THE 1906 SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE!
The City That Was, gone forever on that April morning...
You're Invited
to Make a Truly Timely Visit to 1906
at the Excelsior Electric Theatre.
Escape the 21st-Century Rat Race!
Step into Excelsior's Non-Digital World,
where the wonder of cinema is still fresh,
and motion pictures are on real film
that's run on real mechanical projectors.

Here the 20th Century is new, and (despite natural disasters)
the future looks bright; Teddy Roosevelt is in the White House,
Caruso is on the opera stage, and such man-made complications
as World Wars, climate change, television, the Internet,
and those little plastic water bottles are as yet unimagined.
San Francisco is the great port of the West-- its Ferry Building,
opened less than ten years before, supports a volume of traffic
second only to that of London's immense Charing Cross Station.

It's the era of ragtime, Gibson Girls, Art Nouveau,
Vaudeville, cakewalks and the Arrow Collar man.
Excelsior offers an array of the finest 'new' films,
from actualities, dramas and comedies to imported
fantasies by Melies, Pathe and others, plus
magic lantern slides and acoustic live music.
THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE NICKELODEON SHOW
is the perfect Quake Day observance.
You'll see the famous "Trip Down Market Street",
recently determined to have been filmed on April 14th,
four days before the Quake struck.

And then there's footage of the aftermath...
On a happier note, we'll also be screening
"A Train Ride Down Mount Tamalpais",
filmed in 1906, plus delightful short comedies,
and as a special treat:
FANTASY from LE GRAND MELIES.
The programme will be enhanced by inspired
accompaniment on the pianoforte.

ALSO FOR YOUR DELECTATION

Feel free to join in the chorus of a catchy new illustrated song.
PLUS! A STARTLING AND MARVELOUS INNOVATION!
Through a wonderful new process you can see stereopticon views projected
upon the screen in life-like three dimensions. We will feature images of San
Francisco before and after the disaster. The odd comical view may turn up as well.
(Some historical license is taken in utilizing polarized projection decades before
its actual introduction. The principle of the red-blue/red-green anaglyph was
understood as early as the 1850s, but does not provide as consistent an effect.)


EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS SHOULD BRING A NICKEL!
(This needn't be a 1906 Liberty head nickel-- any will do)

Again, if you like to dress old-timey, by all means put on your favorite rig
from 1890-1920--- or whenever. Just wear what you like and be comfortable!
AND REMEMBER:


The Excelsior Company, P.O.Box 604 Penngrove, California 94951-0604
Date Last Modified: 02/22/25
Web design by Annie Lore
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