Arlington Theatre

1317 State Street,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

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Showing 26 - 50 of 53 comments

Simon Overton
Simon Overton on May 7, 2007 at 4:09 pm

Check their website with your valid question in the “mail” section.

The Fox-Arlington is thriving in a city that appreciates this house.

While in S.B. in March we noted that the fabulousl old Granada Theatre had been “saved but destroyed!"
What I refer to is that the outer shell of the building remains while the original auditorium has been pulverized like a bomb went off -nothing left of the stage but a vast hole in the ground with a gaping hole allowing in the sunlight.
The sidewalk display of the Granada’s "new” future will resemble an open style boxy-looking, boring-to-look-at stage. I forget what the auditorium’s new look will offer because I was so dissapointed that the past was NOT preserved for future generations to come… How sad!

DamienB
DamienB on May 6, 2007 at 9:28 pm

The one time I was in Santa Barbara was in 1982, and we made sure to go to the Arlington. The film playing was Busby Berkeley’s The Gang’s All Here. I was so mesmerized by the theatre itself that I hardly paid attention to hte film (which I had already seen a couple of times).

Does anyone know if the Arlington was a revival house during this period, or was Gang’s a one-shot showing of an old classic?

Simon Overton
Simon Overton on March 7, 2007 at 5:44 pm

The last time I saw the VARSITY in Palo Alto it was being converted into a book shop. The marquee was still in position and the auditorium had not been chopped up.

If you are interested in “courtyard” theaters, have a look at the current restoration of the FOX in Fullerton. That place will be magnificent when completed. Plaudits for Fullerton!

Nean024
Nean024 on September 10, 2006 at 7:36 pm

I am writing an architectural history Masters thesis on California theatres with courtyard entrances, using the Fox Florence, SB’s Arlington, and Palo Alto’s Varsity Theatre as examples. Right now the discussion rests upon the convergence of Spanish Revival style trends and exotic theatre design in CA in the later ‘20s and early '30s, local architectural context, and practical conditions for the use of courtyards (ie to place auditoriums farther back on the lot, works with climate, etc.). Any insights into this seemingly rare typology would be welcomed.

bojeta
bojeta on July 17, 2006 at 10:04 pm

Lots of good info here about the Arlington. I remember as a kid when FOX was not only visible, but NEON. Can’t remember when they took the neon down, but they did. One of my favorite memories of the Arlington was seeing the first STAR WARS there back in `76 (I think). Anyhow, I hadn’t heard a thing about the movie when we went to see it. Imagine the opening scene when the ships come from over top your head, and you’re in a theatre that appears to be under the night sky! It was awesome!!

Meredith Rhule
Meredith Rhule on August 8, 2005 at 1:58 pm

This place is gorgeous. After doing relief projection in the early 80s here, I almost was ready to move from Hollywood.

lyle
lyle on July 19, 2005 at 2:48 pm

This is indeed a wonderful theater! I worked there on occasion in the early 80’s and met a lot of famous people who played there. The coolest thing about the decorations is the Trompe l'oeil mural work around the proscenium. It looks three dimensional until you get a few feet away. Mind boggling. If you visit, be sure to walk all the way up to the front.

There was a rumor that there was a tunnel leading from the box office to somewhere inside the theater, like some banks have from the ATM islands to the bank itself, but I never got a chance to look.

Two things the Arlington taught me:

Always check the door of the restroom you are going to enter. During some rennovation work, they swapped the men’s and women’s restrooms, with the predictable results from long-time patrons.

You can’t judge greatness by the size of the show. Linda Ronstadt showed up with busloads of crew, hundreds of lights, speakers, amps, and her own generator to power all the junk. They repainted parts of the proscenium so the color would look better on TV. You could hear the show for blocks around, and we had lots of trouble with drunks, gate crashers, pushy fans, and general hassle. When Andre Segovia played, he showed up with his assistant, his guitar, and his stool and footrest. He did not use a mic, and the acoustics in the Arlington let even the last row hear perfectly. Of course, you could have heard a bee sneeze during the performance. The audience were perfectly behaved. I never saw Linda Ronstadt through her wall of bodyguards; Segovia stopped on his way out to shake my hand.

sinjinsb
sinjinsb on March 14, 2005 at 11:54 am

The Arlington was my favorite theater growing up and the ambience is great, but now that I’m 6'3" the seats aren’t very comfortable…my knees hit the seat in front of me and you rub shoulders with the person next to you. It also VERY hot and stuffy when it’s full to capacity. I’ll still go for special events, but not often to watch a regular movie. I’ve been twice this year, once for the Film Festival and once for the La Conchita Benefit concert.

PGlenat
PGlenat on December 13, 2004 at 6:28 pm

The Arlington was supposed to have an organ installed when it was built. Meanwhile, the depression intervened, talking pictures arrived and it never happened. It wasn’t until the late 1980’s that the Arlington finally got it’s organ….the Wonder Morton from Loew’s Jersey. I had a chance to hear it being put through it’s paces by the crew working on it while on a whirlwind trip through Santa Barbara. I wish I’d had more time. The theater is fabulous.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on December 13, 2004 at 4:51 pm

The Fox Arlington Theatre opened on the 22nd May 1931 with the movie “Daddy Long Legs” starring Janet Gaynor and Warner Baxter.

The Architectural Firm responsible for the design were architects William Edwards & Joseph J. Plunkett and the original seating capacity is given as 1,776 in 1931. This was increased to 1,825 in 1973 with the removal and replacement of the loge seating. In 1976 the theatre was completely restored for live performance use and additional rows of seating was added, increasing the total capacity to 2,010.

pentax
pentax on December 5, 2004 at 7:13 pm

The faint white letters spelling “FOX” vertically against a reddish-brick color on the spire’s cylinder were only painted over within the past year. I am a resident of Santa Barbara, and I kept hoping that the letters would reappear, but, alas, they are not there.

KaeKae
KaeKae on September 22, 2004 at 7:45 am

I was hoping to find a [detailed] seating chart for the Arlington, any suggestions? [One in local phone book is lacking.]

GaryParks
GaryParks on August 5, 2004 at 12:28 pm

It should also be added that the part of the tower that had the FOX lettering used to turn.

William
William on July 13, 2004 at 5:05 pm

As of a few years ago you could still see a outline on the spire, that had the neon letters that spelled FOX.

genordell
genordell on July 13, 2004 at 4:12 pm

some excellent modern photos of the Arlington are at http://www.quovadimus.org/sbarlington03/thumb.html

MagicLantern
MagicLantern on June 10, 2004 at 12:54 pm

Is it possible that the spire atop the theatre is just a cover / enclosure for the Fox logo – that it was never actually taken down after all?

MagicLantern
MagicLantern on May 24, 2004 at 9:26 am

Not listed in city directories until 1932, the Fox Arlington Theatre became the Arlington Theatre in 1961.

William
William on February 17, 2004 at 1:23 pm

During the the 40’s seating would be reduced to 1810 seats.

GaryParks
GaryParks on December 20, 2002 at 1:25 pm

The Arlington Theatre was never a hotel. It was always built to be a theatre, with retail around it. However, the site was once the location of the earlier (19th Century?) Arlington Hotel.

The present organ in the theatre is originally from Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, a theatre which is itself undergoing restoration, and is utilizing yet another identical organ from Loew’s Paradise, the Bronx.

Bibbitha
Bibbitha on September 18, 2002 at 6:36 pm

I am A local and dgidez is wrong…The arlington theatre was a hotel until the big earthquake in the twenties.

scottpad
scottpad on September 18, 2002 at 3:20 am

this was built on the site of the old Arlington hotel. It offered 3 levels, orchestra, balcony, and 2nd class. The 2nd class has been walled off, used as the tech booth, to this level you could only access from the outside. There is a club / restaurant over the auditorium, no longer used. The spire used to rotate with a neon ‘FOX’. Metropolitain theaters runs the property and occasionally offers ‘walking tours’ in the summer on the weekends. The programs alternate between the cinema (summers and in between) the symphony (school season) the ballet (winter and spring), concerts (in the rainy season) and the occasional road / touring show. The event ticket office is to the right of the theater doors, after the courtyard, this is the best place to inquire about tours.

dgidez
dgidez on May 27, 2002 at 6:05 pm

While walking on State Street in Santa Barbara, we came across a huge Church, at least we thought it was. What a magnificent surprise to see that this was not a Church, but a wonderful theater!! I spoke with one of the locals who told me this place had always been a theater and he gave me some pointers. You can only image a theater that has a spanish courtyard and stars inside!! From what I’ve heard it used to have a moon which traversed the screen before the show. If that weren’t enough, management advised me that every Sunday the matinee viewers are treated to a short pipe-organ performance. After a quick scan, I could see where the organ popped out of the stage. This theater is best described as a visit to the “Pirates of the Carribean” ride while watching a movie, the architecture and ambience are the same. Anyone who is in the Santa Barbara area should definitely make time to see this historic building. It’s beyond belief.

Casper684
Casper684 on February 14, 2002 at 10:16 pm

What an outstanding theatre. Architecture superb! What a true delight and change of pace from the Mega Plexes.

Thank you.