San Francisco Theatres: The Fox Theatre: exterior and demolition views

The Fox Theatre: exterior and demolition views

Market Street views:

The site as seen in a detail from a 1925 view by an unknown photographer appearing on the Open SF History Project website. Thanks to Art Siegel for extracting this image from the full shot. That's the Civic Auditorium beyond.

1927 - The November 14 groundbreaking. It's a shot from three minutes of Fox Movietone footage in the collection of the University of South Carolina. They note: "Ceremony participants include Amadeo Peter Giannini, Mayor James 'Sunny Jim' Rolph, Jr. and Howard Sheehan." Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting the footage.

1928 - Panning across the construction site on March 13. It's a shot from a minute and a half of Fox Movietone News footage in the collection of the University of South Carolina. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting it.

1928 - Steel erection beginning. It's a San Francisco Public Library photo. Michael Van Dyke included this one in a portfolio of Fox views on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. The Library has over a hundred Fox Theatre photos if you'd care to go browsing.

1928 - Thanks to Glenn Koch for sharing the Alta Studios advertising card from his collection. It was a post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. He comments: "Based on other construction photos this photo would had to have been taken sometime in late July or August of 1928." The stagehouse is on the left. The higher portion of the building is above the front of the auditorium containing fan rooms, a broadcast studio and a rehearsal room.

1928 - The stagehouse end of the building. It's a photo that was included in the six page spread on the structural engineering of the Fox (done by L.H. Nishkian) that's in the January 1930 issue of Architect and Engineer. It's on Internet Archive. On the right we're looking east on Market St.

1928 - The main balcony girder. It's a photo from the January 1930 issue of Architect and Engineer.

1928 - Another photo that was included in the January 1930 issue of Architect and Engineer.

1928 - A look at the building in November. It's a shot from two minutes of Fox Movietone News footage in the collection of the University of South Carolina. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting it.

1929 - Working on the top of the facade. It's a shot from three minutes of March 14 Fox Movietone footage in the collection of the University of South Carolina. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting it.

1929 - The falsework has been removed from the arch but work continues at the top of the facade. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1929 - A construction view. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the photo for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1929 - A Chronicle file photo taken before the theatre's opening by an unknown photographer. The opening film was to be "Behind That Curtain" with Warner Baxter and Lois Moran. The Fox Film production was partially shot in San Francisco. When discussing the opening, the Chronicle had commented that it was "a spectacle of such beauty and magnitude that it seemed rather a fancy of one’s mind rather than the inaugural night of another commercial enterprise."

The photo appeared with Peter Hartlaub's 2016 Chronicle article "Fox Theater's short path from spectacle to demolition." It's also in the album of ten photos with the SF Gate July 2014 article by Hartlaub titled "Screens like old times: movie spectacles of the past."

1929 - "Fox Theatre Greets You" on opening night, June 28. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. A smaller version appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.

1929 - Opening night as seen from across the street. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1929 - An opening night Gabriel Moulin photo. Theoriginal negative is now in the collection of Matías Antonio Bombal. Thanks to him for sharing it on a BAHT Facebook post. See his Facebook page about the documentary he's working on: FOX - The Last Word.

1929 - Another view of the first night. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1929 - A boxoffice view from the Richard Apple collection on the Fox Theatre website Historigraphics. Apple is the son of Robert Apple, the last manager of the Fox. In addition to many original black and white photos, the site showcases the hand-tinted versions by William Swain.

1929 - "All Talking!" It's the July opening of "Fox Movietone Follies of 1929." Note the changeable neon letters. And the billboard for "Broadway Melody" at the Loew's Warfield in the background -- a house at the time also operatedc by Fox West Coast. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the photo for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

The photo appeared in the September 14, 1929 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World. Their caption: "Here is a picture of the opening of "Fox Movietone Follies at the new Fox theatre, San Francisco. Special attention was given the marquee on which was placed on three sides special constructed neon signs."

1929 - A July view with the theatre running "Movietone Follies of 1929." There's been a bit of retouching to eliminate the surrounding buildings. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the photo on the Open SF History Project website. Here we can see the sign company's men at work on the billboard next to the entrance.

The photo also makes an appearance in Bennett Hall's superb 300+ photo San Francisco History album on Flickr. The image can also be seen as a post by Matías Antonio Bombal on FOX - The Last Word, the Facebook page about the documentary he's working on. He notes that it was a photo taken by Morton & Co. See a similar view with narrower cropping (and a different billboard) in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1929 - A "Movietone Follies" view in the collection of the California State Library. It's one of 9 photos in their set #01377872. The photo also appears in the December 1929 issue of Architect and Engineer, viewable on Internet Archive.

1929 - A detail from the California State Library photo.

1929 - The Fox running "The Single Standard" with Greta Garbo in July. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the photo from his collection. There's also a somewhat cropped version of it on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.

Jack comments: "This was a rare occasion of the Fox showing a silent film, at least one without dialogue. As is well known, Greta Garbo was one of the last major stars of the silent era to do a talking film, and this one was filmed without dialogue, but released with a synchronized musical track both sound-on-film and sound-on-disc, which ever the theatre was equipped for. The Fox could handle both. By 1929 standards sound-on-disc aka Vitaphone provided the superior sound over sound-on-film aka Movietone but was also more problematical to operate as we all know from 'Singin' in the Rain.' The Fox also showed several other MGM silent features during 1929, ending with 'The Kiss,' which was also Garbo's last silent film. They were all provided with pre-recorded musical accompaniment and sound effects."

1929 - Running "Our Modern Maidens," a September release with Joan Crawford and Rod La Rocque. Thanks to Donna Hill for sharing the photo from her collection. It was a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1929 - Another "Our Modern Maidens" shot. Note the guy up near the "X" on the vertical working on the neon trim. Thanks again to Donna Hill for sharing her photo. It was a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1929 - Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy appeared at the Fox the week of November 23 to 29. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding this photo that had appeared in the December 28, 1929 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World. It was a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

The photo's caption: "Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy starts of the comedy series of MGM that bears their name, were played up in the lights when they gave their stage act at the Fox theatre in San Francisco." Also see an item about the duo's "ripping act" they performed that week that appeared in the December 14, 1929 Exhibitors Herald-World.

1930 - A 20 hour show for the first anniversary celebration in June. On the screen it was Will Rogers in "So This Is London." It's a photo from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection appearing on the Open SF History Project website. Also see an article about the event that appeared in the August 2 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World.

1931 - A look west toward the Fox during some track repair on Market. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the photo in the SFMTA collection for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1931 - Another SFMTA photo. Thanks to Ernie Manzo Jr. for spotting it on the Market Street Railway Facebook page, a post by Gordon Priest.

1931 - A lovely SFMTA view looking east from the Oak / 11th St. intersection toward the stage end of the Fox. The stagehouse itself is a bit lower and out of sight. The high parts of the building we're seeing are the 9th and 10th floors above the front of the auditorium that housed fan rooms, a screening room, offices, and a proposed broadcast studio. The photo appears with many other Market St. photos on the blog San Francisco Pictures.

1932 - The "Home of Big Pictures" would close in the fall of 1932, reopening in 1933.

1933 - The April 1 reopening with "Should a Woman Tell?" and "Speed Demon," two less than stellar attractions. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes that the combo grossed $14,000 the first week and then went downhill fast when the public realized these weren't major studio releases. This was the beginning of several years of substandard double bills with Joe Leo, brother-in-law of William Fox, running the theatre. Fox West Coast took it back in 1936. Head to the history page for a reopening ad and the full story from Jack.

1937 - An August 1 view by an unknown photographer. The Fox is on the far left, running "Wee Willie Winkie" with Shirley Temple. On the right it's the San Francisco Merchandise Mart, a building that opened August 2, 1937 and much later would become the home of Twitter. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the image in the Open SF History Project collection. The site's caption notes that the building in the distance with the radio tower atop is the Hotel Whitcomb.

1937 - A detail extracted by Art from the "Wee Willie Winkie" shot. The co-feature was "Wild Money" with Edward Everett Horton and Louise Campbell. Note the sign for the theatre across the street.

1940 - The theatre running "The Mortal Storm" in June. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the photo by an unknown photographer. It's one he picked up on eBay. It was taken from the top of the Whitcomb Hotel. Yes, that's a gas station on the corner lot at Market and Hayes. The photo can now be seen on the Open SF History Project website.

1943 - "My Friend Flicka" running in May. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes that this is our last look at the theatre still using the original changeable neon marquee letters.

1943 - A parade passes by with the Fox running "Action in the North Atlantic," a June release with Humphrey Bogart and "Johnny Doughboy" with Jane Withers. It's a News Call-Bulletin photo that appeared June 23. It's now in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1943 - The Army Band is at the theatre to promote "This is the Army." It's a photo by Marron for the News Call-Bulletin that appeared August 19. It's now in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1944 - Looking east from 12th St. It's a San Francisco Public Library photo that appeared in one of the San Francisco papers April 15 with this copy: "This week tour-of-the-town takes us up Market-st to about 12th-st. The picture was taken looking toward the Ferry Building, which you should be able to see (if the printers don't put too much water in the ink). First skyscraper seen at the right is the Merchandise Mart. Below it is the Whitcomb Hotel. Across the street is the Fox Theater and then-well, you fellows can pick 'em out yourselves. Smack in front of the camera was the once awfully busy intersection of Van Ness-av and South Van Ness-av, but it certainly doesn't look crowded now."

1944 - "Janie" and "The Last Ride" running in September. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1945 - The bill was "Conflict" with Humphrey Bogart along with "Scared Stiff" with Jack Haley. It's a photo from the Examiner archives. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting it when it was for sale on eBay. There's a smaller version on the San Francisco Public Library website where they credit it to the News Call-Bulletin.

1945 - Looking west on Market with the Fox down there in the distance on the right. That's 8th St. on the left. Thanks to Anthony Chatham for posting the photo on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page, where a fine discussion ensued. Jim Molkenbuhr found the newspaper copy originally appearing with the photo when it appeared on December 28:

"DON'T DISEMBARK ON WRONG SIDE--Only alertness of the truck driver to the right saved this heedless young lady from being run down as she disembarked from her car out of the wrong door and right smack into the middle of traffic. At that, the driver of the second truck might run her down, too. Get out of autos right side only when they have stopped at a curb."

1946 - "Ziegfeld Follies" playing. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating the May trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.

1946 - "My Darling Clementine" playing in October. The premiere had been October 16. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo, shared on the BAHT Facebook page. The portion of the building on the left contained two floors of restrooms and lounges above the retail spaces. Kevin Walsh also has a copy of this one that had been in the Harre Demoro collection and he notes that it was taken by Waldemar Sievers.

1948 - A view from nine minutes of Prelinger Archives footage taken in May that was posted, in a colorized version, by Nass on YouTube. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting it and getting this shot from it as well as views of the Guild, Embassy and Paramount theatres for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Jack Tillmany notes that in the footage we see "Winter Meeting" playing at the Paramount and "High Wall" at the Guild. David Boyll spotted "Fort Apache" on the Golden Gate marquee.

1948 - This view of the theatre running the May release "Silver River" was taken by Tom Gray and comes from the Jack Tillmany collection. The ticket stubs are also Jack's and he notes that each of them has his fingerprints.

1948 - A photo taken by an unknown photographer during a trip to San Francisco. The theatre was running "The Luck of the Irish" with Tyrone Power, a film that opened September 15. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the photo on the Open SF History Project website.

Gary Parks comments: "My eyes were instantly drawn to the painted sign on the side of the theatre—which I’ve seen before in other photos, taken from a greater distance. I know it’s the product of the Vining sign painters, who did a very similar, but smaller version—with the arrow tilted horizontally, on the side of the Fox California in San Jose, when it became just the Fox. Same 'soda-bottle-edged' circle."

1951 - The world premiere of "Golden Girl." Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding the trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.

1952 - The February 13 line to see Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis onstage. The film that week was "An Unknown Man," a November 1951 release with Walter Pidgeon. It's a Chronicle photo by Joe Rosenthal appearing with "The big screen, no not your TV: over 100 years of San Francisco Theaters," a March 2016 SF Gate photo portfolio.

1952 - Thanks to Matías Antonio Bombal for this view of the crowd for the Martin and Lewis stage show. He added the photo as a comment to his post on the BAHT Facebook page about the Fox's main curtain, a portion of which is used at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland. A copy of the photo is in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1953 - Thanks to Jack Tillmany for this look at the east wall of the theatre in August, a month before the arrival of the first CinemaScope film, "The Robe." Jack comments: "That one grossed $75,000 the first week, and ran 9 weeks."

1956 - "Carousel" played for five weeks early in the year grossing a total of $82,205. This Fred Lyon photo was taken on the last day of the run. Thanks to Lily Castello for finding the photo for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1956 - Another "Carousel" shot by Fred Lyon. Many thanks to James Bartlett for sharing it on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page.

1956 - A view east in June with the theatre running "D-Day the Sixth of June" starring Robert Taylor and Richard Todd. Thanks to Robert Hogan for locating this photo by Ralph Demoro for a post on the Market Street Railway Facebook group. And thanks to Jack Tillmany for dating the image.

1956 - The Fox was running "Bus Stop" with Marilyn Monroe. Plus we get a nice angle view of MUNI streetcar 1011. Many thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection. TJ Fisher comments: "This really shows the scale of the theater! 'Bus Stop' played 3 weeks beginning August 29 with David Wayne in 'The Naked Hills' and the short 'Pigskin Peewees,' following a nine week run of 'The King and I.' 1011 is still in our historic streetcar fleet, now painted to honor Muni's former competitor, the Market Street Railway."

1956 - "On our Gigantic 55 foot curved screen. Stereophonic Sound with 35 Auditorium Speakers." The film was "Love Me Tender," a November release with Richard Egan, Debra Paget and Elvis. Thanks to Lily Castello for finding the photo in the UC Bancroft Library collection for a post on the BAHT Favcebook page.

1957 - The premiere of Samuel Fuller's "China Gate." Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting the theatre and getting the screenshot. There's several minutes of footage beginning 36:25 into "Hollywood Home Movies: Treasures From the Academy Film Archive." It's on YouTube. local talent does a dragon dance and Fuller, Gene Barry, Nat 'King' Cole and others make appearances. There's also data about the footage on a page on the Center For Home Movies website.

1958 - Teachers at the Fox for a before-school seminar. The film at the time was "The Hunters." It's a News-Call Bulletin photo from the collection of the San Francisco Public Library that appeared September 2 with this copy: "From the looks of the lineup of teachers outside the Fox Theater, where a pre-school seminar was being held, more, and more men are going int the teaching profession. They're attending a meeting called by Supt. of Schools Harold Spears, who is outlining a stiffer educational program this year."

1959 - A crowd gathered for Walt Disney's "Tonka," a December 1958 release with Sal Mineo about a wild colt in the Dakota territory in the 1870s. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection from the News-Call Bulletin. It was published January 24 with this copy:

"Tonka trouble occurred at the Fox Theater today, when some 600 grammar school kids appeared with tickets giving them a discount on the admission price to the Walt Disney film 'Tonka.' The kids and their parents began milling about in the rain, causing a near mob scene when they discovered there was only one ticket seller. Three police squad cars sped to the scene, got the Indian lovers into a semblance of a line, and the show went on."

1959 - A UPI photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. It was sent out May 30 with this copy: "CAMERA ILLUSION makes it look like the Ferry Building has been moved up to the Fox Theater in this unusual picture of Market st. The photographer used a 600mm lens, making everything appear cramped into a short area. Actually, as everyone knows, it's quite a distance from the theater to the waterfront. Don't try walking it."

1959 - A News-Call Bulletin photo published July 4 that's now in the San Francisco Public Library collection. The Fox was running "Say One For Me" with Bing Crosby. The lines were for a teenage crusade, a KYA benefit.

1959 - A December 13 rail fan excursion. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating the photo in the Open SF History Project collection for a post on the Market Street Railway Facebook page. He comments: "Not quite readable in the photo, the Fox marquee is offering 'Nature Girl' and 'The Slaver,' which crashed and burned with a mere $5,000 gross, the Fox's lowest week of the year and the kind of crap that continued to alienate their audience and supporters for the next three years."

1960 - A look east on Market in July with "Pollyanna" playing at the Fox. Thanks to Lily Castello for finding the photo for a 2018 post on the BAHT Facebook page. She credits it to the San Francisco Public Library. When Bob Ristelhueber posted a version on the BAHT page in 2021 TJ Fisher went to work and determined that the film played the Fox from July 6 until the 26th and also included the opening day ad as a comment. Jack Tillmany adds: "'Pollyanna' played 3 weeks at the Fox, grossing over $30,000, which is over $300,000 in 2024 dollars."

1961 - "Can-Can" with Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine and Maurice Chevalier playing the Fox "at regular prices." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the photo on the BAHT Facebook page. He comments:

"After a less than spectacular 19 week reserved seat roadshow run at the Alexandria in 1960, 'Can-Can' moved downtown to the Fox in February 1961 where it failed to ignite as well, grossing about $25,000 in 2 weeks, which was more or less what could be expected from a primary Disney attraction in just ONE week. 'Crazy for Love' was an eight year old French film featuring Brigitte Bardot in an early secondary role as a teenage school girl, dubbed in English, just the sort of rip-off that alienated rather than entertained ticket buyers."

1961 - The Fox running "Swiss Family Robinson" with the east wall sign getting painted for "All Hands on Deck," a March release with Pat Boone and Buddy Hackett. It's a Chronicle photo by Joe Rosenthal appearing with "The big screen, no not your TV: over 100 years of San Francisco Theaters," a March 2016 SF Gate photo portfolio. It also appears with "A 100 year look at San Francisco marquees and theaters," an April 2016 SF Gate article by Bob Bragman.

1961 - Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor." It's a John Harder photo appearing on the Open SF History Project website courtesy of a private collector. Also see a second "Absent Minded Professor" shot taken by Harder that's on the site. Art Siegel notes that the film ran from April 28 until May 23.

1961 - A June view by an unknown photographer from the collection of Emiliano Echeverria appearing on the Open SF History Project website. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it. He comments:

"The gray sky is typical 'summer' in San Francisco: FOG. The week's attraction is 'Snow White and the Three Stooges,' which was only grossed a modest $10,000, about average for the Fox that year, but not enough to cover the weekly cost of operation. Walt Disney's 'The Parent Trap' would follow, with $21,000 the first week, which is about as good as it got by that time, followed by a couple $10,000 weeks. 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' was an August 1961 attraction that managed around $15,000 the first week, then dropped off to about half that second."

1962 - A February photo taken for the San Francisco Examiner. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting it when it was on sale on eBay. It appeared with this copy: "They Didn't Get To See Yogi Bear... These small fry began arriving at the Fox Theater at 8 a.m. yesterday in hopes of seeing Yogi Bear in a special screening."

1962 - A May concert with George Wright on the organ. It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo appearing on Cinema Tour.

1962 - Janet Blair in "Burn, Witch, Burn" playing in June along with "The Dead One." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the photo from his collection.

1962 - The Bolshoi Ballet at the theatre in October. It's a photo taken by an unidentified photographer that's in the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes that the trolley is the historic Muni Trolley #1 out on a 50th Anniversary fan excursion.

1962 - The Fox running Disney's "Legend of Lobo," a big one week run from November 7 until November 13. The photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection appeared on the Market Street Railway Facebook page in a post by Bob Strachan. Thanks to Ernie Manzo Jr. for spotting it.

Jack Tillmany comments: "1962 was Muni's 50th Anniversary, and Car #1, which had been kept in storage, was restored and sent out to run in regular service on all the surviving lines, usually bearing its original line A identification, as in this photo. In 2012, on Muni's 100th anniversary, it once again began making public appearances."

1962 - Another "Legend of Lobo" shot. This one by an unknown photographer. It appears on the San Francisco Public Library website. Jack Tillmany notes that after "Lobo" the Fox patrons were treated to a double bill of "The First Spaceship on Venus" and "Varan the Unbelievable," for another big one week engagement.

1962 - A December 1 photo, taken by Jack Fuller the evening of a midnight Gaylord Carter organ concert. The film was "The Mark of Zorro" with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. The photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection and appears on the Cinema Tour page about the Fox. Jack notes that "The War Lover" had opened Wednesday, November 21 and played 2 weeks, closing Tuesday, December 4.

1962 - Another December 1 Gaylord Carter concert shot taken by Jack Fuller. It's from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1962 - A December 1 marquee photo taken by Richard Simonton, one of six from that night included in his 2014 Facebook post about the event.

1962 - The December 1 Fox Theatre Special. Photo: Richard Simonton

1962 - Gaylord Carter arriving at the theatre. Photo: Richard Simonton. Thanks, Richard!

1962 - A great booking of "Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World" along with "Warriors 5," another import from American International that was packaged with "Samson." It's a December photo from the Jack Tillmany collection appearing on Cinema Tour. The photographer wishes to remain anonymous.

1962 - The theatre running "In Search of the Castaways." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing it on the Market Street Railway Facebook page. He comments: "Muni Number 1, back in service in celebration of Muni's 50th Anniversary, passes the Fox Theatre on a BAERA fan trip, 30 December 1962, just two months before the Fox's February 1963 farewell. Hence the F line route identification on the roof."

1963 - A February photo from the Open SF History Project.

1963 - "5 Days - The Fox Goes." A sad photo taken before closing by Robert Morris. Thanks to Tom Henneberry for sharing the image on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page. It also appeared on the Oakland History Facebook page as a post by Lance Ramirez.

1963 - A photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1963 - A poster in the display case is advertising the final farewell show on February 16. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. Gary Parks comments: "The little pointed roof the boxoffice had had been removed by this time, in favor of a flat one. The 'Good Morning! Box office opens [blank]' is particularly poignant." The boxoffice reappeared at the Little Fox Theatre on Pacific Ave. See a photo on the salvage page.

1963 - A February 16 photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection. This small version appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.

1963 - The last of the farewell shows on February 16. It's a San Francisco Public Library photo that makes an appearance in Mark Ellinger's wonderful Up From The Deep article on Mid-Market history.

Jack Tillmany comments: "I was out of town 1962-1963 so did not have the opportunity to participate in any of these events, so I can look up them with an unprejudiced perspective. Obviously the special events, like the Bolshoi Ballet, the 'Mark of Zorro' midnight show, and the organ concerts were all well attended, usually filled to capacity, which showed the paying public's support of worthwhile entertainment, but the crappy films were not, simply because they did not deserve to be, almost an identical replay of the 1933-1936 situation.

"Problem was, the voting public's image of the Fox was that of 'White Slave Ship,' 'Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World' and 'Burn, Witch Burn,' and all that other crap that shows up in the photos, so it's more understandable (I'm NOT saying forgivable) that they were convinced by the political machine to give it, and gave it, a thumbs down at the polls.

"I went into the Army in March 1959, and seriously felt there was a pretty good chance the Fox would not be standing by the time I got back, so, simply as a sentimental gesture, I felt it my duty to go there one last time. The movie was 'Teenage Caveman' and as I sat, virtually alone, in the vast, unheated emptiness of the Fox balcony, feeling the pain as this atrocity unreeled on their vast CinemaScope screen, I really felt the show was all over."

1963 - The February 17 "Big Sale." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating the photo.

1963 - A closer look at the marquee taken the same day as the previous photo. Again thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the photo. He comments about the marquee: "Well spaced, correctly spelled, right up to the bitter end." Bill Gabel has another photo from the same day on Cinema Treasures.

1963 - Another sale view. Thanks to Dizzy Thomas for posting this one on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. A small version of the image appears on the San Francisco Public Library website. The Library also has another "Big Sale" shot taken from a bit to the east.

1963 - "They went to the Fox Theater yesterday by the thousands. And they went for two reasons -- one last look at the movie palace and to buy a bit of nostalgia. In the photo Bud Dixon (L) helped photographer Bill Gibson lug a $125 antique Spanish bench." It's a February 17 photo that was in the San Francisco Examiner archives. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting it on eBay.

1963 - Thanks to Christopher Snowden for this view taken during the sale. He notes: "Here's a press photo of the box office itself being sold to Keith Rockwell (center), for $9000." Christopher added the photo as a comment to a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1963 - The facade as demolition begins. It's a photo taken by Cliff Anderson. Thanks to his friend Donald Harvey for sharing this shot as well as four others in a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1963 - Looking through what had been the lobby into the auditorium and the main balcony truss. Note the structure of what had been the ceiling dome dangling below the roof truss. Thanks to Herbert Bautista for sharing this photo in a now-vanished post on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page.

1963 - A closer view of the main balcony truss taken by Cliff Anderson. Thanks to Donald Harvey for sharing this shot in his post about the theatre on the BAHT Facebook page.

1963 - A last look at the ceiling with demolition underway. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for this screenshot posted on the BAHT Facebook page. It's from "The Fabulous Fox - Last Sounds of its Great Organ," available on YouTube. It's 9 minutes of excerpts from "The Fabulous Fox," the full 29 minute film made by Bartel - Thomsen Pictures in 1988. That's also on YouTube. Thanks to Robert Muller for the links.

1963 - A proscenium shot after the balcony structure had been removed. It's another from "The Fabulous Fox - Last Sounds of its Great Organ." Note the 9th and 10th floors still intact above the proscenium sounding board. Also see a closer proscenium view. Thanks, Bob!

1963 - A view of the proscenium taken by Cliff Anderson.

1963 - The house right organ grille. It's a photo taken by Cliff Anderson. This shot as well as the one above were part of a BAHT Facebook page post by his friend Donald Harvey.

1963 - A Chronicle photo by Ken McLaughlin appearing with "The big screen, no not your TV: over 100 years of San Francisco Theaters," a March 2016 SF Gate photo portfolio. On the right we're looking into the eight story dressing room stack. The article dates the photo as June 6 but it was taken a bit earlier. The photo was also with "A 100 year look at San Francisco marquees and theaters," a March 2016 SF Gate article by Bob Bragman.

1963 - A view through the proscenium to the back wall of the stage. On the upper right we're looking at the penthouse for the equipment for the backstage elevator. The Chronicle photo appeared with Peter Hartlaub's September 2015 SF Gate article "Our SF: The city's movie palaces make an unexpected comeback." The article needs to make a comeback. It appears that at the moment it has vanished from the SF Gate website. Hartlaub's caption was: "The demolition of the old San Francisco Fox Theatre in April of 1963."

1963 - The back wall of the upper floor we see here (the 10th) was above the front of the auditorium and included restrooms, a screening room, offices, and space for broadcast facilities. The floor below (the 9th) housed fan rooms. It's a Chronicle photo taken April 6 by an unknown photographer that appeared with Peter Hartlaub's 2016 Chronicle article "Fox Theater's short path from spectacle to demolition."

1963 - A June 11 photo by John Harder that appears on the Open SF History Project website courtesy of an anonymous private collector. That's the stagehouse, backing onto Polk St. that's still standing on the left end of the building. Through the hole in the side wall we're seeing the roof of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

1963 - Time for the vertical to come off the building. Thanks to Jimmy Alfaro for finding this one for a post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.

1963 - Attacking the back wall of the stagehouse. On the left are the windows of the dressing rooms. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1963 - A closer look at the back wall. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1963 - Looking along Hayes toward Polk St. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1963 - A last look at the dressing room stack. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1963 - A July 26 photo by Peter Breinig for the Chronicle. The photo is with Peter Hartlaub's 2016 Chronicle article "Fox Theater's short path from spectacle to demolition."

1963 - A July 26 photo by Howard Robbins that's in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1963 - Behind the facade. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1963 - Another view from behind what was left of the facade. This one was in the Examiner archives with an August 14 date stamped on the back. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting the photo when it was for sale on eBay.

1963 - The last bit left standing. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the screenshot from "The Fabulous Fox - Last Sounds of its Great Organ," available on YouTube. The facade was finally toppled on August 12.

1964 - The hole left after the demolition. It's a newspaper photo from the San Francisco Public Library collection. Thanks to Jim Molkenbuhr for finding this one to post on a long and interesting thread started by John A. Harris on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. The photo originally appeared January 3 with this copy: "Construction of the new 32-story office building proposed for the site of the old Fox Theater will begin next month it was revealed today....."

1965 - Fox Plaza is rising on the theatre's site in this September view west from 7th St. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding this photo taken by an unknown photographer on the Open SF History Project website. He comments about the Embassy: "The management has cleverly added a re-run of Marilyn Monroe in 'Don't Bother to Knock' to their presentation of Carroll Baker in 'Harlow.'" At the Orpheum it's "Mediterranean Holiday."

Gary Parks comments: "Wow—what a symbolic photo. Market St. looking essentially how it had for several decades—a commercial and entertainment hub…and then this giant ALIEN THING rising up ominously, a precursor to the soulless, drab, bureaucracy-and-unabated greed-created NEW WORLD that San Francisco was about to become. Darkness, drabness, starkness. To paraphrase Ben Hall: 'Ain’t We Got Fun?' replaced by 'I Dare You To Impress Me!' Despite this, it is a testimony to the vast history (and the physical setting) that San Francisco has, that any beautiful atmosphere or real character survives at all."

2015 - The sad trash-strewn entrance to Fox Plaza, on the theatre's site. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for his photo, a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

2019 - A look up Polk St. from Market. On the right was once the backstage wall of the Fox. The light-colored brick building in the distance on the right side of the street is the Civic Auditorium. Photo: Google Maps

2019 - The vista west on Market toward Fox Plaza. That's Hayes St. taking off on the right. Photo: Google Maps

Views of the Hayes St. side of the building prior to demolition:

1929 - A construction view in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

1940s - Looking toward Market. Thanks to Ken Roe for locating this photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.

1952 - The Hayes St. vertical and marquee are over on the right. The line was to see Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis on February 13. It's a Chronicle photo appearing with "The big screen, no not your TV: over 100 years of San Francisco Theaters," a March 2016 SF Gate photo portfolio.

c.1962 - The Hayes St. marquee. Jack Tillmany comments on his photo: "The Hayes Street marquee was virtually unchanged from 1929, and the original neon marquee letters were still operational!"

c.1962 - A Bob Hopkins photo of the Hayes marquee from the Dick Clay collection. Thanks to Matías Antonio Bombal for posting it as a comment on the BAHT Facebook page.

Gary Parks adds: "Looking closely—I notice the lightbulbs have been removed from the borders on the end piece where the FOX THEATRE sign was attached by enterprising management. A different view of this facade at around the same time is in Preston Kaufmann’s book. I’ve always thought the ornament looks like it's wearing a light dusting of new fallen snow."

1963 - A photo by Jack Fuller from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1963 - A Hayes St. marquee detail by Jack Fuller from the Jack Tillmany collection.

1963 - Looking from Polk St. along the Hayes facade toward Market. It's a photo by Jack Fuller from the Jack Tillmany collection.

The Polk St. end of the building before demolition:

c.1960 - The Polk St. end of the building. On the far left note the windows for the dressing rooms. Market St. is on the right. It's a photo located by Mr. Comfortably cool for a post on Cinema Treasures.

1963 - A photo by Jack Fuller from the Jack Tillmany collection.

A view from above:

1958 - Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating this shot. The octagonal-roofed structure in the upper center is the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The Fox is below it with Polk St. to the left, behind the stagehouse.

San Francisco Theatres

The Fox Theatre: exterior and demolition views

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