May 2004-Entertainment/Civic thought piece: Fox Theatre

The Fox in Sheep’s Clothing
Sheep town’s most valuable building in danger of demolition: The old Dame’s Diagnosis.

Today’s movie theatre is the antithesis of yesterday’s movie palace; a house where characters come alive, reality is suspended, and stories are displayed like the works of art that they aspire to be. Viewing a filmic masterpiece in a shoe box of a theatre is akin to hanging a Van Gough in a garage. We’ve simply been trained, conditioned even, to accept these pedestrian and uninspiring conditions. However, I am willing to wager my meager earnings as delivery boy/contributing writer of this fair publication, that once our standards are raised back to their filet mignon levels, quarter pounders will be increasingly difficult to palate. But where do we look for an example?
As you might have guessed by the title of this article, our Fox Theatre in Fullerton is not only the greatest example locally of what a real movie house should look like, but one of the greatest examples, period. Maybe it hasn’t been so for a good 25 years, but behind those thick walls built of old world materials lies buried treasure. Truly, in the Fox there are works by some of the great muralists of the 20th century. The Italianate design of the building, outside and in is filled with mythic references to Roman gods and their Greek counterparts including statues, masks, great urns and ornate, detailed, hand-crafted works that are of a bygone era. Even the signage used; the marquee and the very unusual three sided incandescent sign atop the building, have garnered much attention from top museums pleading that, “If nothing else, save those signs; they’re priceless”.
“If nothing else...” that phrase hits me like a wrecking ball. I have a difficult time believing in my heart of hearts that Fullerton, with all her citizens and all their resources, with the quality of people who make up her residents, would let the grandest building in town be torn down to be replaced by apartments. It has played a roll in so many of our lives and should continue to do so for future generations but not as “that eyesore on Chapman and Harbor.” I truly believe that as a community, we are too cultured, too educated and far to wise to let this building come down. To think of a future down town without her, to me, is painful.
And yet, a quick trip to the future is just what we need. Allow me to paint a picture.

Ten years from now; 2014. You’re older and larger and so is your family. You live in Fullerton or a surrounding community. Your kids go to Troy, Fullerton or Sunny Hills H.S. and if you have newer children, then they’re attending one of the many great elementary schools you moved closer to Fullerton for. You enjoy living in Fullerton because it is an educated town, an artsy town; a town with a large variety of people with a large variety of ideas. You love to live here because in a county that was mostly comprised of orange trees, Fullerton is one of the few cities that actually has a bit of history. And with this history comes strong roots, stability, wisdom and character; as well as a responsibility to preserve what is so unique about that history.
In 2014, the downtown is a vibrant epicenter for artists, intellectual thought, and an entertaining night out, (even more so than it is now). Perhaps a cultural epiphany that swept the nation was born in Fullerton a few years ago (ala the beat generation). The new apartment buildings downtown are no longer new and they are full; full of all sorts of people. Some new buildings have been built, but the heart of Fullerton has remained the same; Fullerton still looks like Fullerton. And for the past five years, the Crown Jewel of the City, the keystone that has brought it all together, the Fox Theatre, has been open, showing movies that you can’t see at AMC 20 or AMC 30, (or, by this time, AMC 40!).
At the Fox, you can see silent, student, international and independent films that you would otherwise have to go to Los Angeles for. And this year, you’re excited to see which film will nab the “Tail”; the top prize at the Fifth Annual “Fox Hunt”, Fullerton’s own film festival held at the Fox, (much like Park City’s Sundance).
Also, for the past five years you have been able to enjoy plays and musicals, your favorite rock groups and jazz vocalists, and even seen a presidential debate take place on the stage of our Fox. Your oldest daughter was the first high school class to hold commencement there since the restoration. You’ve taken your children, (and your new grandchildren) to the Fox to teach them about the arts and how humans express the cries of their soul through performance. Perhaps it will be a show they see at the Fox as a child which will inspire them to pursue a career in the arts.
And one day in 2014, a thought flashes across your mind that, ten years ago the Fox almost didn’t happen. It’s only been five years, a fraction of the time the Fox has been standing, (one hundred years in 2025), and you realize how much it is a part of your life, and also how much you take it’s being there for granted. With it’s brilliantly glowing marquee illuminating the block, it’s presence of strength and towering majesty reining over the downtown (which has now spread even farther north), it is hard to imagine it was ever otherwise; and even harder to imagine Fullerton without her.

But try-
It is 2006. You are driving down Harbor boulevard and amongst the dust and abhorrent noise that are byproducts of construction, are the vague makings of a new building. It is the old Fox theatre lot and they are putting up an office building, or more apartments. The lot is mostly flat and has been so for about a year, the amount of time it took to tear down the mammoth Fox and get it ready for construction. And with that flat lot is a feeling of emptiness. Obviously there is a building missing on this corner, but more than that, a tacit piece of Fullerton that had watched her grow from her agricultural infancy. The Fox had been there, involved with Fullerton and her growth in one way or another for a majority of her existence. And now as you drive by and see the elements of construction spilling out into your view, the saddest part of all is that you are hard pressed to remember what the Fox looked like.


The Question Corner:
Q: To confirm or vanquish the rampant rumors surrounding the disrepair of the Fox, what condition is she truly in?
A: Our Fox Fullerton, while not in great shape, is in better shape than many theatres that have undergone restoration including the great Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood blvd. There is a considerable amount of damage due to water, fire and vandalism/vagrancy but nothing unrepairable. It is, however, unsafe to go inside without the guidance of someone who is knowledgeable of it condition.

Q: Why, beyond nostalgia, is the Fox worth pouring so much money into?
A: The Fox is a remarkable theatre for many reasons excluding the special memories of North Orange County residents (although, isn’t that what gives value to most things in life?) With our Fox, we are blessed to have a theatre literally full of treasures. The artistic merits of the Fox could literally be an article in itself (hmmm...), but in short, there are priceless murals, beautiful iron chandeliers(much like the ones in Plumber Auditorium) and many more pieces and aspects that make her priceless and induplicatable. In addition, and to many, more importantly, The Fullerton Heritage Society (the group out the save the Fox) has put together a fiscal plan that shows the Fox taking in nearly four million dollars annually. SO business wise, it is a sound investment. To see specifics go to savethefox.org

3. What are the three most important things people need to know but don’t?
A. We need to raise 1.85 million to buy the Fox, (when we do, the city will pitch in 1.65 million to cover the rest of the cost.)

B. We need to raise it by this November.

C. It is possible to save our Fox! Check out the web site. Become a member. Talk to friends about it. Take action in any small way you can. Alone, a few people cannot do it, but with everyone helping, we will all have something to enjoy and take pride in.