Chinese Theater, San Francisco

Earlier tonight I watched an old movie, a habit that has — for lack of a better word — become habitual the older I get.

Tonight’s feature was a screwball comedy titled: What’s Up, Doc? starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal, Madeline Kahn (her debut), and a host of other actors many of you would recognize.

If you’re wondering why I’ve included a photo of Bruce Lee, I’ll get to that in a moment.

When I watch movies, I often have a keen interest in the locations where the films are made, including the towns and regions that serve as backdrops. Another reason I like old films is because computer-generated imagery (CGI), and artificial intelligence (AI), play no part in what moviegoers see on the big screen.

Technology today has downright fooled us. And while I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, it has certainly blurred the lines between what is real and what is not.

What’s Up, Doc? was filmed in San Francisco. To that end, I was paying close attention to the scenes filmed throughout the city, and one landmark caught my eye: The Great China Theater. The theater wasn’t featured in a pivotal scene, I simply noticed it in the background during a car chase at the end of the movie.

I was curious to know whether or not the theater was still in use, and I learned a few things.

The theater is no longer in use, at least not in the traditional sense. Today it’s used for live performances, cultural events, and movies! Moreover, its name has changed to The Great Star Theater (around 1960), and it is the last remaining Chinese theater in any Chinatown in the country. It’s also celebrating 100 years!

The theater opened in 1925 to compete with a nearby Mandarin Theater, both of which featured Chinese opera, and top stage talent from China.

During World War II — about 14 years after the theater opened — touring acts no longer came to San Francisco. The theater adapted by showing Chinese-language, and American-made films. By the 1970s, a new wave of Kung Fu movies gained popularity.

I think you see where this is going.

But allow me to back-up for a moment.

Before Lee Jun-fan, known to most of us as “Bruce Lee,” was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, his father, Lee Hoi-chuen and mother, Grace Ho, were on tour with the Cantonese Opera Company, performing in various cities, including The Great Star Theater. Bruce was the couple’s second son, born just a few blocks from the theater. As an infant, young Bruce was featured as a newborn girl in a Cantonese film title “Golden Gate Girl.”

In the last decade, despite praiseworthy efforts, the theater has suffered setbacks and closures.

In 2020, the theater was revived as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Additionally, it has embraced an eclectic array of entertainment: circus acts, cabaret, comedy, and film.

This Sunday the theater presents what is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time: Enter the Dragon (1973), starring Bruce Lee.