Also see: Warfield Theatre: interior views
Opened: May 13, 1922 as Loew's Warfield. It was originally going to be called Loew's State. It ended up getting named for San Francisco native David Warfield, a noted actor friend of Marcus Loew and an early investor in the Loew empire.
The photo of the crowd gathering for the opening is from the Jack Tillmany collection. On the marquee: "Loew's Warfield Theatre will open Saturday Eve. May 13th." A smaller version of the photo can be seen on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A photo of Warfield (born David Wohlfeld) from the Jack Tillmany collection. He was born in San Francisco November 28, 1866. Wikipedia has an article on Warfield.
Website: www.thewarfieldtheatre.com
Loew's company didn't operate the theatre themselves -- that was contracted out to local circuit Ackerman & Harris, his "western representatives." By March 1926 (and perhaps earlier) the ads said "Direction West Coast Theatres." West Coast was also running Loew's State in Los Angeles for Loew.
A September 9, 1921 article in Variety noted that the original intent was to call the new theatre Loew's State. It was "half through" at the time of the article. Loew was planning to build a new theatre called the Union Square. That plan was aborted and his nearby Hippodrome was was soon given that name.
Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for sharing this on the BAHT Facebook page.
Architect: G. Albert Lansburgh. It was a busy year for the guy -- he was
also doing the Golden Gate for the Orpheum circuit across the street at
the same time. And the Hillstreet (also for Orpheum) in Los Angeles.
The proscenium mural is by Albert Herter, who would do the murals for Lansburgh in 1928 at the Warner Theatre in Hollywood.
The theatre's floorplan from an article in the November 1922 issue of Architect & Engineer that profiled recent work by Lansburgh. The issue is on Internet Archive. That's Taylor St. at the bottom of the drawing.
Part of one of Lansburg's section drawings. It was used to decorate an invitation announcing the theatre's reopening as a dance club and concert venue in 1988. Thanks to Mike Howard for posting it on the Mabuhay Gardens - Fab Mab Facebook page.
Seating: 2,657 seats -- now advertised as 2,250 capacity. Harry Angus comments:
"The theatre was to have been much
larger and much grander. If you stand in the auditorium and look from
the stage to the back of the room you will see that it looks sort of
'chopped off' as opposed to most of the truly large theatres of that
era. It was chopped off. There was a dispute over the parcel of land
they were planning to use which lay just behind the auditorium and was
to have been the 'back half' of the theatre. They were unable to obtain
this land and had no other recourse but to build on what they had which
meant it had far fewer seats than originally planned for."
Pipe organ: It was a 3/18 Moller Opus 3141. The reported cost was $9,000.
As with other Loew houses, the initial format was films plus vaudeville. When Fox West Coast took over the operation from Ackerman & Harris the vaudeville acts were replaced with Fanchon & Marco "Ideas." These lasted until 1929. An item in the July 6, 1929 issue of Motion Picture News noted:
"Leaving the Warfield are the Fanchon and Marco revues. The Warfield becomes an all-picture house."
The stage shows resurfaced occasionally in the 30s and had a burst of new energy in the 1940's with big bands appearing. Performers at the theatre included Louis Armstrong and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Fred Astaire appeared at the Warfield in
1952.
In the 60s and early 70s, National General Corp., the successor to Fox West Coast, had its district offices in the building. The building was occasionally used for concerts in the 60s, including Jefferson Airplane in 1967. BART construction began in July, 1967. That and a city Market St.
"beautification" program meant the loss of the theatre's original
marquee and vertical in 1972. Mann acquired the circuit in 1973 and also maintained offices in the building.
Mike Thomas discusses his time running the Warfield:
"On 8/1/78 I signed a 10 year sub-lease with Ted Mann at offices of Mann Theatres in L.A. The property was leased by Mann at that time (like other Fox West Coast/National General venues which Mann acquired). The owner was a Hong Kong investment firm.
"8/15/78: The theatre was in great shape and I was able to score the 70mm move-over engagement from the Coronet of 'Star Wars' to open with. Many others wanted it but I offered Fox a 70mm presentation. All offers were subject to Lucasfilm’s approval but 70mm had the advantage. I knew I could get Mann’s 70mm projectors from the Fox Parkside. They were easy to fit in the roomy booth. Initially business was strong and the presentation was excellent. Lucasfilm passed word to us that they thought it was the 2nd best presentation anywhere.
"But being Market Street, the run slowed down quickly and I believe we played it just three weeks. I booked whatever I could get short-term but was panicked for lack of an suitable Xmas attraction. I even made a wild, reckless guarantee bid for 'The Wiz' which should have gotten me the picture except Universal had already decided to sell it to the Northpoint. I had thought how could it miss? Catastrophe avoided! I was in a no-win situation. The Warfield/Crest rent was bad enough but the union overhead (janitors, stagehands, operators) was killing us. For my Christmas booking all I could get was the flop 'Force 10 From Navarone' from AIP.
"In 1979 to attract attention for this beautiful showplace I struck up a partnership with friend and local publicist Phil Sinclair, who had many contacts with legendary old Hollywood stars and we started an in-person tribute series which drew everyone from society types to cinephile fans: Lana Turner, Joan Fontaine, Alice Faye, Ann Sothern, Sophia Loren and penultimately, Mae West along with the premiere of her disastrous 'Sextette,' which played great that night but drew next to no customers beginning the next day without Miss West's appearance.
"Summer 1979: Disaster was looming. We were staying in business only through the cashflow of 'Rocky Horror' at its peak down at the Strand. Something had to be done. I brought in revenue leasing out nights to a local rock promoter Morning Sun. But their competitor Bill Graham had more booking power and they dropped out. So I did the obvious and approached Bill Graham Presents. Bill was only interested if he owned the lease so I renegotiated it so that Mann was out of the picture, and sold the new lease to BGP and was able to pay off my accumulated debts. What a rollercoaster.
"I can’t find anything to mark the end of first-run movies there but I would guess around 8/1/79. 'Phantasm' (our last hit) was 6/1/79. Later we had Lana Turner’s very successful tribute on 11/5/79. I kept the low-overhead Crest next door running for a few years afterward first as the Egyptian and then the Electric with calendar repertory and some first runs."
Thanks, Mike!
A 1980 poster designed by Dennis Larkins and Peter Barsotti for a three week run of shows by the Grateful Dead that ran from September 25 until October 14. Thanks to Kevin Walsh for spotting the Facebook post of the image by Professor Poster.
Later history: In 1988 the main floor
seating was removed and terraces were installed. There was a short-lived attempt to brand the venue as a dance club called Downtown while also operating it as a concert operation still called the Warfield. The balcony still has
theatre seats. Following Bill Graham's death in 1991 and the dissolution of Bill Graham Presents, the Warfield ended up as an operation of Live Nation. In 2005 the building was acquired by Atlanta real estate investor David Addington. He sold it to Group I, a Taiwanese investment company in April 2012.
Status: It's a concert venue. Goldenvoice/AEG has been the operator since 2008. They gave the venue a four month long refurbishment when they got the lease.
An October 11, 1920 photo of early work on the site of the Warfield. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He says: "Note the signage on the Turk Street end of Maio-Bio!" That's the theatre later known (among many other names) as the Crest.
An April 11, 1921 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A construction view that appeared in the November 1921 issue of Exhibitors Trade Review. Note the construction fencing. At the time it was going to be called the State Theatre. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the item from his collection.
Jack comments: "And, of course, there's the poor little Maio next door trying to maintain business as usual..." He also calls our attention to the banner for "4 Horsemen," playing at the Curran. This would have been the theatre on Ellis St. that had opened as the Cort. The current Curran on Geary St. didn't open until 1922.
Gary Parks comments: "I wonder what the lightbulb 'BB' letters near the top stand for? The construction company, perhaps? Note that the curved steel structure of the marquee is evident, just over the construction barrier."
An early May view with "Loew's Warfield Theatre Will Open Soon" on the marquee. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for this version of the photo. It's in the collection of the San Francisco Public Library. A smaller version can be seen on their website.
Loew was, of course, coming in for the opening. Thanks to Jason Vanderhill for locating the article.
The Chronicle gave the new theatre a big spread in their May 7, 1922 issue. They comment: "...G. Albert Lansburgh was the architect for the new house, and he deserves not only praise for constructing a splendid theater, but for the fact he has evolved an entirely different plan in every way from the recently opened Golden Gate theater, of which he was also the designer.
"Symphony in Tones. One is struck on entering the Warfield by its width and the symphony of tones in which it is decorated, culminating in Albert Herter's supermural over the proscenium arch. This represents a group of Spanish dancers floating through the air, the crimson, orange and black of their dress against a ground of magnificent blue, flaming into fiery color and attracting the eye at once.
"The mural decoration carries out the general design of the house, that of a fan. From the painting spreading panels extend to the walls, narrow where they join the mural, and widening as their rays reach out, each ending in a sunken circle which will be lighted and in each of which there is a sunburst in metallic colors. The general color scheme of the house is soft, warm grays, the draperies of the stage being in tones of this color, the seats, the carpets and the accessories....The seating capacity is 3004. It is the 300th theater to be built or managed by Marcus Loew, and will be the last for some time...." Thanks to our Jason Vanderhill for locating the page. It can be seen on the site Newspapers.com.
A shot of Loew and his new theatre from the May 12, 1922 issue of the Chronicle. That day they ran eight pages about the Warfield. Thanks to Jason Vanderhill for posting them on the BAHT Facebook page. They're reproduced down at the bottom of this page.
The opening day ad on page 9 of the May 13 Chronicle. A story on the same page announced "All Ready For Big Warfield Theater Fete." The page is on Newsbank.
A detail from the opening day photo at the top of the page. It's from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A look at the crowds for the May 13 opening. It's a photo in the Jack Tillmany collection. He calls our attention to the dual verticals of the Pantages cross the street.
A galaxy of movie stars gathered at City Hall on May 13 for a photo to celebrate the
theatre's dedication. Thanks to Glenn Koch for sharing this from his
collection. It was a post on his Vintage San Francisco Facebook page.
Another City Hall shot taken on May 13. Pictured are Bebe Daniels, Clara Kimball Young, Viola Dana (star of the opening film) and many others. The photo appeared in the July 1, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Trade Review. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the finding the article for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
"Loew Opens Last Theatre In World's Greatest Chain." It's an article from the May 27, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for posting the article on the BAHT Facebook page.
A look west on Market at the new Warfield Building. It's from a spread on the new theatre that appeared in the June 24, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Herald. The full page had several interior views as well. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the piece for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Note that when the photo was taken the theatre hadn't yet added a readerboard above the marquee and they were still working on that roof sign.
"Many Distinct Features in Newest Loew Playhouse At San Francisco." It's an article in the June 24, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the post on the BAHT Facebook page. find.
"Many Distinct Features in Newest Loew Playhouse At San Francisco." It's an article in the June 24, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the post on the BAHT Facebook page. find.
The Golden Gate, the Warfield and the Hillstreet (in Los Angeles), three recent theatres designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, were featured in a collage in the August 18, 1922 issue of Variety. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for posting the article on the BAHT Facebook page.
The theatre's entrance in 1922. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The photo made an appearance in the November 1922 issue of Architect & Engineer.
A 1922 corner view with the Warfield running "The Face Between" with Bert Lytell, Andrée Tourneur and Sylvia Breamer. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. A smaller version is on the San Francisco Public Library website. Note the completed roof sign and the added readerboard above the marquee, work done soon after the opening.
The film was an April release. Jack comments: "'The Face Between' played the Warfield the first week of August 1922. It's listed BELOW the stage show which consisted of Phil Adams and Girls and '4 Other Vaudeville Offerings 4' so my gut feeling is that it had opened somewhere (maybe L.A.; it was never reviewed in the NY Times), bombed and spent the next couple months in search of open weeks at susceptible locations."
The theatre's entrance in 1922. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The photo made an appearance in the November 1922 issue of Architect & Engineer.
A 1922 corner view with the Warfield running "The Face Between" with Bert Lytell, Andrée Tourneur and Sylvia Breamer. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. A smaller version is on the San Francisco Public Library website. Note the completed roof sign and the added readerboard above the marquee, work done soon after the opening.
The film was an April release. Jack comments: "'The Face Between' played the Warfield the first week of August 1922. It's listed BELOW the stage show which consisted of Phil Adams and Girls and '4 Other Vaudeville Offerings 4' so my gut feeling is that it had opened somewhere (maybe L.A.; it was never reviewed in the NY Times), bombed and spent the next couple months in search of open weeks at susceptible locations."
A mid 1922 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. A version of it appeared in the November 1922 issue of Architect & Engineer. Marquee is advertising Loew's Vaudeville and Photoplays. The name of the feature film on the readerboard above the marquee is unreadable.
The theatre running "The Five Dollar Baby," a film with Viola Dana released in June 1922. It didn't open at the Warfield until the last week of September. Also on the bill was a Buster Keaton comedy. Note that the readerboard atop the marquee has sprouted a "Loew's Warfield" addition on the top. Thanks to Harry Angus for the photo, added as a comment to a 1948 Market St. photo posted on the BAHT Facebook page.
The cover of the program in September 1922 for "Broadway Rose" with Mae Murray. Thanks to Rick Bellamy for sharing this from his collection as a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A postcard view of a roof sign on the south side of the street advertising "Prisoner of Zenda," a September 1922 release. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.
A November 1922 photo taken during the run of "If I Were Queen." Thanks to Woody Wise for sharing this on his All Movie Theatres Facebook page. It was a find of Mike Nemeth. We're looking east on Market. Note the ornate canopy of the Maio Biograph next door.
A November 1922 photo taken during the run of "If I Were Queen." Thanks to Woody Wise for sharing this on his All Movie Theatres Facebook page. It was a find of Mike Nemeth. We're looking east on Market. Note the ornate canopy of the Maio Biograph next door.
Jack Tillmany notes that the film was the theatre's Thanksgiving attraction. Note the copy for George Lipschultz on the far side of the marquee. Jack comments: "Apparently, Lipschultz's Music Masters were the Warfield's house orchestra the first couple years -- their names are featured on the marquee as early as November 1922. 'If I Were Queen' is obviously the feature attraction. But what's 'Mud and Sand'?
"In the 1920s, comedian Stan Laurel (before he teamed up with Oliver Hardy) did a series of 2-reel shorts parodying the big successful, and well known films of the era. Producers of the originals didn't seem to mind, maybe even got a kick out of them. 'Mud and Sand' is obviously a takeoff on 'Blood and Sand,' released earlier the same year, which starred Rudolph Valentino. Laurel's name in the film was Rhubarb Vaselino and even rates marquee mention! 95 years later, you can pick it up on DVD!"
A 20s photo of the Golden Gate and Warfield from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A lovely c.1922 postcard looking up Taylor St. (at the left) at the two newly completed theatre buildings. Note the early signage above the marquee on the Golden Gate. The marquee of the Crest can be seen a couple doors down beyond the Warfield. At the time it was called the Circle. Thanks to Marliese Thomas Gabrielson for the card on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.
Half of the Golden Gate is there, hiding behind that building in the lower left at Golden Gate Ave. and Market. Thanks to Bill Gabel for this c.1922 view looking east on Market toward the Warfield. He's got it on the Cinema Treasures page for the Warfield.
Half of the Golden Gate is there, hiding behind that building in the lower left at Golden Gate Ave. and Market. Thanks to Bill Gabel for this c.1922 view looking east on Market toward the Warfield. He's got it on the Cinema Treasures page for the Warfield.
An April 1923 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. Along with the Metro feature "Success" we got an Our Gang Comedy. Lipschultz and His Music Masters handled the duties in the pit. Jack notes that across the street, we get the Pantages, and just a sliver of the Strand/St. Francis playing Tom Mix in "For Big Stakes." On this side of the street we get a bit of the Maio Biograph marquee just beyond the Warfield. It's the theatre later known as the Crest.
The ballyhoo for Buster Keaton's "The Three Ages." The photos appeared in the September 29, 1923 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A June 9, 1925 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The Warfield is running "Soul Fire" with Richard Barthelmess. Across the street it's the St. Francis and Pantages. Jack comments: "Looks like rooftop signage is getting just a bit out of control!"
The third building this side of the St. Francis, the Eilers Music Building, housed the Empire Theatre, later called the Central. That should be it in the arch at the east storefront. The big retail space in the building later became a Walgreens. Here it's some sort of a store that appears to be called Lillian's. The building survives on Market St. and is now Blick Art Materials on the ground floor.
Greater Movie Season opens on Market Street in August 1927 with the premiere of Lon Chaney in "Mockery," a tale of the Russian Revolution. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "By this time, Walt Roesner led the orchestra; I believe that's him in the poster, in the tuxedo. You'll also find the photo, courtesy of Jack, on the San Francisco Public Library website.
Another August 1927 photo from Jack Tillmany. He comments: "Across the street, 'Beau Geste,' with Ronald Colman, released one year earlier as a roadshow, now at 'popular prices,' a common practice for important films." Note that Kress has moved into the Pantages building. It had been the Pantages until the circuit's new theatre, now the Orpheum, opened in 1926.
November 1928: "Al Jolson In Person!" "All Talking Features." It's a photo from Jack Tillmany. He comments: "This one's really interesting for a lot of reasons! Jolson's name in neon, for example, a very early use of neon! 'Napoleon's Barber' was one of Fox's earliest attempts at an all-talking feature, running only 4 reels, 32 minutes; 'The Bath Between' was a Fox comedy short, running 2 reels, 22 minutes; so the entire film program ran less than an hour, but the novelty of talking pictures made up for all the shortcomings and problems associated with the transition; both of them were recorded on Movietone Sound on Film, and are considered today to be lost films. And of course, there's the best image of the former Maio as the Circle Theatre that I've ever found!"
This bit about the Jolson engagement appeared in the February 23, 1929 issue of Exhibitors Herald World.
A January 1929 photo by the Morton-Waters Co. The Warfield is running "The Flying Feet" with Ramon Navarro. The photo, from the collection of SCRAP, appears on the Open SF History Project website. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it.
Gary Parks comments: "This Warfield photo is interesting. On the left, we have one of the original verticals—of which there were two, when the theatre opened. Farther away, over the marquee, we have a vertical of different design, which is clearly not the wider vertical which was its last, but it is not one of the originals either. It makes its first appearance in a 1925 photo. Good grief—what salad days for sign makers!"
March 28, 1930. Jack Tillmany comments about his photo: "Neon marquee letters are here! Basil Rathbone as Philo Vance in 'The Bishop Murder Case." You can still see it on TCM. It's great! Across the street, at the St. Francis: 'The Vagabond King.' All Talking! All Singing! All Technicolor! At the Marion Davies: John Boles in 'The Song of the West.' All Talking! All Singing! All Technicolor! That one was a Warner Bros. Vitaphone Production, sound on disc; not known to have survived."
"Never Anywhere Shown as on OUR GIGANTIC MAGNILIFE SCREEN." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding this December 25, 1930 Chronicle ad for the Howard Hughes production of "Hell's Angels." The Warfield installed Magnascope for the engagement. The process became popular in the mid-20s for some sequences in certain films when a larger image was desired. At certain moments, like a dramatic aerial dogfight, there would be a changeover to a projector with a shorter focal length lens suddenly giving a larger picture. It seemed to be coming at you as the top and side masking started opening.
Jack reports that Magnascope had been used earlier been at the Tivoli for "Old Ironsides" and "Wings." While Magnascope used regular 35mm film, there was also a flurry of interest in 1930 and 1931 for wide film such as Fox's 70mm Grandeur format, Warner's 65mm Vitascope, MGM's Realife, and other processes. Jack notes that MGM's "Billy the Kid" and Fox's "The Big Trail," both of which were filmed in both widescreen and standard versions, opened at the Fox and the Warfield in the standard 35mm versions.
A January 1931 view east from the Jack Tillmany collection. It was taken during a depression demonstration as Socialist workers marched up Market St. Jack comments: "Dorothy Mackaill in 'Once a Sinner' at the Warfield; note how the neon marquee letters don't show up in daytime unless they're lit. Across the street, at the St. Francis: Maurice Chevalier in 'Le Petit Cafe,' the French language version of 'Playboy of Paris;' at this time important Hollywood films with major players known worldwide were filmed in more than one language, for the benefit of international audiences. The St. Francis had a run of these identifying itself as the St. Francis Theatre International. You also get a peek at what's going on across the street at the Eilers/Empire/Walgreen site."
There's also a version of the photo on the website of the SF History Project from the Emiliano Echeverria/Randolph Brandt Collection.
"Play Girl" was at the Warfield in April 1932. This card from the Jack Tillmany collection would have appeared on the front of a streetcar.
An ad that appeared in the September 22, 1933 issue of the Chronicle.
The February 17, 1934 Preparedness Day parade. The Warfield had the words "Great" and "Follies" on the marquee and was running "Fashions of 1934" with William Powell and Bette Davis. Leo Carillo headlined the stage show. Next door at the Circle it was the February 1933 release "Hallelujah I'm a Bum" with Al Jolson and Madge Evans along with a comedy short and a Silly Symphony cartoon. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating this, as well as nine other photos of the parade, for a post for the San Francisco Remembered Facebook group. They're all from the UC Berkeley Bancroft Library collection.
A detail from another 1934 Preparedness Day photo in the UC collection. They were taken by C.B. Peterson for the Examiner.
The jazzed up marquee in 1934 with the theatre running "Baby, Take a Bow," a June release with Shirley Temple. The photo appeared with a 2011 SF Gate story by Peter Hartlaub "San Francisco movie theaters -- then and now."
The display in 1936 for the Howard Hawks film "Ceiling Zero" with James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. The shot was included in a 2018 auction on www.eMoviePoster.com that included many photos of theatre displays. Thanks to Gary Meyer for sending it along and Gary Parks for spotting this one as the Warfield. Gary comments: "No mistaking the terra cotta arch (still extant today) and the marquee soffit which lasted until the marquee-killing attack on Market St. by the Birkenstock and Macrame-loving politicians'-promoted Market St. Generification Project."
Jack Tillmany spotted the "Last Times Today" sign and determined that the photo was taken January 30, 1936. He adds: "'Ceiling Zero' was a popular stage play that WB bought the rights to and made into a popular film with James Cagney in 1935 and then updated the story to WWII and remade it in 1942 as 'International Squadron' with Ronald Reagan. 'Ceiling Zero' was re-released theatrically in 1956, at which time both versions were also sold to television; as late as the 1980s 'Ceiling Zero' graduated to the VHS era on early pre-recorded videotape (now very hard to find). But apparently legal issues, most likely having to do with story rights or something like that resulted in both versions being locked up and so they have never found their way to the DVD era nor have been aired on Turner Classic Movies, in whose library they now reside."
A card advertising "The Country Doctor" and "The Voice of Bugle Ann." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the image. He comments: "This is a typical advertising card that would have been posted on the front of a San Francisco streetcar, in this case promoting the Warfield's March 1936 double feature program."
A September 7, 1936 Labor Day Parade photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. Note a bit of the Golden Gate peeking into view.
A fine January 1937 view of the theatre's two vertical signs. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. Gary Parks comments: "Love how it’s in the rain. As I always say, only thing better than going to a downtown theatre is going to a downtown theatre in the rain."
A noirish 1937 look up Taylor St. from Market in the SFMTA Archives. On the right is the side marquee of the Warfield. The film that week was "The Emperor's Candlesticks," a July release with William Powell and Luise Rainier. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the shot for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
An August 1937 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. "The Good Earth" is at the Warfield. Jack comments that this side of the Warfield we see the Crest in its 1932-39 New Circle Theatre era. It became the Newsreel in 1939. At the St. Francis on the left it's "Wee Willie Winkie."
Gary Parks notes: "I have to smile at seeing the New Circle marquee, and how its west side must have hardly been looked at, except by people waiting to go in to the Warfield. One can see the Warfield fared little better, with 'The Good Earth' in neon letters, with two rows of metal blanks occupying the lower two rows."
An April 24, 1938 photo showing off the theatre's great use of changeable neon marquee letters during the run of "Test Pilot." Note a bit of the New Circle's marquee at the right. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
Gary Parks comments: "I can see a wonderful Deco painted frieze along the top of the entrance walls of the New Circle. I'll bet that's still there, over the dropped ceiling. Greg King told me about a lot of Deco artwork still being up there, between the present ceiling and the original Maio Bio ceiling."
A July 1938 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. At the Warfield it's "Three Blind Mice."
A detail from the previous photo giving us a closer look at the changeable neon letters.
A 1938 look west at the Warfield. That side of the building that would later advertise Cinemascope here says "There's more for your money in a Warfield show." Thanks to John Roarty for sending the photo to the Facebook page Lost San Francisco and Ernie Manzo Jr. for spotting it there.
A look east toward the Warfield from footage shot in March 1944. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for posting six screenshots on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. The five and a half minute segment, in a colorized version, can be seen as a post from Nass on YouTube. Ten minutes of the original footage is on Internet Archive as a post from A/V Geeks.
Also see nine minutes of May 1948 footage from the Prelinger Archives that was posted, in a colorized version, by Nass on YouTube. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting it and getting shots from it of the Fox, Guild, Embassy and Paramount theatres for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Jack Tillmany notes that the date is confirmed from seeing "Winter Meeting" at the Paramount and "High Wall" at the Guild. David Boyll notes that "Fort Apache" is seen on the Golden Gate marquee.
"Open All Night." A closer look at the marquee from the March 1944 footage. They were running "Cry 'Havoc'" with Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell. That's the St. Francis Theatre across the street.
"Whoopee in the Palace." It's an April 1945 look west with the Warfield running Otto Preminger's "A Royal Scandal" with Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Coburn and Anne Baxter. The co-feature was "Molly and Me" with Monty Woolley, Roddy McDowell and Gracie Fields. Thanks to Su Buchignani for sharing this photo, and other fine shots, in a 2023 post for the San Francisco Remembered Facebook group. She comments that they were taken by her late father when he was on leave.
At the Warfield: Danny Kaye in "Wonder Man," a musical that opened August 15, 1945. It's a September 3 Labor Day parade shot by George De Carvalho for the Chronicle. We also get a glimpse of the Newsreel Theatre (to become the Cinema in 1949, the Crest in 1958), this side of the Warfield and, down the street, the vertical for the Paramount. Right below us, at the St. Francis, it's Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in "Anchors Aweigh."
The photo appears (with a November 30, 1948 date applied) in Peter Hartlaub's September 12, 2015 SF Gate article "Our SF: The city's movie palaces make an unexpected comeback." The photo also appears (still with a 1948 date) in another 2015 Hartlaub story called "Time Machine: 10 historic screenings we'd like to visit."
A "Wonder Man" view without the parade. It's from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A George De Carvaho photo for the Chronicle taken in 1945 on VJ Day, September 2. At the Warfield: "Out of This World" and "The Cheaters." The photo appears with "'Peace riots' left a trail of death...," a 2015 SF Gate article by Gary Kamiya about the event.
A look at the theatre during a victory parade in 1945. "Rhapsody in Blue" is playing. Thanks to Rich Mintz for the photo, one he says came from his pal Blaine and was taken by Blaine's father. Rich added 4 views as comments to a photo of the Golden Gate on the BAHT Facebook page.
The glimpse we get of the side of the building reveals that by the time of the photo the Warfield only had one vertical sign. Presumably the one on Taylor St. came down for scrap as part of the war effort.
A 1945 "Rhapsody in Blue" photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "Just
in case there might be one or two RAIL FANS out there, that streetcar
is one of five 'Magic Carpet' cars built by the St. Louis Car Company
and purchased by Muni in 1939 @ $22,400 apiece. They were Muni's
prophecy of what locals could expect from Post-WWII public
transportation in SF and ran mostly on the L Taraval line. Now they're
considered 'historic.' Time marches on!" TJ Fisher notes that the film ran from September 19 until October 9.
Danny Kaye was back with "The Kid From Brooklyn," opening July 24, 1946. It's a photo from Jack Tillmany who notes that the movie was a remake of the 1936 Harold Lloyd film "The Milky Way."
An October 1, 1946 look east toward the Warfield -- with a bit of the Golden Gate Theatre peeking over the top of the building on the left. The occasion was an American Legion parade. The photo appears with the Open SF History Project courtesy of a private collector.
An early January 1947 photo from Jack Tillmany. He comments: "'The Razor's Edge'; important enough for a silk banner AND the East Wall display! '1946 Sports in Review' at the Newsreel next door."
The look in mid-January 1947 for "Humoresque." It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo. He notes: "Just another typical eye-grabbing display by the Warfield Sign Team." Gary Parks adds: "Note the Skouras muralwork that covered over the mezzanine windows which used to look down on the ticket lobby."
Danny Kaye was back with "The Kid From Brooklyn," opening July 24, 1946. It's a photo from Jack Tillmany who notes that the movie was a remake of the 1936 Harold Lloyd film "The Milky Way."
An October 1, 1946 look east toward the Warfield -- with a bit of the Golden Gate Theatre peeking over the top of the building on the left. The occasion was an American Legion parade. The photo appears with the Open SF History Project courtesy of a private collector.
An early January 1947 photo from Jack Tillmany. He comments: "'The Razor's Edge'; important enough for a silk banner AND the East Wall display! '1946 Sports in Review' at the Newsreel next door."
The look in mid-January 1947 for "Humoresque." It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo. He notes: "Just another typical eye-grabbing display by the Warfield Sign Team." Gary Parks adds: "Note the Skouras muralwork that covered over the mezzanine windows which used to look down on the ticket lobby."
An
April 6, 1947 view of the Army Day parade. At the Warfield it was a reissue package of "The Sea
Hawk" and "The Sea Wolf." As the banner says: "2 Giant Hits - 6 Mighty Stars." In "The Sea Hawk" (1940) it was Errol Flynn and Claude Rains. "The Sea Wolf" featured Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield and Barry Fitzgerald.
Down the street at the Esquire it was Abbott
and Costello in "Buck Privates Go Home." The St. Francis was running
"Odd Man Out." See a detail of the St. Francis Theatre taken from this image. Thanks to Art Siegel for
spotting this one on the site California Revealed. It's from the collection of the Labor Archives and Research Center. A high resolution version of the image is on Internet Archive.
A streetcar at Onondaga and Alemany in April 1947. The billboard is advertising a re-release of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (1938) at the Warfield. It's a detail from a photo by Waldemar Sievers. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it on the Open SF History Project website.
"It Happened on 5th Avenue" opened June 13, 1947. It's a photo from the Jack Tilllmany collection. He notes: "This was an early attempt by Monogram to upgrade its product from B status to A status under the Allied Artists label. They didn't quite make it."
A March 15, 1948 photo taken by Joe Rosenthal for the Chronicle. At the Paramount it's "Adventures of Casanova." The Embassy is doing a revival of "Bride of Frankenstein." Thanks to Joel Villasenor for posting the photo on the Paramount Cinema Treasures page. It's also been seen on the Facebook pages Lost San Francisco and San Francisco Remembered.
In the photo note that we are still running streetcars on four tracks down Market. Later in March the work would begin on replacing the worn out rails of the center two tracks. Then the outer two tracks would be eliminated. The four track system was once operated by two competing entities, Muni and the Market St. Railway. The latter got absorbed into the Muni system.
Laying new track in front of the Warfield in March 1948. On the front of the marquee: "A Fox West Coast Theatre - The Place To Go." Although it's being operated by Fox we still have "Loew's" in neon on the front. As a bonus we get a nice look at the Paramount's vertical down the street. It's a Chronicle photo appearing with Bob Branagan's November 2016 SF Gate story "Post-war San Francisco under construction - from unseen Chronicle archives."
The Warfield was running MGM's "Three Daring Daughters," a Technicolor musical with Jeanette MacDonald, Jose Iturbi and Jane Powell that was released March 2. The title we see under the marquee, "Rocky," was a January 1948 B picture from Monogram serving as a very secondary second feature. It starred Roddy McDowall and Edgar Barrier.
"Sitting Pretty" opened at the Warfield March 19, 1948 and was released nationally in April. The co-feature was "The Tender Years" starring Joe E. Brown. It's a Tom Gray photo from Jack Tillmany that can also be seen in the SFMTA Photo Archive. The photo, without Jack's collection of ticket stubs, also appears on the Warfield page of the Jerry Garcia fan site "Jerry's Brokendown Palaces."
A March 29, 1948 "Sitting Pretty" shot by Marshall Moxom that's in the SFMTA Photo Archive. Also see another slightly closer shot the same day. And there are more Warfield shots in their collection.
An October 1948 Portola Festival parade view with the Navy passing the Warfield. They're running a re-release of 1939's "Intermezzo: A Love Story" with Ingrid Bergman and Leslie Howard. The second feature is "It Happened Tomorrow," an April 1944 release with Dick Powell and Linda Darnell. The photo appears on the Open SF History Project.
The September 22, 1949 premiere for "The Red Danube." It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. At the time, the Warfield's next door neighbor was called the Newsreel Theatre. That's Turk St. running along the top edge of the photo. There's a smaller version of the photo on the San Francisco Public Library website.
He comments: "The Warfield's booking was its world premiere. On the first day, doors did not open until 5 pm, and quite a lineup of important MGM stars and VIPs were scheduled to appear in person, hence the lineup of eager customers."
The signage for "The Red Danube" in September 1949. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo from his collection.
The bright lights of Market, including the Warfield vertical, appear in a 37 second c.1949 Chronicle promo for Herb Caen that Jack Tillmany has on YouTube.
A 1949 view east appearing on the Open SF History Project site courtesy of a private collector.
Jack Tillmany notes that the film at the Warfield is "That Midnight
Kiss" (the film that introduced Mario Lanza) which opened November 4
and played 2 weeks. Thanks to Matt Spero for work on the color.
Several of the western-attired staff out front chasing the bad guys away during the May 1950 run of "Annie Get Your Gun." It's a photo by Cardinal Photos that's in the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments that Cardinal (995 Market St. Room 1608, GRaystone 4-1172) appears to have been the official Warfield photographers during this period.
Several of the western-attired staff out front chasing the bad guys away during the May 1950 run of "Annie Get Your Gun." It's a photo by Cardinal Photos that's in the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments that Cardinal (995 Market St. Room 1608, GRaystone 4-1172) appears to have been the official Warfield photographers during this period.
A 1950s Loew's promotional piece from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "The reason the staff members are dressed Western is because that's
their getup for 'Annie Get Your Gun' which opened there 2 May 1950."
The last week of September 1951 with "American in Paris" playing and a teaser wall sign for the November engagement of "Quo Vadis." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo. Gary Parks comments: "This shot is now memorialized in photo mural form in one of the elevator lobbies of 1075 Market St. on the site of Grauman's Imperial."
A fine look at the Warfield's marquee with "Loew's" splashed across the top. It was February 1952 with Gable in "Across the Wide Missouri" plus a Technicolor cartoon. It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo that appears on the Warfield's Cinema Tour page. Jack comments: "It was filmed in 1950, but did not turn out well, so was held back for re-editing, and finally released nationally in October 1951. In San Francisco it was pre-empted at the Warfield by 'American in Paris,' and was delayed until February 1952."
A Sunday March 9, 1952 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. At the Warfield it's opening day for Fred Astaire and Vera Ellen in "The Belle of New York." Across the street at the St. Francis (on the far right) we get a glimpse of their marquee with some sort of tent-like thing on top as ballyhoo for "The Greatest Show on Earth."
An April 12, 1952 look west from Turk St. with the Twin Peaks in the distance. The St. Francis is running "My Son John." On the right the signage on the Warfield Building is proclaiming the house the "Theatre of the Stars." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the photo on the Open SF History Project website.
"Gone With the Wind" was back in town in 1954. It's a photo from the Tom B'Hend and Preston Kaufmann collection at the AMPAS Margaret Herrick Library.
Jack Tillmany comments: "The last week of May 1954, Warfield premiered the Wide Screen (cropped 1.75:1), (simulated) stereo re-release of 'Gone with the Wind.' Despite impossible scheduling, (10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm), crowds turned out for it. By the 4th week, an overdue, more sensible schedule (9 am, 1 pm, 5 pm, 9 pm) was finally put into effect."
The theatre building's east wall sported a sign in the early 50s advertising Cinemascope. Here we see it advertising "Brigadoon" as a coming attraction as we look west on Market. We also get a look at the other great vertical signs for the Telenews, Esquire, St. Francis, United Artists, Embassy and Paramount. One version of the photo is on the Cinema Treasures page for the Telenews, a post by Ron Merk. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for sharing the version seen here on the BAHT Facebook page. It was a post from John Bisceglie on the page San Francisco Remembered.
Jack Tillmany comments: "One of the BEST! Last week of August 1954. 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' in CinemaScope at the Warfield; 'Brigadoon' coming up in October 1954."
A 1956 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes: "'Tea and Sympathy' opened 27 January 1956. By that time 'Unashamed' ('Filmed in a Calif. Nudist Camp') was in its 10th week at the Cinema. The Silver Rail two doors down was a bar, not a movie theatre."
An April 12, 1952 look west from Turk St. with the Twin Peaks in the distance. The St. Francis is running "My Son John." On the right the signage on the Warfield Building is proclaiming the house the "Theatre of the Stars." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the photo on the Open SF History Project website.
"Gone With the Wind" was back in town in 1954. It's a photo from the Tom B'Hend and Preston Kaufmann collection at the AMPAS Margaret Herrick Library.
Jack Tillmany comments: "The last week of May 1954, Warfield premiered the Wide Screen (cropped 1.75:1), (simulated) stereo re-release of 'Gone with the Wind.' Despite impossible scheduling, (10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm), crowds turned out for it. By the 4th week, an overdue, more sensible schedule (9 am, 1 pm, 5 pm, 9 pm) was finally put into effect."
The theatre building's east wall sported a sign in the early 50s advertising Cinemascope. Here we see it advertising "Brigadoon" as a coming attraction as we look west on Market. We also get a look at the other great vertical signs for the Telenews, Esquire, St. Francis, United Artists, Embassy and Paramount. One version of the photo is on the Cinema Treasures page for the Telenews, a post by Ron Merk. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for sharing the version seen here on the BAHT Facebook page. It was a post from John Bisceglie on the page San Francisco Remembered.
Jack Tillmany comments: "One of the BEST! Last week of August 1954. 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' in CinemaScope at the Warfield; 'Brigadoon' coming up in October 1954."
A 1956 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes: "'Tea and Sympathy' opened 27 January 1956. By that time 'Unashamed' ('Filmed in a Calif. Nudist Camp') was in its 10th week at the Cinema. The Silver Rail two doors down was a bar, not a movie theatre."
It's February 1956 with Lucy and Desi appearing on that "New Wide-Vision Screen" in "Forever, Darling." Thanks to Lily Castello for spotting the photo on eBay for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
Jack Tillmany did some work on the image and comments: "In 1954 the Warfield installed a CinemaScope sign over its readerboard, similar to the one at the Fox. But, as it turned out, many of the MGM films it played, including this one, 'Forever Darling,' were not filmed in CinemaScope, and were intended for only 'Wide-Screen' projection, approximately in the 16:9 ratio of today's TV. So they had to re-do the sign, which Twentieth Century Fox (who still owned the CinemaScope trademark may have objected to), and which they eventually abandoned altogether, making this a very rare shot during this transitional period."
Thanks to John Rice for this c.1956 view looking east toward Golden Gate Ave. It's a bit of the Paramount marquee on the far left. The Esquire and Telenews are hiding down beyond the Warfield (here with Loew's signage). John has the photo on the Cinema Treasures page about the Regal.
What a terrific photo! It's an April 1957 look at the Warfield running "Designing Woman" with Lauren Bacall and Gregory Peck. Scott Cog has the photo on Flickr, a scan of a slide his parents took. The marquee we're standing under is that of the St. Francis, 965 Market St.
The Crest, here renamed the Cinema, got "Lucretia Borgia" and "Ecstasy." Jack Tillmany comments: "These were European films from the 1930s, made at a time when topless female exposure was no big deal in Europe, and hence found its way into countless films, but as late as the 1950s was still a no-no in USA films, so ticket buyers still turned out for vintage stuff such as this, just for a peek at the forbidden fruit."
Looking east toward the Warfield in an August 1957 photo appearing on the Open SF History Project website. At the Paramount it's "The Proud and Profane" with William Holden and Deborah Kerr. The Regal has "Guys and Dolls" with Brando and Sinatra.
A March 1958 view west on Market toward the Telenews, Esquire, Warfield and Granada/Paramount from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "This one's been around quite a bit -- it's one of my favorites. One of the rewards of getting old is being able to remember when Market Street looked like this!" Thanks to Matt Spero for work on the color.
The Warfield running "Never So Few," a film that opened the first week of January 1960. And we get a peek at the Crest beyond. It's a photo by street photographer Joseph Selle. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sending it along. For more about the strange career of this photographer and his business Fox Movie Flash, see the page on the website of Andrew Eskind about the collection of his photos. Jack also recommends checking out a Chronicle article on Selle.
An early 60s shot by Joseph Selle. We've got a "Big 3 Unit Show" at the Crest and "Two Big Hits" at the Warfield. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo.
A look at colorful Market St. in mid-July 1962 -- before all the marquees got chopped off. Beyond the Warfield we get a look at the Crest, 980 Market, here as a triple feature grind house. Across the street it's the St. Francis, 965 Market, running "Advise and Consent." Thanks to Rob Adams for the fine photo on San Francisco Remembered.
An October 1962 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes: "Muni resurrects Car #1 and restores it for their 50th Anniversary Festival. Line A was their first line, running out Geary Street, so it wore the A Insignia wherever it went, even though the tracks on Geary were long gone."
A 1963 shot with the Warfield running reissues of the 1951 films "The Great Caruso" and "Show Boat." Over at the St. Francis they have "Diamond Head," a February release with Charlton Heston and Yvette Mimieux. Thanks to Richard Thurbin for spotting the photo on Shorpy for a post on San Francisco Remembered. And thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting the post.
It's March 25, 1964 with "Muscle Beach Party" opening at the Warfield in its world premiere. Thanks to David Stallworth for posting the photo on San Francisco Remembered. It's from the Adoring Annette Funicello Facebook page.
There was trouble during the run of the film at the Warfield both inside the theatre and on the street. A sanitized version of the events was noted in an article "Two Riot Calls on Market Street" appearing on page 26 in the March 30, 1964 edition of the Chronicle. It's on Newsbank. Jack Tillmany notes: "Similar 'incidents' occurred in Oakland at the Fox Oakland. The Chronicle's shifting the blame to the movie ('...all because of a movie ... It could not be immediately determined how [it] started.' ) is typical whitewash. It marked the beginning of the end of patronage of the Market Street and Downtown Oakland venues, and the ultimate closure of many of them."
A 1964 look west toward the theatre -- with the edge of the marquee of the St. Francis over on the left and the Granada/Paramount down the street. Note the Fox signage instead of Loew's. It's a photo on the Open SF History Project site, courtesy of a private collector.
The
theatre and its neighbor the Crest in 1964. It's an Alan J. Canterbury
photo in the collection of the San Francisco Public Library. Jack Tillmany comments: "May
1964 to be exact; about 6 weeks after 'Muscle Beach Party.' Once the Fox
closed, the Warfield was the lucky venue to benefit from these AIP
Classics."
A civil rights protest during the 1964 Republican National Convention while the theatre was running "The Carpetbaggers." The July release starred George Peppard, Alan Ladd and Elizabeth Ashley. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for grabbing the shot for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes that it's from the Rick Prelinger compilation "Lost Landscapes 2022 - Bay and Gateway: Past Glimpses and Possible Futures," available on Internet Archive.
"Peyton Place" and "Return to Peyton Place" running in January 1965. It's a Tom Gray photo from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
A March 1965 run of "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte." It's a Tom Gray photo from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
"Peyton Place" and "Return to Peyton Place" running in January 1965. It's a Tom Gray photo from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
A March 1965 run of "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte." It's a Tom Gray photo from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
A look at the Warfield and Crest marquees from "San Francisco Market Street 1960s," three minutes of footage on YouTube from San Francisco Neon. A watermarked version is on the Getty Images site. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the screenshot and locating the footage for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Jack
Tillmany notes that "Gambit" at the Warfield and "Return of the 7" plus
"The War Lord" at the Crest puts this footage in the last week of
December 1966. The Regal is in the distance on the left.
A c.1966 view west from the Sean Ault collection with the Warfield and Crest hiding behind the streetcar. Thanks, Sean!
"Hombre" at the Warfield in May 1967. It's a Tom Gray photo from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
A view west in 1967 with "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" playing the Warfield. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection. TJ Fisher notes that the film opened August 23 for a three week run.
Another 1967 "St. Valentine's" shot. Thanks to the Facebook page All Movie Theatres for locating this one.
"Valley of the Dolls" at the Warfield and "Wait Until Dark" across the street at the St. Francis. Both were December 1967 releases. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection.
It's summer 1970 with the Warfield running "The Last Escape" with Stuart Whitman and John Collin along with "Hell Boats" starring James Franciscus and Elizabeth Shepherd. Next door the Crest had "The Tale of the Dean's Wife" and "Hot Blooded Woman." Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection. TJ Fisher notes that this program played the Warfield June 3 to 9.
Well, OK, we only get a little bit of the Warfield's marquee in this 1971 look east on Market by David Pirmann of nycsubway.org. That Kress store down there is the pre-1926 Pantages building. Thanks to Lily Castello for sharing the photo on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.
The last version of the theatre's original marquee is seen in this March 1972 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The mess in front of the theatre is some BART action. Thanks to Matt Spero for his terrific job of color correction.
Gary Parks comments: "And you'd think they couldn't have made the Warfield marquee more bland than what you see here, but they did...as in NO marquee. It's a shame that the abortion that has been on the theatre since the Market Street Generification Project raised its demon head has been on the theatre longer than any other sign incarnation the theatre had."
The marquee came off the building sometime between March and November 1972.
Blaxploitation takes over Market St. It's a November 1972 photo by Tom Gray that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.
In December 1972: "Trouble Man" and "Prime Cut" have moved over to the Crest. It's a Tom Gray photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1973 photo is featured in a July 2014 Peter Hartlaub article on SF Gate "Screens like old times: movie spectacles of the past." The article dates this as a photo taken in March but Eric Schaefer did the research and notes that this "Go Ape For a Day" program played on June 12.
Blackstone is at the Warfield in March 1982. Next door the Crest has become the Electric Theatre. It's a Tom Gray photo in Jack Tillmany's collection.
It's a Mark Ellinger photo that appears with his terrific Up From The Deep article on the architecture of the Mid-Market area.
The 2nd floor caryatids. Photo: Mark Ellinger - Up From the Deep - 2008
A wider view of the building. Photo: Mark Ellinger - Up From the Deep - 2008
A busy night looking west on Market St. in 2008. George Lopez was the opening show after Goldenvoice got the lease and gave the theatre a four month refurbishment. This view, credited to the Warfield Theatre, appeared on Soul of America, a now-vanished site about Black travel options.
A lovely detail of the plasterwork above the entrance doors. It's a 2012 Carol Highsmith photo from the Library of Congress collection.
A lovely detail of the plasterwork above the entrance doors. It's a 2012 Carol Highsmith photo from the Library of Congress collection.
The Warfield and the poor Crest. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015
The west side of the building. That's Turk St. in front of us. The mural, finished in 2013, is a work by Os Gemeos and Mark Bode. The site Public Art & Architecture has information about it. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015
The theatre's entrance in 2016. Thanks to Michael Blythe for the photo, one in an album of eleven posted on the BAHT Facebook page.
The big dig. It's a view west with the former Crest Theatre (now the Crazy Horse strip club) in the foreground and the Warfield beyond. Note the dome of the Golden Gate Theatre popping up in the center of the photo. Taylor St. is on the other side of the fencing at the far right. The new tower will occupy the whole block except for the Warfield Building and the former Crest. Photo: Gary Parks - 2018
A look west on Taylor St. at the stage end of the theatre. The loading door is under the first of the brick faux-arches. That's the office portion of the Warfield building on the right, with a quite different finish. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015
A corner view. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015
The west side of the building. That's Turk St. in front of us. The mural, finished in 2013, is a work by Os Gemeos and Mark Bode. The site Public Art & Architecture has information about it. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015
The theatre's entrance in 2016. Thanks to Michael Blythe for the photo, one in an album of eleven posted on the BAHT Facebook page.
The big dig. It's a view west with the former Crest Theatre (now the Crazy Horse strip club) in the foreground and the Warfield beyond. Note the dome of the Golden Gate Theatre popping up in the center of the photo. Taylor St. is on the other side of the fencing at the far right. The new tower will occupy the whole block except for the Warfield Building and the former Crest. Photo: Gary Parks - 2018
A view from Turk St. Photo: Gary Parks - 2018. See the Crest Theatre page for several more shots of the dig.
"Stay Safe Freaks." The facades of the Warfield and the former Crest in May 2021. Photo: Bill Counter
The Chronicle - May 7, 1922:
The Chronicle - May 12, 1922:
Thanks to Jason Vanderhill for posting these Chronicle pages on the BAHT Facebook page.
More information: Check out Jack Stevenson's "Land of a Thousand Balconies" for tales of Mike Thomas, Greg King and the theatres on Market St. Thanks to Gary Meyer for spotting it on Google Books.
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 bright lights of Market, including the Warfield vertical, appear in a
37 second c.1949 Chronicle promo for Herb Caen that Jack has
on YouTube.
See the pages about the theatre on Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour. Mark Ellinger has a fine article about the building on his Up From The Deep blog.
The Goldenvoice refurbishment project when they got the lease in 2008 was the subject of a September story that year on SF Gate.
For a fine walking tour checking out the situation on Market in 2023 see "every store is CLOSED on market st San Francisco," Metal Leo's 13 minute video on YouTube. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it.
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