Fox West Coast Theaters was a large chain of theaters, including a number of theaters built by William Fox in the 1920s and many purchased and merged into the chain later. In Oakland, many of the theaters from 1923 on were part of the chain at one time or another. The chain went bankrupt and was purchased in 1934 by the National Theatres Corporation; that changed its name to National General Corporation in 1962. The 240 theaters owned by NGC were purchased by Mann Theatres in 1973. 1,2,7
1920s
Fox West Coast Theaters incorporated in 1920. The first Fox theater in Oakland was the Orpheum which opened in August 1923 as the Fox Oakland. That was sold to the Orpheum chain in December 1924 when William Fox ran into financial difficulties.
In January 1928, William Fox purchased a controlling interest in the West Coast Theaters chain, which included the Grand Lake, the T & D, the Senator, and a partially constructed theater. 3 The newly constructed Fox Oakland opened as the West Coast Oakland in October 1928. The theater names remained the same, but in February 1929, ads began using Fox West Coast Theaters.
1930s
In 1930, Fox West Coast Theaters purchased the Paramount theater chain. Ground had just been broken on the namesake Paramount Theater in Oakland, which opened a year later in 1931. 1
The State Theater was part of the chain, too.
A December 1931 article about the leasing of the T & D refers to it as the "former Fox T & D theater." 4
Fox West Coast Theaters took over management of the Orpheum, in which they held a partnership interest, in 1932. 8,9,10 The theater was then renamed as the Fox - Orpheum. 11
In 1933, the chain filed for bankruptcy. The following year, the chain was sold for $17,000,000 to the National Theatres Corporation. 5,6
The Tower Theater, formerly the Claremont, reopened as a Fox West Coast Theater in 1939.
1940s
Fox West Coast Theaters got into the newsreel business in Oakland with the opening of the Fox News Theatre in 1942.
The Franklin Theater re-opened as part of the chain in May 1943.
WWII brought other changes. Fox West Coast Theaters gave discounts to non-commissioned soldiers in uniform, and they started selling war bonds, as did other theaters. And various downtown theaters started staying open all night, both for war-time swing shift workers and for soldiers. Oddly enough, they continued staying open all night for several years after the war ended.
1970s
By 1970, downtown movie theaters in general were struggling. Between competing theaters in the neighborhoods and suburbs, and the convenience of television in people's homes, many people looked elsewhere for entertainment. The Fox was showing adult films, as were the Tower and the now run-down T & D. The Fox opened and closed several times in the early 1970s.
The Oakland Symphony purchased the Paramount in 1972.
In 1973, the 240 theaters of National General Corporation theaters were purchased by Mann Theaters. 7 It's unknown which of the theaters in Oakland were still part of NGC at that point.
Ownership and Name
Despite the sale to National in 1934, the Fox West Coast name was used in ads until the 1970s, though after 1962 it sometimes included the National General Corp. name or NGC as well.
The ownership is complicated to follow. Although William Fox's name was on the chain, the movie studios, and other properties, Spyros Skouras, and his brothers, Charles and George, were largely in control from 1932 on. (Spyros later oversaw the merger of Fox Studios and Twentieth Century Pictures, leading to 20th Century Fox.)
The bankruptcy of the chain stretched on for years from the initial 1933 filing. The chain controlled many theaters and was constantly dodging anti-trust laws.
The financial pressures of the Great Depression compelled William Fox to declare bankruptcy. Initiated circa 1929, bankruptcy receivership court proceedings spanned "over a period of twenty-five or more years." The matter culminated in a final suit brought in 1954 by the trustees to vacate the "corrupt" November 17, 1933, settlement order. The trustees alleged a widespread "conspiracy to milk Fox Theatres Corporation of assets worth many millions of dollars, in derogation of the rights of its creditors and stockholders." 2
National Theatres was a subsidiary of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation c.1946. When National Theatres Corporation changed its name to National General Corporation in 1962, an article about the changes says that Fox West Coast Theaters was a subsidiary.
Theaters
Note that some of these became part of the Fox West Coast Theaters chain under different names.
Links and References
- Fox Buys Paramount Coast Chain Oakland Tribune December 15, 1930
- Fox Theatres on Wikipedia
- Fox Buys Up West Coast Theaters Oakland Tribune January 26, 1928 (p2)
- Independent To Re-open T & D Theater Oakland Tribune December 17, 1931
- Fox West Coast, Inc., Files in Bankruptcy Oakland Tribune February 28, 1933
- Referee Okehs Sale of Coast Theater Chain Oakland Tribune November 20, 1934
- Big Theater Chain Sale Announced Oakland Tribune March 30, 1973
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Fox Manager Sees Steady Business Rise Oakland Tribune September 21, 1932
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Exits and Entrances Oakland Tribune September 23, 1932
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Curtain Calls Oakland Tribune September 30, 1932
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'Grand Hotel' Is on Orpheum's Program of 'Hits' Oakland Tribune October 5, 1932