Peninsula Theatre facts for kids

The Peninsula Theatre was a grand movie palace in Burlingame, California. It was open from 1926 to 1974. In 1957, its name changed to Fox Burlingame. The theater closed its doors in 1974. It was torn down in 1975 to make space for a shopping mall.

History of the Peninsula Theatre

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. It was the sixth theater opened by the Peninsula Theatres Corporation. This new theater was meant to replace the Garden Burlingame. The other five theaters were all on the San Francisco Peninsula.

Ellis J. Arkush, his brother Frank Arkush, and a lawyer named Eph Karelsen started the Peninsula Theatres Corporation. They hired the architects Weeks and Day to design the theater.

Before the Peninsula Theatre opened, Ellis J. Arkush sold half of his theater business to West Coast Theatres, Inc. This company was the biggest movie theater company in western North America at the time. 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 Robert-Morton theater organ, worth $50,000, was played by Elbert La Chelle and Elmer Vincent. Milt Franklyn and his nine-person 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 Fox Burlingame's last show was on Saturday, September 14, 1974. About 250 people came to see the double-feature films Chinatown and The New Centurions. Beverly Brehmer was the theater manager at that time.

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 & Day. The theater had 2,000 seats. It was designed in a fancy Spanish baroque style. The lobby had grand staircases between pillars. These pillars had mosaic-like panels showing animals.

The Theater Organ

The Peninsula Theatre 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.

• Sounds: This organ had 1,033 pipes. It could make sounds like a tuba, English horn, flute, violin, and clarinet. It also had sounds for a harp, bells, xylophone, and many drums. It could even make sounds like a human voice.
• Controls: The organ had a solid mahogany control panel with three keyboards and pedals. It had 153 different sound settings.
• Power: A powerful fan pushed air through the pipes. Electric parts helped the organ work.

A piano was also connected to the organ. It was in a separate room near the stage. The organ's installation was managed by Leo F. Schoenstein.

Organ's Current Status

The organ was taken apart around 2007. It was owned by a collector named Dale Merrill Haskin. Parts of his collection are now with the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society in Portland, Oregon.

Auditorium Features

The main hall had a huge plasterwork arch around the stage, called a proscenium. On both sides of the stage, there were arched openings for the organ's sound chambers.

Theater Renovation (1957)

In 1957, Fox West Coast Theatres owned the building. They spent $100,000 to update the theater. After the renovation, it had 1,808 seats. It reopened with a big celebration on August 16, 1957. From then on, it was called the Fox Burlingame.

For many years, the theater's roof had a bright sign with flashing lights. It looked like fireworks. This was similar to the sign still seen at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland.

The Fox Burlingame Theater closed on September 14, 1974. It was torn down the next year. A shopping center called the Fox Mall was built in its place. The Fox Mall opened in 1979.

Ownership and Management

Ellis John Arkush was born in New York. He studied civil engineering at Columbia University. He started his theater business in Redwood City in 1914. He built the Sequoia Theater there. He also owned 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, the entire chain of theaters was sold to Fox West Coast Theatres.

Key People at the Theaters

• Ellis John Arkush (1888–1974): President of Peninsula Theatres Corporation.
• Frank Ephriam Arkush (1884–1947): Ellis's brother.
• Eph Karelsen (1871–1956): A lawyer and Ellis's cousin.
• Ray Kelsall (1889–1953): The first business manager for the Peninsula Theatre. He used to manage the Garden Theatre. He had a staff of 22 people.

Fox West Coast Theatres (after 1957)

• "Billie" Tannehill (1925–2001): He managed the Burlingame theater from about 1955 to 1967. He later managed the Century 21 Theatre in San Jose.
• Ward Stoopes (1926–1999): Another theater manager who started his career at Fox Burlingame.
• Beverly Brehmer (born 1929): She was the manager at Fox Burlingame when it closed in 1974. She had worked for Fox West Coast Theatres since the late 1950s.

Entertainers

• Milt Franklyn (1897–1962): A famous musician who led the house band at the Peninsula Theatre.

Photo Links

You can see old photos of the theater from the Los Angeles Public Library, all from 1945:

• 1 Marquee
• 2 Lobby stairs
• 3 Lobby
• 4 Lobby
• 5 Proscenium
• 6 Marquee, front
• 7 Marquee, front
• 8 The Peninsula in 1930 (from the San Francisco Chronicle)

See also

• Fox Theatres

Interesting Facts

The Golden State Theatre has some items saved from other old theaters. One of these is a stained glass exit sign from the Peninsula Theatre.