FRIENDS OF THE ORPHEUM THEATRE

When I became Board President of FOTOT five years ago, I hoped that we could help increase the public awareness of the Orpheum. To that end, we have increased the number of tours (both public and private), increased our support of the Organ Society's "Silent Sunday" pr...

Over the last months, we lost two people who, in their own way, played a part in the history of the Orpheum Theatre.

Pete Knobloch  

Pete was a long-time member of the local chapter of the American Theater Organ Society (ATOS). His interest in organs was sparked by...

On January 5, 2019 the Orpheum celebrated its 90th anniversary!  As part of the celebration, Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams proclaimed January 5, 2019 "Orpheum Theatre Day" and FOTOT provided five FREE tours of the theatre. 

Over 125 people had the chance to experie...

On January 5, 2019, the Orpheum Theatre celebrates its 90th birthday!

The excitement began in June 1927 when construction began on what was promised to be "the most beautiful playhouse west of the Mississippi" by theater entrepreneurs Harry L. Nace and Jo. E. Rickards....

On October 28th, the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society will once again present "Silent Sundays". The feature will be "The Phantom of the Opera." The film, from Universal Pictures, stars Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, and Norman Kerry. One of th...

No name has been associated more with the history of the Orpheum than Gene Bumph. Born in Colorado, Bumph

came to Phoenix as a young boy. He showed an interest in music from an early age. A few years after graduation from

Phoenix Union High School he formed a dance band...

If I ask native Phoenicians, or long-time residents, about Wallace & Ladmo, the first thing I get are smiles, and then remarks like “I miss them”, “They were funny”, and “I saw them at the Fair.”  Wallace & Ladmo are obviously Arizona legends.

The story begins, iron...

Occasionally, Hollywood studios would hold premiere parties in various sections of the country. They would send the stars of the film to appear at a theater to talk about the film, answer questions from the audience, and sign autographs. This was probably as close as a...

As mentioned in the last Newsletter, the Orpheum would occasionally present “home-grown” talent. And no name was more significant in the early history of the Theatre than Gene Bumph. Born in Colorado, Bumph came to Phoenix as a young boy, and later graduated from Centr...

Although built as a movie theater, the Orpheum would occasionally have live performances, either in conjunction with a movie, or as a stand-alone performance without a movie. Some of these live performances, like the Gene Bumph Dance Academy or Guido Diero – World’s Gr...