The Fox Theatre: history

1350 Market St. | map |

More Fox Theatre pages: exterior views | lobby and lounge areas | auditorium | stage | support areas | booth | salvage |

Opened: June 28, 1929. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the image of the front cover of the souvenir program. The initial film was "Behind That Curtain" with Warner Baxter and Lois Moran.

The building was constructed for Bank of America with Fox West Coast as a tenant. A hotel was originally envisioned to be part of the project but was never constructed. Fox operated it in conjunction with Loew's. It's unknown what the deal was with those two entities. West Coast at the time operated for Loew's their only two theatres on the coast, the Loew's Warfield on Market St. and the Loew's State in Los Angeles. Fox decorated the theatre and supplied the equipment.

 

The theatre was originally to be called the Capitol. This item appeared in the February 20, 1926 issue of Motion Picture News. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

 

It had become the Fox by the time the project made the S.F. Examiner on September 24, 1927 with this "architect's drawing." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a Facewbook thread about the theatre on Ken's Movie Page. He also shared it on the America in the 1920s page.

Seating: 4,651

Stage: The proscenium was 60' wide and 40' high. There were screwjack lifts for the organ console, the orchestra pit, the speakers, and a section of the stage. Rigging was a Peter Clark counterweight system off left. The dimmerboard was by Westinghouse. See the page about the stage for more details.

Organs: The main instrument, now at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, was a 4 manual 36 rank "Crawford special" Wurlitzer. The upper level of the north end of the lobby had a separate instrument, a 3 manual 12 rank Moller organ. On YouTube see "The Fabulous Fox - Last Sounds of its Great Organ." It's 9 minutes of excerpts from "The Fabulous Fox," the full 29 minute film made by Bartel - Thomsen Pictures in 1988. It's also on YouTube. Thanks to Robert Muller for the links.

Booth: Over 200' from the screen, it housed a complement of four Simplex projectors, Western Electric sound equipment both for Movietone style sound-on-film as well as Vitaphone sound-on-disc, a Master Brenograph dual effects projector, and several followspots. See the page about the booth for more information. 

Architect: Thomas Lamb. The local associate architect was H.A. Minton. L.H. Nishkian was the structural engineer with Charles T. Phillips the local consulting engineer. McDonald and Kahn were the general contractors, Alta Electric Co. was the electrical contractor.

 

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

 

 

Looking to the rear of the house. It's from a set of drawings that Kiley Brokaw found in her garage. She shared her find in a post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. Six more images from the set are at the bottom of the page.

 

 

A plot plan from the January 1930 issue of Architect and Engineer. Market St. is the diagonal on the left. Polk is on the right and Hayes St. at the bottom. The proposed hotel was to go at the top of the triangle.

The balcony framing plan from the January 1930 issue of Architect and Engineer.

 

 

 

"...the last word in concrete pile dependability." This ad about the pilings for the theatre appeared in the December 5, 1929 issue of Engineering News Record. Thanks to Bob Foreman for locating it for a post on the Archiving Technical Theatre History Facebook page. And don't miss Bob's terrific article on the technical aspects of the Fox on his site Vintage Theatre Catalogs. The ad also appeared in the July 1030 issue of American Architect.

 

An item about the opening festivities that appeared in the June 8, 1929 issue of Motion Picture News. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. 

 

 

The Fox went green. Thanks to Jim Cassedy for this trade magazine story that appeared several weeks before the opening. He comments: "Some photos taken in later years, show that some have been replaced with the more traditional red exit signs." Gary Parks questions the assertion that the Fox was the first to use green and notes: "The Hester (later Towne) Theatre in San Jose—1925, had/has green-lettered stained glass exit signs."

"Entire State of California Will Celebrate Opening Here On Friday June 28, 1929." Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for this front page from the June 17 issue of San Francisco Business. It was a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

An announcement of the opening that appeared as part of the coverage in the Examiner. It's from the Geoff Hansen collection. Thanks to Matias Antonio Bombal for posting it on the BAHT Facebook page and also to John Hough for cleaning up the image.

A June 28 ad. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. 

The opening of the theatre was chronicled in the July 15, 1929 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating the article for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

"Huge Auditorium for Sound Film and Allied Entertainment..." The new theatre was profiled in an article in the August 3, 1929 Motion Picture News that also included five additional photos. It's on Internet Archive. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

A main floor plan. It's from Preston Kaufmann's 1979 book "Fox, the Last Word..." Thanks to Bob Foreman for annotating it to identify the various spaces. This version appears with his Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word.'" Plans that Bob has annotated for other levels of the building appear on the support areas page. Details of the stage area plans are on the page about the stage.

Cinema Treasures contributor Spectrum has some up with another set of plans but they're fairly low-res: main floor | basement plan | mezzanine | mezzanine 2 / lower balcony | upper balcony | 

Three lovely ladies in pajamas helping celebrate William Fox's Silver Jubilee Birthday. Of course they're not celebrating Fox's 25th birthday, but rather 1929 being his 25th year in the theatre business. He had bought his first nickelodeon in 1904. Fox, (née Vilmos Fuchs) was born in 1879 and died in 1952. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo.

An ad appearing on November 23, 1929 for the engagement of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Jack Tillmany comments about the gross: "$44,000 in one week. That's about 100,000 warm bodies at 1929 admission prices (35 Cents Matinees; 55 Cents Evenings)."

This item about Laurel and Hardy's act appeared in the December 14, 1929 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Also see a November 23 marquee photo that Bob located that had appeared in the December 28 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World.

Thomas Lamb got interviewed regarding his thoughts on theatre design after the opening of the Fox. The two page article is a prelude to 11 photos of the theatre in the December 1929 issue of Architect and Engineer. It's all on Internet Archive.

 

An ad from Westinghouse touting the glories of the new Fox -- and their part in the project. It appeared in the Buying Guide section of the December 28, 1929 Motion Picture News. It's on Internet Archive.

 

 

An ad for California Electric Sign Co. in the December 28, 1929 Motion Picture News touting the use of high speed flashing effects and interchangeable neon letters. 

 

A Sterling Bronze Co. ad from the December 28, 1929 Motion Picture News. Thanks to Bob Foreman for spotting this one. He notes that they also produced all the fixtures for the Atlanta Fox and that they don't seem to have produced a catalog.

The Fox celebrated its first anniversary in the summer of 1930 and put on a 20 hour show. The article appeared in the August 2, 1930 issue of Exhibitors Herald-World. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the image from Internet Archive.

Matias Antonio Bombal offers a link to the short he did featuring the silent dater made to promote the Fox First Anniversary show. It's on YouTube. The silent promo for the first anniversary show is on Internet Archive from the Prelinger Archives. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for the link. 

 

 

Publicizing the wonders of the theatre. Thanks to Matías Antonio Bombal for posting these on FOX - The Last Word, the Facebook page about the documentary he's working on. He comments: "Brochure for the Fox made in 1930, promoting it as a major tourist attraction for San Francisco. This was no doubt available at the shops on the ferries and in terminals, magazine shops, etc. From the collection of FOX organist Everett Nourse/Geoff Hansen."

 

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

 

 

Care for some Fox matches? Thanks to Lily Castello for spotting this on eBay. 

 

 

The copy inside the matches. 

 

 

An advertising card of the type that would go on the front of a streetcar. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the image from his collection. He notes that "Rich Man's Folly" played the Fox in November 1931. The weeks gross was $20,000 with admission prices of 35 cents until 5pm and 55 cents in the evenings.

Seating charts drawn in 1932. They're from the Jack Tillmany collection.

 A closing in 1932: 

The theatre closed in October 1932. Both Fox Film and Fox West Coast Theatres were in receivership. This item appeared in the November 12, 1932 issue of Motion Picture Herald. 

"Since the closing of the Fox Theater Fanchon-Marco units have been playing the Warfield and a big increase in business is noted..." reported Robert A. Hazel in "San Francisco Commands Attention This Week," his article in the November 19, 1932 issue of Hollywood Filmograph. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

The ad for the grand reopening in April 1933 with "Should a Woman Tell?" and "Speed Demon," two less than stellar attractions. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating the ad. Also see a "Should a Woman Tell" marquee photo from his collection. He has the full story:

"After having been closed for several months, the Fox re-opened 1 April 1933 under the management of Joe Leo, brother-in-law of William Fox, and president of the Pacific Theatre Corporation, who were successfully operating the Los Angeles Theatre under a similar double-feature, low-price policy. Much ado, including a street parade, and a strong promotion of 'the maximum of entertainment at the lowest prices in San Francisco' stirred up an appreciative, depression weary public who turned out in grand style resulting in a $14,000 weekly gross, unquestionably a lot of warm bodies at those rock bottom prices.

"What they weren't told was that 'Should a Woman Tell?' was not the same kind of major studio attraction that the Fox had previously been known to offer, but a low budget poverty row quickie, made in 1932 by Majestic Studios, originally titled 'The Crusader,' with a trio of silent film players who had pretty much lost their prestige in the sound era. 'The Crusader' had apparently failed to find an opening site in SF up until now, and Majestic was now attempting to re-sell it for its mostly imagined exploitation value. Attendance soon dropped off as the public wised up to the fact that the new Fox policy wasn't such a good deal after all, but for the next three years Pacific soldiered on, with grosses often falling as low as $3000 per week, until mid-1936, when it was taken back by Fox West Coast and it regained its prestige as attendance once again picked up, the inevitable result of more sensible programming."

An ad from the September 22, 1933 issue of the Chronicle. Jack Tillmany comments: "This engagement of 'Platinum Blonde' with Jean Harlow is, in fact, a revival of a 1931 feature in which Loretta Young got top billing, and in which Harlow appeared as her nemesis, the femme fatale of the title. It originally opened in October 1931 at the Orpheum. The second feature, 'Wives Beware,' is a British production of the previous year originally titled 'Two White Arms,' which was just now seeking USA bookings from an independent distributor on the lower half of double bills, such as this."

Fox West Coast is back in 1936: 

An ad for the reopening under Fox West Coast Management. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating it. He comments:

"Friday 11 September 1936 the FOX re-opened under the Fox West Coast banner; its premiere attraction was Twentieth Century-Fox's 'The Road to Glory,' a highly rated major studio production, with a title that couldn't have been better chosen under the circumstances. The public responded with a $16,000 weekly gross, not too shabby considering the 30-35-40 cent admission prices of that era. A happy improvement over the pitiful $3,500 deposited the preceding week on behalf of the forgettable and forgotten 'Gentleman from Louisiana.'

"By the end of 1936, there was no question that the Fox was once again a major player on Market Street. Their final offering of the year was Cecil B. De Mille's 'The Plainsma'n starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane which yielded $26,000 in one week, to be followed the first week of January 1937 by 'After the Thin Man' which topped that with $27,000, all of which works out to something like 150,000 tickets sold in those 2 weeks. Happy Days Are Here Again!

"As for grosses, I think its a JOKE that yesterday's grosses are still compared to today's inflated dollars, unless they are correctly and properly adjusted; that's why I always bring up the body count. Even at its lowest ebb, during the depths of the depression, running poverty row garbage at rock bottom prices, the Fox still came up with $3,000-$4,000 per week, which my pocket calculator tells me is around 10,000 to 12,000 warm bodies or somewhere between $150,000-$200,000 per week at today's inflated admission prices."

The Road to the Fox per Jack Tillmany:  "The 7 Crosby/Hope/Lamour 'Road' films (now all of them on DVD) are as follows: The first one, The Road to Singapore opened at the Paramount in March 1940. 'Women Without Names' was the second feature. It was a big hit. Next came 'The Road to Zanzibar,' which opened at the Paramount in April 1941. 'Mr. District Attorney' was the second feature. It was also a big hit. Since Fox West Coast operated several major venues on Market Street they could maintain a certain amount of flexibility as to where the films were played. 'Singapore' and 'Zanzibar' had proven to be so successful, they opted to open the next one, 'Road to Morocco' at the Fox in December 1942. It grossed around $30,000 the first week, which was about a good as it got at the Fox that year, at around 50 cents adult evening admission prices, with lower prices at matinees and for children. How many warm bodies? 75,000 maybe? The second week dropped down to $15,000 and they got rid of it. Only 30,000+ tickets sold :-( . The second feature was 'Wildcat,', no, not a jungle film, but about wildcat oil drillers.

"Because of the success of 'Road to Morocco,' the next one, 'Road to Utopia,' which did not come along until 3 1/2 years later, also played the Fox in April 1946, but as a single feature, with a March of Time short, 'Night Club Boom.' Fox West Coast knew what they were doing. As a single feature, they could schedule more shows, and they NEEDED all those seats. The first week grossed $50,000 (at more or less the same price range), so you can safely say over 100,000 customers, yes, in ONE WEEK. The 2nd week grossed $25,000 and the 3rd week $20,000. Yes, these were the glory days of the Fox. By the time the next one, 'Road to Rio' opened at the Paramount as a single feature, with a Peggy Lee short, 'Midnight Serenade,' as their Christmas attraction in 1947, the Chronicle critic claimed, 'it looks like the same old route!' The 6th entry in the series, 'The Road to Bali,' and the only one in color, opened at the Paramount Christmas 1952, and by now the bloom was off the rose, but it was still plenty popular. There was no second feature, just an Errol Flynn short, 'Cruise of the Zaca.' It now gets the most exposure of the lot because the copyright lapsed and it's in public domain. The less said the better about 'The Road to Hong Kong,' which opened at the Warfield in May 1962.

"In very round numbers, the total seating capacity of all the Market Street sites was around 25,000, of which the FOX represented about 20%, so if you want to crunch some more numbers, that means about 50,000 people per day, each and every day, went to the movies on Market Street. Sorta makes today's Hollywood 'Blockbuster' Hoopla look pretty pathetic, don't it! The Fox played 'Going My Way' in 1944. In its first week it grossed about $45,000 which represents about 90,000 ticket sales; in its second week, $35,000, 70,000 ticket sales; in its third week, $25,000, 50,000 ticket sales, and in 5 days of its fourth & final week, almost $20,000, 40,000 ticket sales. I'll save you the trouble of getting out your pocket calculator: That's $125,000 in 4 weeks, or 250,000 ticket sales, about 10,000 customers per day. At today's prices, that would be around $3.75 million in four weeks at one theatre. So you can see all those seats were put to good use! Thanks to Preston Kaufman for this information. The Fox's 1944 gross was $1,380,000, or about 2.75 MILLION ticket sales, about 7500 tickets per day A-V-E-R-A-G-E.

"Four weeks at the gigantic Fox was indeed unusual. Because of the capacity, they enjoyed a fast title turnover, so all those seats could be used to advantage with frequent fresh attractions. 'Going My Way' moved over the St. Francis (a typical procedure) for an extended run that ran ten more weeks, almost to the end of the September. That's definitely an impressive Market Street first run! After the usual 14 day cooling off period, it opened up the first week of October simultaneously at the New Mission and New Fillmore, for an 'exclusive' neighborhood second run. The New Mission ended up running it four weeks, so the rest of the gang didn't get their hands on it until the first week of November, when it returned downtown to the sub-run Alcazar, and spread out in the nabes to the Coliseum, El Rey, Alhambra, & Palace; a couple of weeks later, it played the Metro, the Harding, and the Irving. Beautiful example of the TLC given hot titles by the distributor (Paramount) to maximize returns and still get wide exposure.

"Interesting too, that Paramount took it out of release in mid-1945 (its 'farewell' run was at the Nob Hill on California Street the last week of July, first week of August), in order to 'protect' the sequel, 'The Bells of St. Mary's' which was already in production and due out in December, but which, ironically, ended up being distributed by RKO instead of Paramount since it was Leo McCarey's independent production. 'GMW' opened 5 July 1944 at the Fox Oakland with a 'War Bond Drive Premiere.' It ran there 4 weeks, then moved over to the Orpheum; by the end of its seventh week, FWC announced it was a 'new high' for FWC houses. It broke its own record with one more week at the Orpheum, 8 weeks downtown! Next day, it moved up to Berkeley and played simultaneously at the United Artists and Campus. It opened the first week of August at the Peninsula/Burlingame and Baywood/San Mateo."

 

 

Looking for a doorman in 1943. Of course, the shows might have been more interesting with that position over at the President Theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.  

 

 

A page from the 1948 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. That's the 1915 vintage Civic Auditorium in the upper right and the Fox below it. Market St. is on an angle in the lower right. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this in the Library of Congress collection. 

 

 

A closer look at the Fox from the 1948 Sanborn. Hayes St. is across the top. It did have a protruding marquee on that side but it's not indicated. Polk St. is on the left, along the stage end of the building.

CinemaScope arrives:

 

 

"Celebrities and Stars." The first CinemaScope film, "The Robe," opened at the Fox September 29, 1953. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing this ad as a post on the BAHT Facebook page. 

 

 

A "Carousel" ad appearing in the February 24, 1956 issue of the Examiner. It would have a five week run. Thanks to TJ Fisher for locating this for a post on the BAHT Facebook page that also included ads from the same issue for the Coronet and the Orpheum.

Ticket prices in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating these. 

 

 

 

A November 27, 1961 item appearing in Boxoffice.  Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. 

 

 

Another warning that the theatre might be "redeveloped for higher economic use." It was in Boxoffice on August 13, 1962. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for posting it on the BAHT Facebook page. 

Closing: Several farewell events were scheduled in early February 1963. The final farewell show was February 16, 1963.

George Wright gave a "Farewell To The Fox" midnight organ concert to a sold out house on Saturday, February 9. It was promoted by this chartered Muni streetcar, here photographed on Ocean Ave. at Capitol, along the K route. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo.

Robert Apple was the manager at the end. Allen White, in his Found SF article "Fox Theater Historical Essay" describes the closing shows: 

"The Fox management presented four farewell events before the curtain fell for the final time. The 'farewells' began on Friday night, February 8, at midnight. The theatre audience, jammed to its 4,651-seat capacity, witnessed organist George Wright and the 36-rank Crawford Special Wurlitzer theatre organ rise slowly out of the orchestra pit. This Friday night crowd was composed of many persons unable to purchase tickets for the Saturday night affair that had sold out two weeks in advance. Saturday evening was George Wright's final 'Farewell to the Fox.'...

"The following Saturday evening, February 16, was the last night that William Fox's 'greatest theatre in the world' would open as an entertainment cathedral. Those who were fortunate enough to obtain tickets arrived to see a searchlight shining into the night sky. Upon entering the lobby, the sound of the lobby Moller organ was heard emitting notes played from rolls...Many of the evening's ushers were also on duty at the theatre's opening night in 1929...Everett Nourse [was] playing at the console of the Fox Wurlitzer...The lights started to dim as the organ console descended into the pit. Following a short introduction by Vaughn Meader, the television production 'Hollywood -- The Fabulous Era,' was shown. As the film ended, Master of Ceremonies Paul Gilbert appeared on stage and announced that the overture was to begin.

"The rising orchestra lift revealed Ray Hackett and the Fox Symphony Orchestra, the Kaiser Koristers, and Everett Nourse at the organ. The final note of the overture included full orchestra, chorus, and organ together. To many, this could have been the finale, and most would have been satisfied. But there was more -- much more. A stage show followed, featuring vaudeville 'greats' such as Joaquin Garay and Eddie Peabody. And there were motion picture and recording stars by the carload: Kay Starr, Jane Russell, Richard Egan, Lois Moran, Jane Wyman, Hedda Hopper, and a host of others. Under the direction of Herman Kersken, the first manager of the Fox, the show was exceptionally well produced.

"When the curtain went up for the finale, the entire cast was on stage. There was no set and only the bare back wall framed the scene. As members of the cast sang Auld Lang Syne, they slowly left the stage, leaving only one work light glowing. With the stage bare, the orchestra and organ console hidden at the bottom of the orchestra pit, one lone stagehand walked across the vast stage, put out his cigarette, and turned off the work light. The San Francisco Fox Theatre would soon be reduced to dust. After the show, Ray Hackett and his orchestra played for dancing on the stage. During the break before the dancing, the organ was played. It marked the final time the public would hear this organ in the theatre."

Lois Moran (Young) on the landing of the grand stairs at one of the February 1963 farewell shows. She was the above-the-title star of "Behind That Curtain," the film that opened the Fox in 1929 and had attended the premiere at that time. She retired in the 1930s, and lived on the San Francisco peninsula. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo.

Fox West Coast later held an auction to dispose of the furnishings. Stephen Adams comments: "The theatre had not turned a profit in decades, and was being supported by the Fox West Coast chain of theatres. The building was demolished by Bank of America beginning in February 1963. The Fox Plaza redevelopment was constructed on the site in 1966 and stands today. Herb Caen added fuel to the fire to demolish, and the corrupt City Hall wanted available funds to be spent on restoration of the crumbling Palace of Fine Arts."

"The Fox: Fact and Fiction" appeared in the February 1963 issue of the magazine San Francisco. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

An ad announcing the February 17 sale at the Fox. It's an image in the San Francisco Public Library collection. 

 

The new building: The plans to demolish the theatre and replace it with an office building had been announced in the theatre's lobby in December 1962. The Examiner reported on December 19 that the new building was to have three wings of 32, 24 and 16 stories plus 4 underground levels. It was to be a joint project of National General Corporation, the owner of the Fox West Coast circuit, along with Sunset International Petroleum Corporation and Cahill Construction Company. 

 

 

Images from plans in the collection of Kiley Brokaw:

Kiley and her partner found two rolls of plans that someone unknown left in the garage of her house. She shared photos from the prints on a July 2021 post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered where the news was greeted with over 150 comments. Thanks to Kevin Walsh for sharing the post on the BAHT Facebook page where there were many additional comments. Amanda Bartlett picked up the story for "Balboa Park resident discovers rare relic..." an August 4 story on SF Gate.  Amanda's tale begins: 

 

"When Kiley Brokaw moved into her small two-bedroom house in Balboa Park late last year, she had no idea a century-old artifact dating back to one of San Francisco’s most spectacular — and forgotten — landmarks was waiting to be discovered in the garage. It was a cold but unusually sunny Thursday afternoon in December, and movers milled about the property with boxes of her belongings. A few cabinets in the garage that Brokaw hadn’t noticed before caught her eye, and she decided to sift through them, exploring their contents. One large flat cabinet on the wall appeared to be empty upon first glance, but as she looked at it from another vantage point, she noticed two large yellowing prints hidden inside, neatly rolled up and appearing as if they hadn’t been touched in years — they were covered in dust and cobwebs..."

 

A title block from one of the sheets. 

 

 

A detail of a display case and entrance doors on Market St. 

 

 

Lobby elevations.

 

 

Various details. 

 

 

A bit of ceiling treatment. 

 

 

A section view of the auditorium. 

 

 

Looking to the rear of the house.

 

Thanks for the images, Kiley. She will be donating the plans to the History Center of the San Francisco Public Library.

More information: The theatre got an article in the December 1929 issue of Architect and Engineer. It's on Internet Archive. The Fox, of course, has a page on Cinema Treasures. There's also a page on the site Cinema Tour. See Hal Dolby's 2005 article "The Super Foxes and Their Bretheren."

"FOX - The Last Word" is a Facebook page chronicling the research of Matías Antonio Bombal that will, hopefully, lead to a documentary about the theatre.

 Google offers a large selection of Fox photos. Richard Apple's Fox Theatre site Historigraphics has colorized versions of many vintage photos along with the original versions. As well, there's lots of other data about the theatre. The San Francisco Public Library has over a hundred Fox photos if you'd care to go browsing. 

If you're interested in how the building functioned technically, check out Bob Foreman's Vintage Theatre Catalogs article "San Francisco Fox (1929-1963) 'The Last Word'." He has lots of data on PA systems, Movietone and stage lifts and more. Much of it is distilled from the Preston Kaufmann book "Fox: The Last Word." There are also fine comparisons with the other big Fox houses.

The best reference about the theatre is Preston Kaufmann's book "Fox, the Last Word...Story of the World's Finest Theatre" (Showcase Publications, 1979). It's been long out of print and when copies surface they are expensive. It's on Amazon with copies starting at $150. Ben Hall's book "The Best Remaining Seats" (Clarkston N. Potter, 1961) includes a big section on the Fox. Copies are available on Amazon.

The Theatre Historical Society did a 36 page softcover "Annual #30" devoted to the Fox in 2003. It was written by Steve Levin and used some photos from Preston Kaufmann's book as well as other material.

On YouTube see "The Fabulous Fox - Last Sounds of its Great Organ." It's 9 minutes of excerpts from "The Fabulous Fox," the full 29 minute film made by Bartel - Thomsen Pictures in 1988. It's also on YouTube. Thanks to Robert Muller for the links. 

The Fox Theatre pages: back to top - history | exterior views | lobby and lounge areas | auditorium | stage | support areas | booth | salvage |

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