This 113 year old theater has finalized the purchase of the building it’s in. The SF Chronicle reported earlier this month that the sale had closed with a purchase price of $5million.
The cable cars have become an amusement park rides for tourists. The one way, no transfers allowed fare is now $9. Seniors get a break at $4 but only between the hours of 9pm and 7am when they are least likely to ride them.
Forbidden City, pictured above, was in the same upstairs space as the Sutter Cinema but used 363 Sutter as the address. This was a wildly popular nightclub from 1938 - 1970 attracting locals and tourists alike. Run by Charlie Low it was the most famous nightlife venue in the US to feature Asian American singers, dancers, strippers, and musicians and run by and staffed by Asian Americans. Appearing regularly were the “Chinese Sofie Tucker”, the “Chinese Frank Sinatra”, the “Chinese Sally Rand” and more who were all part of what was known as the “Chop Suey Circuit”. It was the inspiration for the novel Flower Drum Song which in turn became a stage musical and film. In 1989 Arthur Dong’s documentary Forbidden City USA was released chronicling this legendary venue. Those with library cards whose libraries are affiliated with Kanopy streaming, you can access the film for free here:
SFGate article “California’s Weirdest CVS Feels Like A Historic Haunted House”. “Locals head to this spooky pharmacy to soak up vibes”. If I walked into it not knowing it was a former movie theater I would not see the interior as spooky at all. I would think it was a nicely decorated repurposed building.
This was the first Alcazar built in 1885 by Michael H. DeYoung (publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle). It was located a block east of the second Alcazar (260 O'Farrell) in the 100 block between Powell and Stockton. I don’t think this Alcazar has a page on CT. The O'Conner Moffatt department store and now Macy’s were built on this site after the 1906 quake and fire. Photo is from the SF Public Library/SF History Center. Info is in the Peter M Field book The Tenderloin District of SF Through Time.
I lived about 12 blocks away in 1970/71 - so I always walked. Just about everything I saw there at that time had a near full house. Admission was $1 or so. And…remember seeing the double bill shown in the photo. The “Muni Love Bus” was filmed in GG Park and X rated. A bit of a scandal at the time that a city bus was rented for a porn film with the Muni driver allegedly not noticing what was going on as he drove around.
From the Wikipedia entry for the Fox Theater: “The question of the City & County of San Francisco buying the Fox and its land was put before the voters on November 7, 1961, as Proposition I. Requiring only a simple majority, the measure was overwhelmingly defeated with a NO vote of 59.2%.”
The city apparently offered around $800K for it, Fox West Coast wanted $1.15million. So it was put to the voters as a possible home for the SF Symphony and SF Ballet. A big mistake to let it go.
I took a photo this morning of the rendering mentioned in the overview of the stage curtain (from my copy of The Best Remaining Seats) and posted it in the photos.
A near identical article to the above at Hoodline.com states additionally that the AMC Metreon is “pulling in about $996,000 per screen, about double the chain’s average”. Also the food and beverage tenants are averaging $1,442. per square foot - apparently quite healthy. This mall at Yerba Buena Gardens/Moscone Center is a bright spot downtown with another large tenant, Target, having a lease through 2033. Also, the new T line subway station adjacent to the mall provides direct one seat access from the southeastern part of the city as well as Chinatown/North Beach. The SF Business Times (linked in the Hoodline story) has also reported these figures but without an online subscription I can’t read that article.
Cinerama….actually found this on a Goggle image search of a different LA theater. The photo had no site credited or photographer named. If this photo is also on incinerama.com, where did it come from?
2024 Oscar winner The Holdovers was filmed in Massachusetts including the Orpheum in Boston with a balcony scene of Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa watching Little Big Man.
This 113 year old theater has finalized the purchase of the building it’s in. The SF Chronicle reported earlier this month that the sale had closed with a purchase price of $5million.
Roxie
The cable cars have become an amusement park rides for tourists. The one way, no transfers allowed fare is now $9. Seniors get a break at $4 but only between the hours of 9pm and 7am when they are least likely to ride them.
50sSNIPES…The Guild closed as a film theater Sept 26, 2019. See above link to the article I posted about the closing.
Forbidden City, pictured above, was in the same upstairs space as the Sutter Cinema but used 363 Sutter as the address. This was a wildly popular nightclub from 1938 - 1970 attracting locals and tourists alike. Run by Charlie Low it was the most famous nightlife venue in the US to feature Asian American singers, dancers, strippers, and musicians and run by and staffed by Asian Americans. Appearing regularly were the “Chinese Sofie Tucker”, the “Chinese Frank Sinatra”, the “Chinese Sally Rand” and more who were all part of what was known as the “Chop Suey Circuit”. It was the inspiration for the novel Flower Drum Song which in turn became a stage musical and film. In 1989 Arthur Dong’s documentary Forbidden City USA was released chronicling this legendary venue. Those with library cards whose libraries are affiliated with Kanopy streaming, you can access the film for free here:
Forbidden City USA
Clay Theater Is Coming Alive Again
Details here: Clay
SFGate article “California’s Weirdest CVS Feels Like A Historic Haunted House”. “Locals head to this spooky pharmacy to soak up vibes”. If I walked into it not knowing it was a former movie theater I would not see the interior as spooky at all. I would think it was a nicely decorated repurposed building.
GoldenGate
This theater has had many names. A more detailed history is here:
CortTheater
The Great Star celebrates it’s 100th anniversary. From their website:
100th
Woops - Parentheses error - here is the direct link…
Oaklandside
This was the first Alcazar built in 1885 by Michael H. DeYoung (publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle). It was located a block east of the second Alcazar (260 O'Farrell) in the 100 block between Powell and Stockton. I don’t think this Alcazar has a page on CT. The O'Conner Moffatt department store and now Macy’s were built on this site after the 1906 quake and fire. Photo is from the SF Public Library/SF History Center. Info is in the Peter M Field book The Tenderloin District of SF Through Time.
Some good news. Despite the devastation all around it the Bay Theater survived the inferno.
LATimes story reprinted here:
YahooNews
I lived about 12 blocks away in 1970/71 - so I always walked. Just about everything I saw there at that time had a near full house. Admission was $1 or so. And…remember seeing the double bill shown in the photo. The “Muni Love Bus” was filmed in GG Park and X rated. A bit of a scandal at the time that a city bus was rented for a porn film with the Muni driver allegedly not noticing what was going on as he drove around.
Photo should be credited to Jim Marshall.
From the Wikipedia entry for the Fox Theater: “The question of the City & County of San Francisco buying the Fox and its land was put before the voters on November 7, 1961, as Proposition I. Requiring only a simple majority, the measure was overwhelmingly defeated with a NO vote of 59.2%.”
The city apparently offered around $800K for it, Fox West Coast wanted $1.15million. So it was put to the voters as a possible home for the SF Symphony and SF Ballet. A big mistake to let it go.
I took a photo this morning of the rendering mentioned in the overview of the stage curtain (from my copy of The Best Remaining Seats) and posted it in the photos.
A near identical article to the above at Hoodline.com states additionally that the AMC Metreon is “pulling in about $996,000 per screen, about double the chain’s average”. Also the food and beverage tenants are averaging $1,442. per square foot - apparently quite healthy. This mall at Yerba Buena Gardens/Moscone Center is a bright spot downtown with another large tenant, Target, having a lease through 2033. Also, the new T line subway station adjacent to the mall provides direct one seat access from the southeastern part of the city as well as Chinatown/North Beach. The SF Business Times (linked in the Hoodline story) has also reported these figures but without an online subscription I can’t read that article.
SFGate article - “Berkeley is down to one movie theater. It’s reinventing itself to survive”
Elmwood
Saw 2001 in June of 1968 here. The first of many viewings of 2001 I saw in Cinerama.
Cinerama….actually found this on a Goggle image search of a different LA theater. The photo had no site credited or photographer named. If this photo is also on incinerama.com, where did it come from?
SF Bay Area Reporter article on the Castro’s blade renovation:
Castro Blade
A time lapse 1 minute 49second YouTube video of the 2016 restoration:
Fox
2024 Oscar winner The Holdovers was filmed in Massachusetts including the Orpheum in Boston with a balcony scene of Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa watching Little Big Man.
Hoodline
Photo should be credited to Art Frisch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
SFGate article on a 6am showing at the Metreon Imax of Dune Part 2 on March 4, 2024.
SFGate
SF Chronicle article on the sale of the Clay:
Clay Theater Sold