This page is part of an experiment in local film history. It presents a record of each documented screening of a particular Louise Brooks film in Northern California, from the time of its release through today. Recorded here are which city and at what venue and over what period of time (one week, three days, one day, etc…) any particular film was shown. Additionally noted are those occasions when a film was shown as part of a double bill, if there was a special guest appearance, or some other unusual circumstance, such as a benefit screening.
This page presents a record of screenings for God’s Gift to Women, which was officially released by Warner Brothers on April 15, 1931. For more about this production, be sure and check out its Louise Brooks Society FILMOGRAPHY PAGE. ||| Or, click here to advance to the NEXT FILM in the Lulu by the Bay set of records.
1931 Screenings: Warner Brother’s in San Francisco (Apr. 17-23, 1931 – see pictured advertisements); Rialto in Eureka (May 10-12, 1931); Century in Oakland (Apr. 17-18, 1931 with The Spy); Modesto in Modesto (May 13-15, 1931); Gem in Colusa (May 21-22, 1931); State in Rocklin (May 21-22, 1931); Mystic in Petaluma (June 8-9, 1931 with Tom Sawyer); Cline in Santa Rosa (June 9-10, 1931); Senator in Chico (June 16-17, 1931); Fox Capitol in Sacramento (June 17-19, 1931); Davies in San Francisco with A Woman Forgotten (June 24-26, 1931); New Rialto in San Francisco (July 15-18, 1931 with Quick Millions); Lyceum in San Francisco (July 21-22, 1931); Oaks in Berkeley (July 22-24, 1931 with Woman Hungry); Riviera in San Francisco (July 28-29, 1931 with Caught Cheating); Verdi in San Francisco (July 31 – Aug. 1, 1931 with Headin’ North and Walker-Sharkey fight films); Stanford in Palo Alto (Aug. 1, 1931); Lyric in Modesto (Aug. 13-14, 1931); Ward Theater in Pismo Beach (Aug. 11-12, 1931 with Sin Ship); Lyric in Modesto (Aug. 13-14, 1931); Starland in Sebastopol (Aug. 14-15, 1931); Strand in San Francisco (Sept. 9-10, 1931 with Lady Refuses); Mission Theatre in Sacramento (Sept. 18, 1931); Rex in Oroville (Oct. 4-5, 1931); Lincoln in San Francisco (Oct. 29-30, 1931); Casino in San Francisco (Dec. 2, 1931 with Beyond Victory);
Screenings after 1931: Century in Oakland (April 16-18, 1932 with The Spy); State in Napa (May 8-9, 1932 with Alexander Hamilton); KHSL Channel 12 – Chico / Sacramento television broadcast (Dec. 28, 1959);
Contemporary screenings: Pageant theater in Chico (Oct. 7, 1981 with Love Em and Leave Em as part of “Two Evenings with Louise Brooks” sponsored by Chico Women’s Film Series at Chico State University); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (March 6, 1983).
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| A 1931 newspaper advertisement for the Warner Theater in San Francisco, California. | A 1931 newspaper advertisement for the Warner Theater in San Francisco, California. |
If you live in Northern California and are curious to learn if a Brooks’ film played where you live, the 25 pages that comprise Lulu by the Bay — including this one, may be just the record to satisfy your curiosity. Want to know more about the non-Louise Brooks films which made the other half of a double bill? Try searching the Internet Movie Database, or IMDb. Additionally, if you are interested in finding out more about any of the theaters noted above, then be sure and check out Cinema Treasures. It’s a truly remarkable website with entries on more than 60,000 movie theaters from not only around California and the United States, but also around the world. Most every theater has its own page, which includes its location, a brief history, historic and contemporary images, and lots more. Cinema Treasures includes not just current theaters, but also those many venues which have closed, been converted to another use, or torn down. Notably, this crowd sourced website can be searched by theater name, location, or zip code.
Have a question or know of other screening not listed above? If so, please CONTACT the Louise Brooks Society.