.gif)
Fox Theatre (Detroit)
Encyclopedia
The Fox Theatre is an ornate performing arts center located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, Michigan
, near Grand Circus Park. It was originally completed in 1928 as the first movie palace
in the world to have sound systems for films. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985 and was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1989. Located within the Detroit Theater District
, the Fox has 5,048 seats (5,174 seats if removable seats placed in the raised orchestra pit are included). It is the largest surviving movie palace of the 1920s and the largest of the original Fox Theatres. The Fox was fully restored in 1988. The adjacent office building houses the headquarters of Olympia Entertainment
and Little Caesars
.
. (The others were the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Francisco.) It was designed by architect C. Howard Crane
with a lavish interior featuring a blend of Burmese, Chinese
, India
n and Persian
motifs. There are three levels of seating, the Main Floor above the orchestra pit, the Mezzanine, and the Gallery (balcony). The exterior of the attached 10-story office building features a facade with Asian motifs which, when illuminated at night, can be seen for several blocks. The Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri
is (on the interior) its architectural "near" twin with about 500 fewer seats. The Detroit Fox is part of the Fox Building, while the St. Louis Fox is a stand-alone theatre. The architectural plaster molds of the Detroit Fox (1928) were re-used on the St. Louis Fox (1929).
The Detroit Fox was the first movie theater
in the world to be constructed with built-in equipment for sound films. The Fox Film Corporation's patented sound-on-film
system "Movietone
" enabled the theater to present sound films from the time of its opening.
The Fox opened in 1928 and remained Detroit's premier movie destination for decades. Unlike many neighboring theatres, it operated continually until it was closed in the 1980s for restoration. However, by the 1960s, the venue was showing its age and maintenance of many key areas was deferred. By the 1970s mezzanine and balcony seating areas were closed to the public.
In 1984 Chuck Forbes, owner of the State and Gem theaters, proposed a renovation project. These plans were never fully realized, but in 1988 the theater was acquired by new owners, Mike
and Marian Ilitch
, who fully restored the Fox at a cost of $12 million. Their company, Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
, is headquartered in the Fox Theater Office Building. The downtown area near Grand Circus Park which encompasses Fox Theatre is sometimes referred to as Foxtown after the theater. In 2000, Comerica Park
opened and helped to revitalize the neighborhood along with the construction of Ford Field
in 2002.
above the windows on the second and tenth floor. The building wraps around the theatre lobby creating a u-shaped floor plan. The auditorium and rear of the office tower are faced with brick.
The current marquee was installed during the 1987 restoration but is based on the original which itself was replaced in the 1950s.
The original configuration of the street and second floors contained 20 retail spaces on each level. Spaces featured large display windows looking into the corridors and ground floor spaces also had access directly from the street.
Office space occupied the third through tenth floor and featured marble floors and wainscoting in the corridors. Office doors featured full-length glass with glass transoms above to allow light and ventilation into the corridors. Many of these features remained when the 1987 restoration began with the exception of the seventh floor which was altered in the 1970s to accommodate a Social Security Administration
office.
The theatre entrance on Woodward opens to a small foyer with a black and white marble floor. The foyer opens into the main lobby which is approximately 87 feet (26.5 m) deep and six floors high. The floor is terrazzo with brass inlays but it was unseen until the 1988 renovation. Lore says that Eve Leo, wife of Fox President William Fox, was unhappy when she learned that the theatre was to have a bare floor. She insisted it needed carpeting, so it was covered with what was the largest single-piece wool rug ever manufactured. The rug covered 3600 square feet (334.5 m²) of the lobby floor and weighed 3000 pounds (1,360.8 kg).
Above the entrance doors are faux organ pipes fashioned from plaster and in a balcony to the upper left is a 3-manual, 13-rank Moller organ. The real pipes are in the chamber above the console. Only 4 theatres are known to have had an independent lobby organ. The Fox's Moller is the only one still en situ. On each side of the lobby are eight vermillion scagliola
columns. The columns rise from black octagonal bases and are adorned with eagles, flowers, glass jewels highlighted by silver leaf to a height of approximately 12 ft (3.7 m) . The Corinthian capitals are also silver leafed and bear images of a variety of animals and birds. The columns support plaster beams decorated with faces, starbursts and cartouches. Between the columns are small balconies on the mezzanine and balcony levels that overlook the main floor. The ceiling is blue with a sunburst design surrounded by Fox griffins. At the rear of the lobby, the grand staircase leads to the mezzanine level. Two plaster lions with jeweled eyes guard the base of the stairs and fish-like creatures adorn the balustrades. On the mezzanine level, four additional columns frame two-story windows enclosing the auditorium. A loggia above the windows allows patrons on the balcony level to look down into the lobby.
Beside the grand stairs are doors leading to the 2,898 orchestra-level seats. The auditorium is 104 ft (31.7 m) high and 175 ft (53.3 m) wide. An inner lobby wraps around the seating area and contains two oval stairways leading to upper seating levels and the lounges on the lower level. The walls of the auditorium are shades of beige and are adorned with molded plaster plants, human faces, geometric designs, birds and animals.
The proscenium is 70 ft (21.3 m) and 30 ft (9.1 m) high. Like the side walls, it is adorned with animals, human figures, starbursts and flowers. Above the center of the proscenium is an elephant’s head. Suspended below the elephant is a large quatrefoil-shaped censer that conceals speakers. The backstage area originally had 18 performer dressing rooms, offices and a broadcast booth. In the basement were staff dressing rooms, workshops, an infirmary, screening room and storage rooms.
The orchestra pit and sections of the stage can be raised and lowered on hydraulic lifts. The stage is 78 ft (23.8 m) wide, 32 ft (9.8 m) deep and houses the four-manual 36-rank Wurlitzer
organ. This organ was constructed especially for the theatre and is one of the few theatre organs in the world that remains in its original installation.
On the side walls at the orchestra level are Moorish arches extending to the balcony. Above is a colonnade at the balcony level with nine vermillion scagiolia columns matching those in the lobby. The columns support decorated arches and behind the first three are grilles that conceal the bays containing the 2,700 pipes and other effects for the organ. The areas between the other columns are filled with tinted mirrors. The walls are topped with a cornice decorated with lion and human faces set among geometric designs and sunbursts.
The ceiling is designed to resemble a round tent with an oculus supported by spears. The tent drapes slightly and is covered with acoustical felt bearing a stenciled design. The ceiling of the oculus is blue with a globe chandelier of colored glass suspended from a starburst design. The chandelier is 13 ft (4 m) in diameter weighs 2000 lb (907.2 kg) and contains 1200 pieces of glass.
The projection booth was one of the largest of its day and originally housed four projectors, three spotlights and a Brenograph machine to produce special effects.
Rockettes
.
In the 1930s , Shirley Temple herself made appearances when the theatre showed her films. During World War II
, like many theatres in the area, the Fox operated 24-hours per day to accommodate defense plant workers on afternoon and evening shifts. The theatre routinely grossed $75,000 per week when admission was $.35. In 1953, the theatre was the first in Michigan equipped for CinemaScope
and premiered the epic picture The Robe
.
In May 1956, the theatre hosted three performances by Elvis Presley
During the 1960s, the theatre hosted performances by many Motown recording artists but by the 1970s the theater was an aging venue. Unlike other downtown Detroit theaters in the 1970s, such as the Michigan and United Artists
, the Fox was able to remain open by programming Blaxploitation
and martial arts films.
The first production at the Fox after restoration was a concert on November 19, 1988 with Smokey Robinson
and the Count Basie Orchestra
. Since then, other notable performances include a concert with Frank Sinatra
, Sammy Davis Jr. & Liza Minelli which was recorded and broadcast on the Showtime cable network in 1989 and a 1990 performance by Victor Borge
which was recorded and shown on PBS
and incorporated into his DVD Victor Borge: Then and Now. The theatre hosted the WWE Hall of Fame
ceremony on March 31, 2007, the night before WrestleMania 23
, being held at nearby Ford Field
. As well as The Condemned
World Premiere the night before on March 30, 2007. Live productions have included Sesame Street Live
: Let's Be Friends, David Copperfield
, Blue's Clues Live!, Donny Osmond
, Irving Berlin's White Christmas
, Dora The Explorer Live, Go! Diego! Live! and What's Done in the Dark
and Riverdance
. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular
was an annual favorite from 1997 through 2005. The Fox was used in the closing scenes of a Chrysler
commercial for its Chrysler 200
, featuring Eminem
, that aired during Super Bowl XLV
in February 2011.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, near Grand Circus Park. It was originally completed in 1928 as the first movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
in the world to have sound systems for films. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985 and was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1989. Located within the Detroit Theater District
Theatre in Detroit
Theatre in Detroit discusses performing arts in the city, its history, and its venues. With more than a dozen performing arts venues, the city's theatre district ranks as the second largest in the United States after Manhattan's Broadway, the stages and old time film palaces are generally located...
, the Fox has 5,048 seats (5,174 seats if removable seats placed in the raised orchestra pit are included). It is the largest surviving movie palace of the 1920s and the largest of the original Fox Theatres. The Fox was fully restored in 1988. The adjacent office building houses the headquarters of Olympia Entertainment
Olympia Entertainment
Olympia Entertainment is a sports and entertainment company headquartered in the Fox Theatre in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Olympia is a division of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch...
and Little Caesars
Little Caesars
Little Caesars is a pizza chain, estimated to be the 4th largest in the United States. The Little Caesars headquarters is located in the Fox Theatre building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan.-History:...
.
History
The Detroit Fox is one of five spectacular Fox Theatres built in the late 1920s by film pioneer William FoxWilliam Fox (producer)
William Fox born Fried Vilmos was a pioneering Hungarian American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
. (The others were the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Francisco.) It was designed by architect C. Howard Crane
C. Howard Crane
Charles Howard Crane was an American architect.Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Crane established a practice in Detroit, Michigan early in the 20th Century. Like Thomas W. Lamb and John Eberson, Crane specialized in the design of movie palaces in North American...
with a lavish interior featuring a blend of Burmese, Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and Persian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
motifs. There are three levels of seating, the Main Floor above the orchestra pit, the Mezzanine, and the Gallery (balcony). The exterior of the attached 10-story office building features a facade with Asian motifs which, when illuminated at night, can be seen for several blocks. The Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
is (on the interior) its architectural "near" twin with about 500 fewer seats. The Detroit Fox is part of the Fox Building, while the St. Louis Fox is a stand-alone theatre. The architectural plaster molds of the Detroit Fox (1928) were re-used on the St. Louis Fox (1929).
The Detroit Fox was the first movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
in the world to be constructed with built-in equipment for sound films. The Fox Film Corporation's patented sound-on-film
Sound-on-film
Sound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
system "Movietone
Movietone sound system
The Movietone sound system is a sound-on-film method of recording sound for motion pictures that guarantees synchronization between sound and picture. It achieves this by recording the sound as a variable-density optical track on the same strip of film that records the pictures...
" enabled the theater to present sound films from the time of its opening.
The Fox opened in 1928 and remained Detroit's premier movie destination for decades. Unlike many neighboring theatres, it operated continually until it was closed in the 1980s for restoration. However, by the 1960s, the venue was showing its age and maintenance of many key areas was deferred. By the 1970s mezzanine and balcony seating areas were closed to the public.
In 1984 Chuck Forbes, owner of the State and Gem theaters, proposed a renovation project. These plans were never fully realized, but in 1988 the theater was acquired by new owners, Mike
Mike Ilitch
Michael "Mike" Ilitch Sr. is an American entrepreneur and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers. In addition to his sports ownerships, he is the founder and owner of Little Caesars Pizza since 1959, which has become an international fast food franchise...
and Marian Ilitch
Marian Bayoff Ilitch
Marian Bayoff Ilitch was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, USA, the daughter of Macedonian immigrants. She met her future husband Mike Ilitch in 1954 when the two went on a blind date arranged by his father. A year later, they were married. They have seven children...
, who fully restored the Fox at a cost of $12 million. Their company, Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
Ilitch Holdings, Inc. was established in 1999 to provide all companies owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch with professional and technical services...
, is headquartered in the Fox Theater Office Building. The downtown area near Grand Circus Park which encompasses Fox Theatre is sometimes referred to as Foxtown after the theater. In 2000, Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
opened and helped to revitalize the neighborhood along with the construction of Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
in 2002.
Architecture
The Fox Office Building, which forms the Woodward facade of the theatre, is 10 stories in height. The front and sides of the office tower are faced with a cream-colored terra cotta. There are decorative lintelsLintel (architecture)
A lintel can be a load-bearing building component, a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. It is often found over portals, doors, and windows.-Structural uses:...
above the windows on the second and tenth floor. The building wraps around the theatre lobby creating a u-shaped floor plan. The auditorium and rear of the office tower are faced with brick.
The current marquee was installed during the 1987 restoration but is based on the original which itself was replaced in the 1950s.
The original configuration of the street and second floors contained 20 retail spaces on each level. Spaces featured large display windows looking into the corridors and ground floor spaces also had access directly from the street.
Office space occupied the third through tenth floor and featured marble floors and wainscoting in the corridors. Office doors featured full-length glass with glass transoms above to allow light and ventilation into the corridors. Many of these features remained when the 1987 restoration began with the exception of the seventh floor which was altered in the 1970s to accommodate a Social Security Administration
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
office.
The theatre entrance on Woodward opens to a small foyer with a black and white marble floor. The foyer opens into the main lobby which is approximately 87 feet (26.5 m) deep and six floors high. The floor is terrazzo with brass inlays but it was unseen until the 1988 renovation. Lore says that Eve Leo, wife of Fox President William Fox, was unhappy when she learned that the theatre was to have a bare floor. She insisted it needed carpeting, so it was covered with what was the largest single-piece wool rug ever manufactured. The rug covered 3600 square feet (334.5 m²) of the lobby floor and weighed 3000 pounds (1,360.8 kg).
Above the entrance doors are faux organ pipes fashioned from plaster and in a balcony to the upper left is a 3-manual, 13-rank Moller organ. The real pipes are in the chamber above the console. Only 4 theatres are known to have had an independent lobby organ. The Fox's Moller is the only one still en situ. On each side of the lobby are eight vermillion scagliola
Scagliola
Scagliola , is a technique for producing stucco columns, sculptures, and other architectural elements that resemble inlays in marble and semi-precious stones...
columns. The columns rise from black octagonal bases and are adorned with eagles, flowers, glass jewels highlighted by silver leaf to a height of approximately 12 ft (3.7 m) . The Corinthian capitals are also silver leafed and bear images of a variety of animals and birds. The columns support plaster beams decorated with faces, starbursts and cartouches. Between the columns are small balconies on the mezzanine and balcony levels that overlook the main floor. The ceiling is blue with a sunburst design surrounded by Fox griffins. At the rear of the lobby, the grand staircase leads to the mezzanine level. Two plaster lions with jeweled eyes guard the base of the stairs and fish-like creatures adorn the balustrades. On the mezzanine level, four additional columns frame two-story windows enclosing the auditorium. A loggia above the windows allows patrons on the balcony level to look down into the lobby.
Beside the grand stairs are doors leading to the 2,898 orchestra-level seats. The auditorium is 104 ft (31.7 m) high and 175 ft (53.3 m) wide. An inner lobby wraps around the seating area and contains two oval stairways leading to upper seating levels and the lounges on the lower level. The walls of the auditorium are shades of beige and are adorned with molded plaster plants, human faces, geometric designs, birds and animals.
The proscenium is 70 ft (21.3 m) and 30 ft (9.1 m) high. Like the side walls, it is adorned with animals, human figures, starbursts and flowers. Above the center of the proscenium is an elephant’s head. Suspended below the elephant is a large quatrefoil-shaped censer that conceals speakers. The backstage area originally had 18 performer dressing rooms, offices and a broadcast booth. In the basement were staff dressing rooms, workshops, an infirmary, screening room and storage rooms.
The orchestra pit and sections of the stage can be raised and lowered on hydraulic lifts. The stage is 78 ft (23.8 m) wide, 32 ft (9.8 m) deep and houses the four-manual 36-rank Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
organ. This organ was constructed especially for the theatre and is one of the few theatre organs in the world that remains in its original installation.
On the side walls at the orchestra level are Moorish arches extending to the balcony. Above is a colonnade at the balcony level with nine vermillion scagiolia columns matching those in the lobby. The columns support decorated arches and behind the first three are grilles that conceal the bays containing the 2,700 pipes and other effects for the organ. The areas between the other columns are filled with tinted mirrors. The walls are topped with a cornice decorated with lion and human faces set among geometric designs and sunbursts.
The ceiling is designed to resemble a round tent with an oculus supported by spears. The tent drapes slightly and is covered with acoustical felt bearing a stenciled design. The ceiling of the oculus is blue with a globe chandelier of colored glass suspended from a starburst design. The chandelier is 13 ft (4 m) in diameter weighs 2000 lb (907.2 kg) and contains 1200 pieces of glass.
The projection booth was one of the largest of its day and originally housed four projectors, three spotlights and a Brenograph machine to produce special effects.
Production History
The gala opening took place September 21, 1928 and featured the silent film ’’Street Angel’’ starring Janet Gaynor. The live show depicted a history of Detroit from its settlement in 1701 to the present. Productions included feature-length movies, shorts and newsreels, and performances by the 60-piece Fox Theatre Grand Orchestra, a 50-voice choir and the 32-member Tillerettes-owner William Fox’s version of competitor Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel’sSamuel Roxy Rothafel
Samuel Lionel Rothafel, known as "Roxy" was an American theatrical impressario and entrepreneur. He is noted for developing the lavish presentation of silent films in the deluxe movie palace theaters of the 1910s and 1920s.-Biography:Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, Samuel L. Rothafel was a showman...
Rockettes
The Rockettes
The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
.
In the 1930s , Shirley Temple herself made appearances when the theatre showed her films. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, like many theatres in the area, the Fox operated 24-hours per day to accommodate defense plant workers on afternoon and evening shifts. The theatre routinely grossed $75,000 per week when admission was $.35. In 1953, the theatre was the first in Michigan equipped for CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
and premiered the epic picture The Robe
The Robe (film)
The Robe is a 1953 American Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in the widescreen process CinemaScope.It was directed by Henry Koster...
.
In May 1956, the theatre hosted three performances by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
During the 1960s, the theatre hosted performances by many Motown recording artists but by the 1970s the theater was an aging venue. Unlike other downtown Detroit theaters in the 1970s, such as the Michigan and United Artists
United Artists Theatre Building
The United Artists Theatre Building is a vacant high-rise tower in downtown Detroit, Michigan, standing at 150 Bagley Street. It was constructed in 1928 and stands 18 stories tall. The building was designed by architect C. Howard Crane in the renaissance revival architectural style, and is made...
, the Fox was able to remain open by programming Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
and martial arts films.
The first production at the Fox after restoration was a concert on November 19, 1988 with Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
and the Count Basie Orchestra
Count Basie Orchestra
The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie. The band survived the late '40s decline in big band popularity and went on to produce notable collaborations with singers such as Frank Sinatra and Ella...
. Since then, other notable performances include a concert with Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Sammy Davis Jr. & Liza Minelli which was recorded and broadcast on the Showtime cable network in 1989 and a 1990 performance by Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
which was recorded and shown on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
and incorporated into his DVD Victor Borge: Then and Now. The theatre hosted the WWE Hall of Fame
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
ceremony on March 31, 2007, the night before WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
, being held at nearby Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
. As well as The Condemned
The Condemned
The Condemned is a 2007 action film, co-written and directed by Scott Wiper, and starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones, Robert Mammone, Madeleine West and Rick Hoffman....
World Premiere the night before on March 30, 2007. Live productions have included Sesame Street Live
Sesame Street Live
Sesame Street Live is the live touring show based on the children's television show Sesame Street.Produced by Minneapolis-based VEE Corporation, the show opened on September 17, 1980, with a production of Sesame Street Live "Missing Bird Mystery" playing at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota...
: Let's Be Friends, David Copperfield
David Copperfield (illusionist)
David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
, Blue's Clues Live!, Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
, Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Irving Berlin's White Christmas was an LP album of songs by Rosemary Clooney from the movie White Christmas, released by Columbia Records in 1954....
, Dora The Explorer Live, Go! Diego! Live! and What's Done in the Dark
What's Done in the Dark
What's Done in the Dark is a play written and directed by American playwright Tyler Perry. The show first opened in September 2006. The play is a mixture of comedy, drama, and music, set in a hospital emergency room, and focuses on two nurses, one of whom is a single mother and the other of whom is...
and Riverdance
Riverdance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Radio City Christmas Spectacular
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is an annual musical holiday stage show presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The show features over 140 performers, lavish sets and costumes and an original musical score. The 90 minute revue combines singing, dancing and humor with traditional...
was an annual favorite from 1997 through 2005. The Fox was used in the closing scenes of a Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
commercial for its Chrysler 200
Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan and convertible produced by Chrysler, being introduced for the 2011 model year. The Chrysler 200 is an update and new nameplate for the outgoing 2010 Chrysler Sebring....
, featuring Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, that aired during Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
in February 2011.
External links
- Official Site
- Fox Theatre on BuildingPhotos.com
- Michigan.gov - National Historic Landmarks in Michigan: Fox Theater Building
- Photos and history of the Fox Theatre at The Detroit News website.
- History and photos of Elvis Presley at the Fox at Scotty MooreScotty MooreWinfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
website.