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 A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

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 The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is Mountain View, south of Palo Alt ...

. 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 Upstage may refer to: * UpStage, an open source server-side application that has been purpose built for cyberformance * ''Upstage'' (film), (also known as The Mask of Comedy) is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film *The Upstage Gallery, feat ...

'', and included an appearance by comedian

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

. 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 ''The New Centurions'' is a 1972 American Panavision neo-noir action crime film based on the 1971 novel of the same name by policeman turned author Joseph Wambaugh. It stars George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jane Alexander, Rosal ...

'' — 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 (, inflation adjusted estimate)

Weeks & Day Weeks and Day was an American architectural firm founded in 1916 by architect Charles Peter Weeks (1870–1928) and engineer William Peyton Day (1886–1966). Weeks was born in Copley, Ohio, educated in the atelier of Victor Laloux at the Éco ...

were the architects. The original Peninsula Theatre had 2,000 seats and was ornately

Spanish baroque The arts of the Spanish Baroque include: *Spanish Baroque painting *Spanish Baroque architecture ** Spanish Baroque ephemeral architecture *Spanish Baroque literature **''Culteranismo'' **''Conceptismo'' * Spanish Baroque art ** Bodegón **Tenebri ...

in style, featuring staircases in the lobby ascending between pillars inset with mosaic-like panels depicting animals.

Theater organ

Make *

Robert Morton Organ Company The Robert Morton Organ Company was a producer of theater pipe organs and church organs, located in Van Nuys, California. Robert Morton was the number two volume producer of theatre organs, building approximately half as many organs as the indu ...

of San Francisco and New York * Opus (number not known; likely range: 2293–2412) Only the third of its type and size to be installed in a Pacific Coast theater. Pipes * A thousand thirty-three pipes capable of producing orchestral instrument sounds that included the tuba, English horn, concert flute, viola, violin, kinura, oboe, clarinet, and bass violin. For accompaniment music, the organ had diapason tibia plena,

voix céleste The Voix celeste (french: Voix céleste, lit=heavenly voice) is an organ stop consisting of either one or two ranks of pipes slightly out of tune. The term ''celeste'' refers to a rank of pipes detuned slightly so as to produce a beating effect w ...

, and vox humana – for the human voice. It also had a harp

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

, chrysoglott harp, orchestral bells, glockenspiel,

chimes Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

, bass drum, tympani, cymbal, crash cymbal, snare drum, tom tom,

castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Spanish, Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a simil ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

, and

sleigh bell A jingle bell or sleigh bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic sleigh bell sound and morris dancing. The ...

s. Console * Solid mahogany 3- manual and pedal

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

* 13 ranks * 153 stops in the stoprail * Manual compass (chromatic

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

) is 61 keys * Pedal compass had 32 notes * Possibly a "Carlsted"

, named for Morton's head draftsman, Paul Simon Carlsted (1891–1982) Mechanical * Electro-pneumatic action (chests) with individual expression shutters controlled various shadings * More than 1,500 electromagnets operated the valve mechanism Power * Centrifugal blower driven by a 10-

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

motor, voiced on 15-inch wind pressure (a size capable of delivering air at 1900 C.F.M. – cubic feet per minute) ("Orgoblo" centrifugal blower manufactured by The Spencer Turbine Co. of Hartford) * A 70- ampere, 10-

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defin ...

generator, driven by a 2-

provided the voltage for the magnets that operate the valve mechanism * A special 24-inch vacuum blower, powered by a 1-

motor, supplied the exhaust air for the piano mechanism * All motors were controlled by switches from the

Piano * A piano, placed in a separate compartment in the orchestra pit, was also controlled from the console Installation engineer * Leo F. Schoenstein ''(né'' Leo Ferdinand Schoenstein; 1878–1951), under the auspices of Schoenstein & Co. of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

– technician for the Morgan Organ Company – personally directed the installation. Current status * Dismantled and dispersed ''(circa'' 2007); was in possession of Dale Merrill Haskin (1942–2007), a collector of theater organs, late of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, who also owned the

Orpheum organ. Much of Haskin's collection is now with the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. Housing for the organ pipes * The auditorium featured a massive

plasterwork Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting. The process of ...

proscenium, and was flanked on both sides with arched organ fronts for the expression chambers.

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 Incandescence is the emission of electromagnetic radiation (including visible light) from a hot body as a result of its high temperature. The term derives from the Latin verb ''incandescere,'' to glow white. A common use of incandescence is ...

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 Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(civil engineering), entered the theater business in

Redwood City Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a po ...

in 1914 where he built the Sequoia Theater. He added the Variety and Stanford Theatres in

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

, 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 * Ellis John Arkush (1888–1974), President of Peninsula Theatres Corporation, also brother of Frank * Frank Ephriam Arkush (1884–1947), brother of Ellis * Eph Karelsen ''(né'' Ephraim Adolphus Karelsen; 1871–1956), attorney and Arkush's maternal cousin * Ray Kelsall ''(né'' Ray Roland Kelsall; 1889–1953), founding business manager who, before had been manager of the Garden Theatre. He had a staff of 22 – including :* W.H. Augustus, Jr., house manager :* Hale Warn ''(né'' Hale Knowlton Warn; 1910–1979), head usher :* Walter Hawthorne Farley (1890–1960), chief operator (

projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...

) :* 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) * "Billie" Tannehill ''(né'' William Jackson Tannehill; 1925–2001), theater manager in Burlingame from about 1955 to 1967. He later managed the Century 21 Theatre in San Jose, which opened in 1963 and closed in 2014. He was survived by his wife, Marlene Grace Murphy (maiden; 1936–2011), and three children. Tannehill started managing theaters in the late 1940s, after serving in the Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He managed theaters for Fox West Coast,

Mann Theatres Mann Theatres was a movie theater chain that predominantly operated in the western United States, with a heavy concentration of theaters in Southern California. Its motto was "Where Hollywood goes to the movies". History The Mann Theatres chai ...

, and finished his career with

Century Theatres Century Theatres is a movie theater chain that operates many multiplexes in the western United States, primarily in California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. In its later years, it had expanded into the inter-mountain states, t ...

, spending the last 17 years at Century 21. * Ward Stoopes ''(né'' Ward Farmiloe Stoopes; 1926–1999), a theater manager in the

area who began his career at Fox Burlingame * Beverly Brehmer ''(née'' Beverly June Brehmer; born 1929), manager at the Fox Burlingame when it closed September 14, 1974, had worked for Fox West Coast Theatres since the late 1950s

Entertainers

* Milt Franklyn ''(né'' Milton J. Franklyn; 1897–1962)

Photo links

Photos from the

Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...

, all dated 1945:
1 Marquee
LAPL00071370 (

call number)
2 Lobby stairs
LAPL00071371
3 Lobby
LAPL00071372
4 Lobby
LAPL00071373
5 Proscenium
LAPL00071374
6 Marquee, front
LAPL00071375
7 Marquee, front
LAPL00071376
8 The Peninsula in 1930

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

file photo

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

References

External links

Fox Burlingame
at Cinema Treasures {{DEFAULTSORT:Peninsula Theatre Event venues established in 1926 Theatres completed in 1926 Burlingame, California Theatres in the San Francisco Bay Area Cinemas and movie theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area Cinemas and movie theaters in California Former cinemas in the United States Demolished theatres in California Commercial buildings completed in 1926 Buildings and structures demolished in 1975 1920s architecture in the United States Public venues with a theatre organ History of San Mateo County, California Weeks and Day buildings