Former movie theater in Burlingame, California, United States
The Peninsula Theatre was a movie palace in Burlingame, California, that ran from 1926 to 1974. In 1957, the name was changed to Fox Burlingame. The theater was shuttered in 1974 and demolished in 1975 to make way for a shopping mall.
History.
The Peninsula Theatre was located at 1415 Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame, California. It opened October 12, 1926 – toward the end of the silent film era. It was the sixth of a chain of theaters operated by The Peninsula Theaters Corporation and was intended to replace the Garden Burlingame. The other five were all located on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Design and construction was commissioned by Peninsula Theatres Corporation doing business as Ellis J. Arkush Entertainment, a privately held California enterprise headed by Ellis J. Arkush, his brother, Frank Arkush, and an attorney, Eph Karelsen.
On December 28, 1925, prior to opening the Peninsula Theatre, Ellis J. Arkush sold a 50% interest, billed as a million dollar merger, in all his theaters, to West Coast Theatres, Inc., which, then, was the largest cinema theater company in the western North America. But Ellis, under the auspices of Peninsula Theatres Corporation, retained active management of the Peninsula Theatre. Policy and direction of the other theaters were assigned to Archie M. Bowles "(né" Archer Mckee Bowles; 1889–1944), General Manager of the Northern Branch of West Coast Theatres.
The opening on October 12, 1926, premiered the silent film, "Upstage", and included an appearance by comedian Charley Chase. Also, the $50,000 Robert-Morton theater organ was played by Elbert La Chelle "(né" Elbert George Lachelle; 1905–1990), pronounced "la shell," and Elmer Vincent "(né" William Elmer Vincent; 1893–1952). Milt Franklyn and his nine-piece band was the founding house band.
The Peninsula Theatre hosted vaudeville on Saturday nights.
An audience of about 250 attended Fox Burlingame's final showing, a double-feature – "Chinatown" and "The New Centurions" — Saturday, September 14, 1974. Beverly Brehmer "(née" Beverly June Brehmer; born 1929) was the theater manager.
Peninsula Theatres Corporation.
Peninsula Theatres Corporation doing business as Ellis J. Arkush Entertainment, a privately held California enterprise headed by Ellis J. Arkush, his brother, Frank Arkush, and an attorney, Eph Karelsen.
Original theater (1926).
1927.
The Peninsula Theatre was originally designed for both (i) vaudeville stage shows and (i) silent movies. Construction and development outlay was US$ (, inflation adjusted estimate) Weeks &amp; Day were the architects. The original Peninsula Theatre had 2,000 seats and was ornately Spanish baroque in style, featuring staircases in the lobby ascending between pillars inset with mosaic-like panels depicting animals.
Theater organ.
Make
Only the third of its type and size to be installed in a Pacific Coast theater.
Pipes
Console
Mechanical
Power
Piano
Installation engineer
Current status
Housing for the organ pipes
Theater renovation (1957).
In 1957, Fox West Coast Theatres, then the owners, spent $100,000 renovating the theater, this time 1808 seats and was reopened with an extravagant ceremony on the evening of August 16, 1957, and henceforth was named the Fox Burlingame. For many years, the theatre's roof featured a two-sided lightbulb sign, with incandescent fireworks, similar to that which still survives atop the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland. The Fox Burlingame Theater closed September 14, 1974, and was demolished the following year to make way for the Fox Mall, a shopping center developed by two investors – Mario Castro and Joseph Karp. The Fox Mall was built and dedicated in 1979.
Ownership.
Ellis John Arkush, a native of New York and 1910 graduate of Columbia University (civil engineering), entered the theater business in Redwood City in 1914 where he built the Sequoia Theater. He added the Variety and Stanford Theatres in Palo Alto, the Peninsula Theatre, and the San Mateo Theatre in San Mateo. Ellis Arkush was the president of Peninsula Theatres Corporation. The entire chain was sold in 1929 to Fox West Coast Theatres.
Selected personnel.
Management.
Peninsula Theatres Corporation dba Ellis J. Arkush Entertainment
* W.H. Augustus, Jr., house manager
* Hale Warn "(né" Hale Knowlton Warn; 1910–1979), head usher
* Walter Hawthorne Farley (1890–1960), chief operator (projectionist)
* Andrew Hillgard, assistant operator
* F. H. Thomason "(né" Floyd Harris Thomason; 1896–1976), stage manager, and later, projectionist
* Dorothy Durant "(née" Josephine E. Durant; 1904–1953), cashier
* Agnes Durant "(née" Agnes Magdalen Durant; 1909–1992), assistant cashier (Dorothy's younger sister)
Fox West Coast Theatres (beginning 1957)
Photo links.
Photos from the Los Angeles Public Library, all dated 1945:
Projection equipment.
In the beginning of 1929, the Peninsula was operating two 35 mm Fulco projectors, Ernemann design, manufactured by E.E. Fulton Company of Chicago – Carl Henry Fulton (1896–1947), President and son of the firms namesake, Elmer E. Fulton (1861–1921).
Miscellaneous.
The Golden State Theatre houses a number of items saved from other theaters, which happened to match items which were missing, including one stained glass exit sign from the Peninsula Theatre.
Notes and references.
Notes.
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References.
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