Today is June 24th my name is Tom Heath and you’re listening to “Life Along the Streetcar”. This week we discuss a cultural and economic driver we almost lost and we look at a 16th-century method of predicting the weather, which we still use today.
In April of 1930, it was opening night. Paul Ward, a baker and the proprietor of Bon Ton Bakery, was preparing to serve a large crowd in Downtown Tucson. Ward moved to Tucson specifically to take the opportunity of opening this bakery. In an article published on April 11, 1930, he said ” I had often heard of Tucson, the Sunshine City, but never thought I would be fortunate enough to live here. ”
So why did Ward select downtown Tucson and why an evening in April? Well, Bon Ton bakery happened to be sharing their opening night with another business in the same building- The Fox Theatre. The Fox debuted in the 1930’s with talkies, movies with sound. It was an up and coming yet still not completely proven, form of entertainment. To promote the evening The West Coast Theater company, the original owner of the Fox, spared little expense. It was a celebration complete with marching bands, balloons, and what was described as a Mardi Gras atmosphere. The crowds were expected to be so large the theater ran continuous showings of their first feature film, “Chasing Rainbows”.
Of course, Bon Ton Bakery timed their opening to capitalize on the massive advertising the Fox put on. They were not alone, however, in sharing in this limelight of the massive theatre launch. A look at the Daily Star from that day shows dozens of ads from downtown businesses wishing the Fox good luck. They knew the success of the Fox meant success for them. If people came for the movies, they’d stay for pastry, ice cream, and shopping.
Fast forward 88 years and the Fox is still an economic driver of downtown. In a recent impact study, the revenue generated by the Fox was equaled by what it created for local businesses. Theatergoers come for the concert and shows and stay for dinner, drinks, and a downtown excursion.
It wasn’t always this way. In the 1970’s the Fox Theatre almost became a memory of years past and not an indicator of what’s to come. The theatre fell into disrepair, had been abandoned, used as an ad hoc homeless shelter, and was almost razed to put up a parking lot.
We sat down with Craig Sumberg, current Executive Director of the Fox Tucson Theatre, and got a glimpse of the history and the first look at 2018-2019 season–which he called the biggest in Fox’s history.
In Craig’s extended interview, which you can hear on Facebook right after the show, he delved more into the theater space, some of the people and organizations who have made the Fox success possible, and also some details on this week’s free mid-day concert for kids.
What’s clear is the success of downtown revitalization as breathed fresh life into the theater and the Fox has stimulated the business to build a more thriving economic environment.
