See Film Classics in an Art Deco Theater from Film’s Golden Age
There is no other experience like seeing a film at the Stanford Theatre.
Reviewer on Yelp.
The Stanford Theatre in downtown Palo Altop gets solid five star ratings everywhere https://stanfordtheatre.org/
And why not? The art deco theater built in 1925 is as classic as the films shown there.
It also is a bargain. Admission prices are low ($7.50 and $5.00 for seniors). Popcorn and candy are way less than what multi-screen complexes charge.
The Stanford is home to the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. At the beginning of intermission, the organ and organist rise up to the stage to entertain the audience until the next feature starts. Then the stage opens again, and they descend out of sight.
If the feature is a silent film, the Wurlitzer accompanies it.
Best of all, the Stanford presents classic films in the way they were intended to be seen. The stars of the past, whether Humphrey Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon,” Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart in “Rear Window,” Bette Davis in “All about Eve,” fill the big screen,
The Stanford harkens back to an era when individual theaters were designed to be opulent and palatial.
Its counterpart at the other end of the downtown, the former Varsity Theatre built in 1927, is a beautiful example of Spanish colonial architecture.
However, the Varsity stopped showing movies years ago and currently houses a software company.
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation bought the Stanford in 1989 and gave it a much needed renovation. The Stanford Theatre Foundation set up by the Packards continues to manage it as a non-profit independent.
Films
The Stanford shows movies that were made before 1970. Many appeared at the theater on their initial run in Palo Alto.
Films at the Stanford (not affiliated with Stanford University) often are grouped by director or genre and presented as a festival. Festivals run for a month or two with each date a double feature in keeping with the particular theme.
Some common festivals over the years include:
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Bette Davis
- Film Noir
- Humphrey Bogart
- Frank Capra
- Saytajit Ray
- Fred Astaire
- Cary Grant
The Stanford presents an annual holiday program that includes showings of Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” The program always sells out, and in the know viewers purchase advance tickets to it.
As to the quality of the prints shown at the Stanford, the Packard Humanities Institute is a major force in the tricky business of restoring, preserving, and digitizing old movies.
The Institute at its Santa Clarita lab and film vault partners with the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The Library of Congress Packard Campus in Culpepper, VA works with the Library of Congress.
For those interested in the fascinating process of restoring old movies, see the excellent documentary “Lost Forever” that is posted at the bottom of the Home page..
Lunch?
The downtown has any number of restaurants, but if you are attending a matinee at the Stanford, consider remaining in Palo Alto’s historical past. Have lunch at the Peninsula Creamery, a family-owned breakfast, lunch, and milkshake shop since 1936 https://peninsulacreamery.com/index.html . Milk shakes are made the old-fashioned way using tall medtal cups. They are the best around.
