Peninsula Theatre facts for kids
| Address | 1415 Burlingame Avenue Burlingame, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°34′39″N 122°21′02″W / 37.5774565°N 122.3504942°W |
| Owner | Peninsula Theatres Corporation
Ellis John Arkush, President
Fox West Coast Theatres(1926–1929) (1929–1974) |
| Operator | Ellis J. Arkush Entertainment (1926–1957) Fox West Coast Theatres (1929–1974) |
| Type | Movie Palace |
| Capacity | 2,000 seats (1926–1957) 1808 seats (1957–1974) |
| Screens | 1 |
| Current use | Shopping mall |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 12 October 1926 |
| Renovated | 1957 |
| Closed | 14 September 1974 |
| Demolished | 1 October 1975 |
| Years active | 47 |
| Architect | Weeks and Day |
The Peninsula Theatre was a grand movie palace in Burlingame, California. It opened in 1926 and showed movies until 1974. In 1957, its name changed to Fox Burlingame. The theater closed its doors in 1974 and was taken down in 1975. A shopping mall was built in its place.
Contents
History of the Theater
The Peninsula Theatre was located at 1415 Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame, California. It first opened on October 12, 1926. This was near the end of the silent film era, when movies had no sound. It was the sixth theater opened by the Peninsula Theaters Corporation. This company wanted the Peninsula Theatre to replace their older Garden Burlingame theater. All six theaters were located on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Ellis J. Arkush, his brother Frank, and their lawyer Eph Karelsen owned the Peninsula Theaters Corporation. Before the Peninsula Theatre opened, Ellis J. Arkush sold half of his theater business to West Coast Theatres, Inc. This was a very large movie theater company in western North America. However, Ellis Arkush still managed the Peninsula Theatre himself.
The grand opening on October 12, 1926, featured the silent film Upstage. The famous comedian Charley Chase also made an appearance. A special $50,000 Robert-Morton theater organ was played by Elbert La Chelle and Elmer Vincent. Milt Franklyn and his nine-piece band were the theater's first house band.
The Peninsula Theatre also hosted live vaudeville shows on Saturday nights. Vaudeville was a type of entertainment with different acts like comedy, music, and dance.
The last movie showing at the Fox Burlingame was on Saturday, September 14, 1974. About 250 people came to see the double-feature: Chinatown and The New Centurions. Beverly Brehmer was the theater manager at that time.
Peninsula Theatres Corporation
The Peninsula Theatres Corporation was a company run by Ellis J. Arkush, his brother Frank Arkush, and their lawyer Eph Karelsen. This company owned and managed several theaters on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Here are some of the theaters managed by Ellis J. Arkush:
| Theater | City | Street | Architect(s) | Notes | |
| Managed by Arkush before the Peninsula opened | |||||
| 1) | Bell | Redwood City: | 865 Main Street | Opened in 1910. Arkush leased it in 1914. It was his first theater. | |
| 1) | Garden | Burlingame: | Burlingame Avenue | Ernest L. Norberg | Opened in 1918. Arkush leased it in 1920 and it closed in 1925. |
| 2) | Regent | San Mateo: | Corner of Baldwin & San Mateo Drive | W.D. Shea | Opened in 1915. It closed in 1927 after Arkush bought the San Mateo Theatre. |
| 3) | Sequoia | Redwood City: | 2114 Broadway | Opened in 1916 by Arkush. It was his second theater. It closed in 1929. | |
| 4) | Varsity | Palo Alto: | 263 University Avenue | Built in 1911. Arkush became a partner around 1922. | |
| 5) | Stanford | Palo Alto: | Weeks and Day | Opened in 1925 by Ellis Arkush. | |
| Managed by Arkush after the Peninsula opened | |||||
| 6) | San Mateo | San Mateo: | 66 East 3rd Avenue | Irving F. Morrow & William I. Garren | Opened in 1925. Arkush bought it in 1927. |
| 7) | Sequoia | Redwood City: | 2215 Broadway | Reid & Reid | Opened in 1929 by Arkush. |
Original Theater Design (1926)
The Peninsula Theatre was built for both live vaudeville shows and silent movies. It cost about $500,000 to build. The architects were Weeks and Day. The theater had 2,000 seats and was decorated in a fancy Spanish baroque style. The lobby had grand staircases with pillars that featured mosaic-like panels of animals.
Theater Organ Details
The theater had a special organ made by the Robert Morton Organ Company. It was one of only three organs of its kind on the Pacific Coast.
Organ Pipes
The organ had 1,033 pipes. These pipes could make sounds like many different instruments. These included the tuba, English horn, flute, violin, and clarinet. It also had sounds for a human voice. The organ could also make sounds of a harp, bells, glockenspiel, chimes, xylophone, and drums.
Organ Console
The organ's control panel, called the console, was made of solid mahogany. It had three keyboards (manuals) and pedals. It had 153 stops, which are controls for different sounds.
Organ Power
A large fan, powered by a 10-horsepower motor, blew air through the pipes. This fan could move a lot of air very quickly. Smaller motors and generators powered the organ's other parts.
Piano Feature
A piano was placed in a separate room near the stage. It could also be played from the organ console.
Organ's Current Status
The organ was taken apart around 2007. Its pieces are now with the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society in Portland, Oregon.
Organ Housing
Inside the auditorium, there was a large decorated archway called a proscenium. On both sides of this archway were special arched openings. These openings were where the organ pipes were hidden.
Theater Renovation (1957)
In 1957, the owners, Fox West Coast Theatres, spent $100,000 to update the theater. After the renovation, it had 1,808 seats. It reopened with a big ceremony on August 16, 1957. From then on, it was called the Fox Burlingame.
For many years, the theater's roof had a large, bright sign. It was shaped like fireworks and lit up with many lightbulbs. This was similar to the sign still seen today at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland.
The Fox Burlingame Theater closed on September 14, 1974. It was torn down the next year to build the Fox Mall. This shopping center was finished and opened in 1979.
Theater Ownership
Ellis John Arkush was born in New York. He started in the theater business in Redwood City in 1914. He built the Sequoia Theater there. He also 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. In 1929, he sold his entire chain of theaters to Fox West Coast Theatres.
Key People at the Theater
Management Teams
Peninsula Theatres Corporation (1926-1957)
- Ellis John Arkush: President of the company.
- Frank Ephriam Arkush: Ellis's brother.
- Eph Karelsen: A lawyer and Ellis's cousin.
- Ray Kelsall: The first business manager. He had a team of 22 people, including:
- W.H. Augustus, Jr.: House manager.
- Hale Warn: Head usher.
- Walter Hawthorne Farley: Chief projectionist (the person who ran the movie projectors).
- Andrew Hillgard: Assistant projectionist.
- F. H. Thomason: Stage manager and later a projectionist.
- Dorothy Durant: Cashier.
- Agnes Durant: Assistant cashier and Dorothy's younger sister.
Fox West Coast Theatres (1957-1974)
- "Billie" Tannehill: Theater manager in Burlingame from about 1955 to 1967. He later managed the Century 21 Theatre in San Jose.
- Ward Stoopes: Another theater manager who started his career at Fox Burlingame.
- Beverly Brehmer: The manager at the Fox Burlingame when it closed in 1974. She had worked for Fox West Coast Theatres since the late 1950s.
Entertainers
- Milt Franklyn: A musician who led the house band.
Images for kids
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1 Marquee LAPL00071370
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2 Lobby stairs LAPL00071371
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3 Lobby LAPL00071372
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4 Lobby LAPL00071373
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5 Proscenium LAPL00071374
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6 Marquee, front LAPL00071375
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7 Marquee, front LAPL00071376
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8 The Peninsula in 1930
Projection Equipment
In early 1929, the Peninsula Theatre used two 35 mm Fulco projectors. These projectors were designed by Ernemann and made by the E.E. Fulton Company of Chicago.
See also
Interesting Fact
The Golden State Theatre has some items saved from other old theaters. One of these items is a stained glass exit sign that came from the Peninsula Theatre.
