The California Theatre, a showplace movie palace on Route 66 owned by Fox West Coast Theatre Group, was used in the 1920s-1950 as a preferred place for movie premieres by the Fox Film Corporation, later known as 20th Century Fox.
From the National Register Nomination form: (
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"The California Theatre
San Bernardino County, CA
SECTION 8: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The California Theatre is nominated for placement on the National Register of Historic Places under the register’s first criterion for its association as a center of Entertainment/Recreation for the City of San Bernardino during Hollywood’s “Golden Age” of movie making, i.e. from the theatre’s opening in 1928 until 1950. During those years, the Fox Film Corporation held several movie “world premieres” at which the starring actors, directors, writers, major corporate executives, among others, were present. The theatre was also used to “screen test” several films for assessing audience reaction.
The Fox West Coast Theatre Corporation located the California Theatre in San Bernardino because of the city’s importance as a key population, finance and commercial center for the Inland Empire region (the region composed of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties) in the early decades of the twentieth century. So the Fox West Coast Theatre corporation took advantage of the city’s size and accessibility to a large market area in positioning itself as a major entertainment provider for the Inland Empire. Thus the association between the California Theatre and Hollywood’s “Golden Age” began.
In August 1928, the California Theatre was opened by the Fox West Coast Theatre Corporation. The theatre was lavishly designed in Spanish Eclectic style7 by John Paxton Perrine8 , a prominent architect noted for designing theatres in this opulent Spanish Classic Revival style. Other theatres designed by Perrine include: the Lincoln Theatre in Los Angeles, the California Theatre in San Diego, and the Fox Redondo Theatre in Redondo Beach (all of the latter have been closed, and the San Diego and Redondo theatres have been demolished).9 Not only did the corporation provide first-class architectural design, a seating capacity of 1750, every opportunity was taken to provide for the comfort of theatre-goers of the day, e.g. plush seating and deluxe air-conditioning. To underline the importance of the occasion, on opening night the president of the Fox West Coast Theatre Corporation, Mr. Harold B. Franklin, and vice president, Mr. Howard Sheehan, were in attendance, as well as actors Janet Gaynor (1928’s academy award winner) and Charles Farrell, both of whom were starring in that evening’s movie performance of, “Street Angel.”11
The direct association of the California Theatre with Hollywood’s “Golden Age” is demonstrated by the theatre being the venue for several movie “world premieres.” These premiers include: “Biography” starring Ann Harding and Robert Montgomery, and “After the Thin Man” starring William Powell, Myrna Loy and James Stewart. This movie was the sequel to “The Thin Man” that also starred Powell and Loy. In addition, the California Theatre was used to “screen test” films to assess audience reactions. For this purpose, classic films such as the original “King Kong” and “The Wizard of Oz,” were first seen by audiences at the California Theatre. One source concluded, “In its day, San Bernardino was second only to Los Angeles as a major center for motion picture presentations.”
In addition to its large seating capacity, lavish architecture, and comfort, the theatre was built by the Fox West Coast Corporation for live performances as well as motion pictures – thus providing a complete entertainment platform. Because of the theatre’s regional significance, it was selected as the site to develop and perfect new skits by the Fancho and Marco troupe, a national vaudeville company, before the troupe moved on to deluxe venues, such as Los Angeles’ Paramount, Loew’s State or the Pantages in Hollywood. In fact, the opening night’s program lists one of these.
The link between the California Theatre and Hollywood in its “Golden Age” is also demonstrated by a charity benefit for the Salvation Army held at the theatre on June 28, 1935. One of the stars appearing that evening was popular humorist Will Rogers, in what proved to be his last public appearance before leaving on a airplane tour of Alaska with his friend Wiley Post. The two would perish when their plane went down near Point Barrow, Alaska, on August 15, 1935. However, Will Rogers was just one of a dozen stars appearing at the theatre’s June 28th benefit; others included: the evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Leo Carillo; Buddy Rogers; Ray Milland; Buster Crabb; Jane Withers; Alice Fay; cowboy musical group the “Sons of the Pioneers,” featuring vocalist Roy Rogers, among others.
As a sign of its gratitude to Will Rogers and remembering his tragic death, the Salvation Army placed a bronze plaque in the lobby of the California that reads:
“IN MEMORY: In this house on June 28, 1935, our beloved friend Will Rogers made his last stage appearance to help provide funds for relief of human needs. The Salvation Army, December 18, 1936.”
After Hollywood’s “Golden Age,” the theatre remained, and remains today, a major regional center for live entertainment. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Los Angeles Philharmonic made regular appearances at the California Theatre. Other stage and screen actors that have appeared at the California include: Tom Mix, Fannie Brice, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, the Three Stooges, David Niven, Tab Hunter, John Ireland, Sylvia Sydney, and the Four Freshman. Carol Burnett and Rock Hudson starred in-person in the play “I do, I do,” before taking the show to the Huntington Hartford in Hollywood. Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, made her first professional stage appearance in “Cabaret” at the California. John Carradine starred in Archibald MacLeish’s “JB,” with Elia Kazan directing.
In August 1969, the National General Cinema Corporation, then the parent corporation of Fox West Coast Theatres, sold the California to San Bernardino’s Civic Light Opera Association (CLO), which changed the theatre’s name to The California Theatre for the Performing Arts in the late-1960s. The CLO continued stage plays and musical venues until transferring ownership to its present owner, Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Bernardino (RDA). Through a wide-range of restorative activities, the RDA has sought to maintain the feel of luxury that the original builders of the theatre had in mind when the facility was built. Performances of the San Bernardino Symphony and of two dozen performances by national touring theatre groups draws season ticket holders from across the Inland Empire.
A contributing object is contained within the California Theatre: the Style-216, Opus 1850 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. West Coast Theatres’ Southern California Division placed organs in their theatres because they provided a more varied film accompaniment than a piano, without the expense of an orchestra. The main purpose of the Style-216, Opus 1850 was to provide the necessary accompaniment to silent films. Of course, as silent films were replaced by “talkies” in the early 1930s, that function no longer existed. But the enjoyment of the organ at movie performances did not end, and was a source of enjoyment for the California Theatre for the remainder of Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” Usually, a night at the movies meant “double features,” with a 20 – 30 minute intermissions. During that time, organ performances were common, and the Opus 1850 increased the quality of the evening’s movie performances. Also, the movie premières were gala events, and the Opus 1850 enriched those events by filling the theatre with exotic sounds and music. . . ."