If you have personal memories, photographs, or memorabilia of the Fox Oakland Theater, we'd love to hear your story. Please email FOOF.


DON'T CALL IT THE "FOX" OR THE "OAKLAND FOX"
TOM HORSFALL, a projectionist in Local 169 (Oakland, Alameda County) for 16 years, worked at the Fox Oakland for about three months in the summer of 1966 (written in 2001):

"The old-timers I worked with that summer had been around for decades, [and] they always referred to the theater as the 'Oakland' while my generation used 'Fox Oakland' I never heard it referred to as the 'Fox' or 'Oakland Fox'; the only 'Fox' was on Market street in San Francisco and it was demolished years ago."


MOVIE POSTERS AT THE MOVIE PALACE
SMITH AND BUBAR commercial artists, worked out of the Fox during the the Depression creating Movie posters for the West Coast Fox Theaters.


MEMORIES OF A FORMER EMPLOYEE
ROBERT C. was born and raised in Oakland, graduated from Fremont High School in 1970, and his family was in the motion picture business, primarily in film exhibition. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was an usher at the Fox Oakland (written in August 2001):

"I remember working [at] the Fox when the film "I Am Curious Yellow" came out in 1969. It was rated X and there were at least 900 people in the theater. It got shut down by the Oakland Police as being obscene [but reopened the next day with no further problems]. The last film shown there was a double bill of "Lady Sings the Blues" and "The Godfather" [both released in 1972]. I was the usher at the time, and on a weekend there were only 15 people in the theatre; it was sad. Everyone was going to the Roxie, which had half-price triple bills [mostly blaxploitation films], or the Lux which had nightly bingo games, or the T&D which showed porn.

"The elevator in the theatre [manually operated] used to creak real loud, but it was fast! One of the operators used to swing the lever fast so that it would catapult to the top floor and give the unruly kids a stomachache.

"The Fox, in my opinion, was haunted. Weird things happened in there: The [statue of the Hindu deity] to the right of the proscenium arch would light up by itself, for no reason, and the curtain would open up by itself. But it's the secret passageways; the way to get into the Fox without a key; the one-lane bowling alley (now gone); and numerous other gems that make the Fox Oakland stand out as one of the most mysterious, beautiful, and lavish theaters on the West Coast.


FOX OAKLAND PATRONS REMEMBER
BOB KOCH remembers, among other things, a performance by Ann Miller during the 1930s (written December 2001 & February 2003):

"I'm almost 80, went to University High in North Oakland and remember in 1935 my father taking me to Earl Carroll's Vanities on the stage of the Fox Oakland. Forget the stars, I think the song 'Cocktails for Two' was in the show; maybe Carl Brisson in it. What I remember most was Ann Miller and her dancing. She was great and must have been only in her late teens. She sure has longevity. I was 13 at the time, no wonder I don't remember.

"I spent many hours in there watching the picture shows, going across the street to the White Log Tavern for a 5 cent hamburger and 7 cent malt, and later when times got better being able to go into Edy's next door for milk shakes etc. One thing the Fox had, as did the Paramount, was a magnascope screen. This was a wonder to my young eyes; when the feature would come on they had this huge screen which covered the whole proscenium and the picture was its normal size but the rest of the outside areas were covered with mosaics projected by the Brenograph effects machine in the booth. After the credits, the last one being "directed by" there was always a fade and then the effects machine was turned off and the screen masking came in from three sides and masked the feature film to its normal size. Even though I'm eighty, I can see it yet. The huge screen was the result of Fox film studios experiment with something called "Grandeur" an early big screen; i.e. seventy mm. Because of the depression it died a natural death. I used to know, when I was a kid, the local IATSE members that worked in the booth (projection room). Elmer Nicholls was one."

JOE D. remembers the 1950s (written March 2002):

"As a teenager during the mid 1950s I lived on 22nd Street just a few blocks from the Fox Oakland Theater and I have fond memories of those years. My buddies and I went to St Francis de Sales school which is also just a few blocks from the Fox. I remember the neighborhood and the Fox with much affection. I can not remember how many afternoons I spent at the Fox but there were many."

AL PEREZ, who "grew up" in the Fox Oakland Theater, remembers Marilyn Monroe movies from the 1950s (written January 2002):

"I saw the uncut previews of Marilyn Monroe's "7 Year Itch" [released 3 Jun 1955] and "Bus Stop" [released 31 Aug 1956] at the Fox--UNCUT Sneak Previews--and I still have the original forms that were handed out for us to make comments before the final editing was completed... Oy Vey!

"I was absolutely thrilled a couple of weeks ago when I saw what a MAGNIFICENT restoration has been done to the exterior [marquee and blade sign]--gawd, that alone is so exciting! YOU, whoever you are: Bless you for caring and for doing such a splendid job so far...It's certainly a daunting task ahead, but WOW-- won't it be mind-boggling if we can get this magnificent structure functioning (in ANY capacity WHATSOEVER) once again? Wow..."

ERIKA MAILMAN, formerly an editor and now a columnist for the Montclarion newspaper, gathered these two memories in 1999: "When the house lights came on, the place would just glitter like gold," remembers HERBIE TAYLOR. Not only were the walls gold, but the ushers wore gold uniforms. Catwalks along the top of the walls were places where ushers could walk and spy on patrons unseen. "One time, I was smooching with my girlfriend in the balcony and a few of the guys in the row were heckling us. All of a sudden, an usher shows up and shines his flashlight right on them. I always wondered how he knew which ones were doing it, but I know now he must've been up there watching. The Fox is the best theater Oakland had," says Taylor emphatically. The Fox's admission price was always higher than the other theaters in town, and according to Taylor, a man not wearing a tie was frowned on.

ERMA DELUCCHI has fond memories of attending the Fox as a young girl : "I remember standing in line to see Gone with the Wind. It was raining hard and we stood there for 45 minutes with our umbrellas... and we didn't even care!" Wearing a white gardenia corsage, she'd sit in the loges with her future husband and enjoy the spectacle of a show at the Fox.


DISCRIMINATION AT THE FOX OAKLAND
KEVIN MCFARREN, a volunteer researcher for FOOF, was asked to find out if, in the pre-civil rights era, there was any sort of discrimination at the Fox Oakland Theater. Here is his report (written March 2003):

"I interviewed three persons at the Downtown Senior Center on March 4, 2003: two African-Americans, one Caucasian. The stories were the same: the Fox Oakland Theatre did not discriminate at all.

"The first person I spoke with was an African-American gentleman named SAM MILLER. He is 81 years old, and had great memories of the Fox. He said there was no discrimination. He recalled seeing Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, and more movies than he could recall.

"The second person I interviewed was a 78-year-old Caucasian gentleman named ERIC ERICSON. He said there was never a question about race at the Fox, and he said he spent many nights there. He said the Paramount was also "open" with regards to integration.

"My favorite interview was with LIONEL SENNETTE. Mr. Sennette is 74 years old. He loved the Fox. He is African-American, and when I politely asked if he had ever experienced discrimination, he got incensed. He said the Fox was multi-cultural. The only discrimination he recalled was when he and his friends would skip class and the Fox would not allow school-age children, regardless of race, in during the day! There was a movie house called the Rex in Oakland between 9th and 10th on Broadway. They let children in during the day."



ABNER'S STORY OF THE FOX-OAKLAND THEATER
ABNER wrote this account in the early 1990s:

Oakland was fortunate to have several large movie theaters, which were built during the "golden age" of the motion picture. Besides the Fox-Oakland, patrons had a choice of attending the T & D, the Grand Lake, Fox-Orpheum, Senator, Fox State or the Paramount Theater. There were numerous smaller movie houses, but these large "palaces" had seating capacities for at least two thousand patrons; the Fox-Oakland and the Paramount could accommodate over three thousand people.

Among the giants, only the Grand Lake and the Paramount are in current use. The Grand Lake was divided into multi-screens with a large portion of the main auditorium intact. The Paramount was selected to be the home of the Oakland Symphony and Ballet in addition to being used for performing arts. Having been purchased by the Oakland Symphony Association in 1972, the Paramount Theater was given a complete restoration with a strong emphasis on the details and accuracy of the original appearance. The rest of the large theaters were demolished except for the Fox-Oakland, which still stands ... but the fate of the building remains uncertain at this time.

The Fox Oakland first opened on 17th and Broadway in 1923. A couple of years later, the name was changed to the Fox-Orpheum and when vaudeville acts became the only entertainment offered there, the Fox part of the name was dropped. In 1927, construction began on the current structure at 18th and Telegraph originally scheduled to be named the Baghdad, the theater was named the Oakland by West Coast Theaters. After that firm was absorbed into the William Fox Empire, the "Fox" name preceded the "Oakland." The building was designed by the architectural firm of Charles Peter Weeks and William Day; the construction contract was awarded to Maury Diggs. The theater was patterned to resemble a far eastern Hindu-Islamic atmosphere (thus the original name Baghdad) and it was one of the last movie palaces to feature a flamboyant interior. The Fox-Oakland opened to the public on Friday, October 26, 1928. The following year featured the grand debut of the magnificent San Francisco Fox, designed by Thomas Lamb. Advertised as "the last word," the San Francisco Fox was opulent, gaudy and elegant; no expense was spared in its building and furnishing. Both the San Francisco and Oakland Fox Theaters were among the last to be built with lavish interiors and exteriors in an era that preceded sound movies and art deco architecture.

The major competitor to the Fox-Oakland was the Paramount, which opened in 1931 and was originally owned by the Paramount-Publix chain. Before the Paramount was completed, the parent company went bankrupt and sold the theater to West Coast Theaters, a subsidiary of the William Fox empire. Because both theaters were now under the same ownership, management avoided direct competition by alternating popular movie titles. By the end of 1931, a national depression was taking place and Fox West Coast could not afford operating costs for all of its theaters. The Paramount was forced to close its doors for a while - the Fox-Oakland remained open.

By the time the Paramount resumed operations, both theaters were strictly movie houses.... the musical productions, vaudeville acts and organ performances were a thing of the past. The Fox Oakland had installed a three manual, fifteen-rank Wurlitzer pipe organ, which was removed in the early 1950's, sold to a John Lenninqer and installed at his home in Redding, California.

Both the Paramount and the Fox-Oakland continued operations into the 1960's. By that time, television had taken its toll on the motion picture industry. People chose to remain home and watch their black and white "tiny screens". Many large theaters were forced to cease operations and even the movie studios were threatened with bankruptcy. Another setback for the studios was an antitrust ruling by the Federal government which prohibited movie studios from owning theaters. In addition, smaller theaters were constructed in the suburbs and local residents preferred to attend those nearby movie houses rather than make a trip to the city. By the mid-1960's, many large theaters were torn down including the San Francisco Fox, the Roxy in New York, Philadelphia's Mastbaum and Chicago's Paradise. In their place were erected office buildings, shopping centers, bowling alleys and parking lots. The Fox-Oakland ceased its regular operations in 1965; the Paramount would remain open another five years.

The Fox Oakland had a small reprieve. In 1966, the construction of the upcoming Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) was approaching the Oakland downtown area. Two stations were being built for that area, the Nineteenth Street Station and Oakland City Center. The work on the BART project forced the Paramount to temporarily close; Fox West Coast Theaters moved its operations to the Fox-Oakland where it remained until the Paramount was able to resume business. After that happened, the Fox would be used about once a month to prevent the city fire department from condemning the building. In 1968, the Fox was vacated forever.

Having been closed and no plans for future operations, the Fox Oakland faced a grim future. In 1973, an arson-set fire caused extensive damage to some of the interior. The cost of repairs was covered by insurance, but another series of fires occurred. There were no attempts to correct these damages; with no maintenance, the theater continued to deteriorate. The Oakland's Planning Department gave serious consideration to razing the building and using the property for a parking lot. In 1977 Mann Theaters, the building's owners, held an auction.... one of the two highest bidders were investors who wanted to tear down the Fox-Oakland and construct a high-rise office complex on the site; the other contender was a local Piedmont resident who held a strong sentimental feeling towards the old theater because of fond memories of courtship which took place there. Mrs. Erma Delucchi was awarded the sale of the property for $340,000 and thus saved the Fox Oakland from certain destruction.

Since that time, the Fox-Oakland has remained unused and, while safe from immediate demolition, still has an uncertain future. Contracted studies by potential users have concluded that the theater could be used for a concert hall, an opera house, legitimate theater or the auditorium could be divided into multiplex screens. With excellent acoustics, the Fox would be ideal for concert hall use, but the Oakland Symphony purchased the Paramount for that purpose, after considering and testing both theaters for possible acquisition. Although the organization sold the Paramount to the City Of Oakland, it still has rent free use of the facility for many years. Oakland does not have a principal auditorium for legitimate theater, and the large stage and seating capacity of the Fox-Oakland would be an ideal choice; San Francisco has a large influence on the theatrical business with several of its movie palaces converted for that use, among them, the Golden Gate, the Orpheum and the Fox Warfield. By utilization of the Fox Oakland for stage shows, Oakland could attract legitimate theater and help revitalize the downtown area. Opera productions are another possible way of utilizing the building. A big stumbling block to any potential use is the prohibitive cost of repair from damage and neglect. One can debate about a cost analysis of restoration versus construction of a new auditorium, but one point is valid: why built a structure when a building already exists which has the necessary prerequisites and a colorful history to go with it? The Fox Oakland meets those requirements! In addition, the state of California's Parks and Recreation Department did an analysis on the property in 1981 and found most of the interior intact and usable. Throughout the years, the lobby ceiling was lowered and the marquee and edifice remodeled in a chrome appearance; the organ, chandeliers and seats were removed; otherwise, the theater and office building remain unchanged.

Alan Michaan of Rialto-Renaissance also had ideas for use of the Fox. Several attempts were made to convert the theater into five multi-screens. He promised that careful attention would be paid to details and any structural changes would be done in an architectural style to keep a similar appearance that would coordinate with the original interior design. Each proposal met with failure, the last attempt being made in 1990 which suggested that the city of Oakland renovate the Fox and move the Paramount staff to that facility, while Michaan would build four multi-screens next to the Paramount and use the latter as well for his movies. The Oakland city council rejected his ideas.

Unless some sort of action is taken to save and preserve the theater, the Fox Oakland could possibly fall to the wrecker's ball and join many other razed theaters that were lost because of the inability to find some lucrative means of operation.

Let's hope someone sees the potential and rescues the Fox Oakland... before it is too late.


If you have personal memories, photographs, or memorabilia of the Fox Oakland Theater, we'd love to hear your story. Please email FOOF.

 

 

 
 
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