, the Last Word..." appearing with Bob Foreman's Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'"

Looking across from upstage left in the trap room with the stage lift straight ahead. It's another photo from Preston Kaufmann's book "Fox, the Last Word..." appearing with Bob Foreman's Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'"

A section view of the stage. It's a detail from a drawing that's part of a six page spread on the structural engineering of the Fox that's in the January 1930 issue of Architect and Engineer. It's on Internet Archive. Also see the full drawing.

The rooms on that upper floor above the front of the auditorium (the 10th floor) seen in this section are, left to right, a battery room, a tryout room (screening room) and an office. There were also more offices, restrooms, a reception area and provision for a future broadcast studio, control room, and transmitter room. Access was via the backstage elevator. The floor below (the 9th floor) was a fan room.

A photo of the slave organ console from the collection of Steve J. Restivo. Thanks to Matías Antonio Bombal for posting it on the BAHT Facebook page. His comments:

"The Fox was home to two complete organs. Famous organist George Wright dubbed the giant Wurlitzer in the auditorium 'Ethel' and the lobby mezzanine Möller 'Mitzi.' The theatre actually had 3 organ consoles. At the time of the theatre's closure in 1963, Ethel's second console, or 'slave' console was lowered from its suspended storage back stage for removal from the theatre. This had been designed to be used on the occasion that two organists would simultaneously play the Wurlitzer in the auditorium, or, if the organist would ever be called on to play on the stage itself rather than on the organ console elevator in the orchestra pit.

"The second or slave console had fewer controls than the main console, but as may be seen in this rare photo, it was still quite substantial. The Wurlitzer and original main console are now installed in the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and 'Mitzi' is now in a residence in Davis, California. What became of this slave console? Where might it be today?"

San Francisco Theatres

The Fox Theatre: stage

No comments:

Post a Comment