Tucson Fox Theatre
July 27, 2007
Post Tags: Historic-Tucson-Fox-Theatre , National-Register-of-Historic-Places , Tucson-Fox-Theatre
Going to the Fox theater in downtown Tucson is like stepping back in time.
I remember the first time I went to a theatre like this; it was in downtown Mansfield, Ohio. My aunt Mary Lou took my sister and I to see “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
That was in 1955 and yes it was the original version of the film.
The outing to the Fox was a couple of weeks ago just as the Monsoon clouds were beginning to fill the sky each evening. The film that night was “Some Like it Hot” with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe.
We originally chose this film because it was filmed at the famous Hotel Dell on Coronado Island, San Diego. Even though the movie is set in Florida, it was filmed at the Hotel Dell. We were a the Dell for a meeting in June of 2006. It was while there we found out the film had been shot on the hotel grounds and in the various parts of the hotel. Many of the locations and settings are just as they were when the film was shot.
Once we got inside, it was easy to forget why we had come. It is like stepping back in time. The theatre has been restored magnificently. It doesn’t have the comfort or the screen of the modern theatre metro-plex, but what it lacks in technology and seating comfort it makes up in sheer character and presence.
Sitting in the balcony was always a special treat so of course that is right where we headed. We found seats and when I sat down and turned toward the stage it was like going back, way back to revisit my youth, not that I’m all that old mind you. Here is what I saw.
Here is how the Fox Theatre is described on it’s website Fox Theatre Tucson:
The Fox Tucson Theatre, Tucson’s only movie palace, saw its heyday between 1930 and 1945. For 44 years the theatre showed films primarily, but also offered occasional live entertainment until it closed in 1974. The Fox Tucson Theatre is one of a dwindling number of historic theatres still in existence in the United States and is the finest example of its kind in Arizona. In light of this exceptional status, is has been designated as a Nationally significant building on the National Register of Historic Places. After sitting vacant for over 30 years, the Fox was purchased by the non-profit Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation in Spring 2000 for the citizens of Tucson and Pima County. Following a 6-year, $13 million rehabilitation and restoration, the Fox reopened on December 31st, 2005.
If you want a really nostalgic evening at the movies in Tucson you couldn’t pick a better place to have it than the Historic Fox Theatre in downtown Tucson.
You can pick a movie from the upcoming event schedule and the nice thing about the link below, it will always be up to date no matter when you read this post.
Take a trip back in time, enjoy the journey it is often better than the destination. Have some fun at the Fox.
