Castro Theatre

One of the grandest theaters I have ever entered, the Castro is part bedouin tent, part subterranean confectionary, and all fantasy. Seeing films here during the San Francisco Film Festival is a memory I will always cherish.

The Queen of SF theater...pardon the pun. Good news for all Castro theater fans. The theater is closing mid september 2001 for extensive renovations....New seats new carpet new paint. Finally she is gonna get polished. If you have never been to the theater you are missing one of the greatest movie experiences....The Whirlitzer and yes it gets played before almost every movie....San Francisco open you golden gates!

A favorite among locals and tourists of course. The Castro went thru a awesome makeover and I was really impressed when I was there for a movie showing. It's not everday that I go there but a treat when I do, it's usually a movie that The Castro is theater in town thats screening the movie.

My favorite place to see a film in the WHOLE world! The best audiences anywhere, and possibly the best programming on the planet. A terrific mix of classic, art and festival films ... something for everyone. And I feel like a kid again every time I look at the quarterly broadsheet calendar ... reminds me of sitting under the Christmas tree looking through the JC Penney toy catalog!

I am so happy that they renovated it- it really needed it! Today it looks STUNNING. I recently took a friend to see "Gone with the Wind", and his jaw dropped when he walked in. That surprised me since he doens't appreciate movie palaces, but he was amazed at this place. The film presentations are spectacular, and the enthusiastic crowd always adds to the delight of the Castro theatre experience.

What's not to love about the Castro? Aside from being a very charming, elegant theatre, it has one of the most intelligent and eclectic ongoing film programs in the bay area. Not to mention state of the art image and sound presentations. It was one of the few theatres in the country to be able to show the 1996 70mm restoration of Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo". In November 2002, Hitchcock's daughter was present for a screening of the film, where the city designated that day as "Alfred Hitchcock Day in San Francisco". What a memorable evening that was!

I do not live in San Francisco but whenever I am in town I make it a point to visit the Castro at least once. It's more than a movie theater. It's a nostalgic dream, a vision that transports us back to what used to be but which sadly in most places is no more. There are not too many other places where you can find a movie palace doing what it was meant to do...show movies! And what programming and showmanship! Clearly San Franciscans, especially from the Castro district, worship this place. May it survive as long as the cable cars do. Forever.

Despite growing up in Santa Cruz and spending much time in the city over the years, the one and only time I ever made it to the Castro was for the 1996 70mm restoration of Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." It was one of the five best theatre experiences of my life.

The name is incorrect in the introduction. It's Castro Theatre, not The Castro Theatre. Very few theatres used "The" in their names, not even the legendary NYC Roxy, which might seem a likely choice.

Today's SF Chronicle reports that long-time Castro programmer Anita Monga has been dismissed after programming the Castro since 1988.

The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/11/03/DDG6L9K75G1.D
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Wednesday, November 3, 2004 (SF Chronicle)
Castro Theatre in turmoil over sudden sacking
Ruthe Stein, Chronicle Senior Movie Writer


The manager of the Castro Theatre quit Tuesday -- the latest of several
staffing shake-ups to cause concern about the future of the venerable
movie palace, mecca to film lovers in the Bay Area.
Stacey Wisnia, who has managed the Castro for more than four years and
worked there for eight, said she resigned in part to protest the abrupt
firing last week of the theater's long-time programmer, Anita Monga.
"I really am upset about how they fired Anita, who is definitely one of
the most highly regarded programmers in the country," Wisnia said. "It
makes me worry about the direction the theater is heading in."
During her 16 years as the Castro's director of programming, Monga
developed a national reputation for her eclectic scheduling, mixing
first-run features with classics and the offbeat. Her final schedule for
the theater includes the original "The Manchurian Candidate," a tribute to
cinematographer James Wong Howe, a week's worth of "Godzilla" movies and
"Tarnation," a new documentary about a young man's relationship with his
mentally ill mother.
Monga said Castro owner Ted Nasser summoned her to the theater last
Tuesday to tell her "I would immediately have no contact with the theater.
I can't even begin to think what is in their minds," she said, referring
to the Nasser family. The Nassers built the Castro and have owned it since
1922, but took over active management only in 2001. They have installed
new seats and made other improvements.
Stacks of letters have been sent protesting Monga's dismissal and
expressing concern for the quality of the films the theater will now show.
Although Monga said she was "shocked" by her dismissal, this outpouring of
support "has been so moving to me" and confirmed her belief in the
Castro's significance. "It is a San Francisco treasure and I worry about
it now." Assistant manager Christian Bruno, who recently e-mailed almost
everyone in the film community to complain about turmoil at the theater,
also has been fired. Office manager Kelly Rausch resigned Friday in
sympathy.
Nasser isn't saying much about what's transpired. "As an employer, it is
not my habit to speak about staffing changes," he said Monday.
But his wife, Karen Nasser, went out of her way to assure local theater
patrons that there would be no major changes at the Castro.
"No thought has been given to exhibiting films like the multiplexes show,
" she said. "The Castro has shown unique films, hosted film festivals and
special events for many, many years. We expect and look forward to
continue to work with each and every one of the film festivals and special
events."
"Karen is hankering for the job (of film programmer) because she thinks
it
is glamorous and easy," said Elliot Lavine, an independent distributor who
used to program films at the Roxie. "She has no idea of what goes into it,
and Ted wouldn't know a good movie from an ashtray."
It is believed that the Nassers would like to screen more family fare.
Karen Nasser recently initiated Sunday morning children's films such as
"National Velvet" and "Cheaper by the Dozen."
"I think they would like to see less of things like 'Tarnation,' " said
Marcus Hu, owner of Strand, an independent distributor whose films often
play the Castro. Wisnia said the Nassers have "complained about the gay
content of some of the films." When a double bill of "Proteus" and
"Superstar in a Housedress," both gay-themed, did not do well at the box
office "it seemed to set them (the Nassers) off in a way." According to
Wisnia, they also were unhappy with a Bruce Weber photo on a recent
program cover showing men with their shirts off and their arms around each
other.
Insiders say the Nassers have been furiously calling festival heads to
assure them the welcome mat is still out at the Castro. But at least one
festival curator, Eddie Muller, who puts on the popular San Francisco Film
Noir Festival at the Castro in January, may go elsewhere.
"I have no intention of doing it without Anita, and I am seriously
considering an alternative venue because of this development," Muller
said.
Gary Meyer, founder of Landmark Theatres who now operates the Balboa,
predicts that there may be more defections. "The Castro is very expensive
to rent, and you don't want to go to a place where the staff and the
environment are not right for what you are doing," Meyer said. Other
options for film festivals include the Palace of Fine Arts and the Herbst
Theatre.
However, Meyer doubts that the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay
Film Festival would consider a move because the Castro is in the heart of
the gay community. "They want to be at the corner of Main and Main."
E-mail Ruthe Stein at rstein@sfchronicle.com

The official web site of the Castro: http://www.thecastrotheatre.com/

They should move all of this to the Roxie or that little porno theatre which I cant remember the name of. That would be a good way to restore it.

Nassers: Tsk Tsk Tsk....

Look for the Castro to be a Walgreens, Gap, or Crunch Gym within a year!

I have been going to the Castro off and on for 30 years...mainly off due to distance.

Its hard to believe the Nasser family getting uptight at this late date about Gay content.

20 years ago the theatre was showing all this German crap by Fassbinder and some wierdo who kept was taking his taxi to the toilet in the middle of Berlin. Remember?

The Castro should do Gay Lite and downplay the politics. A re-release of "La Cage..." or retrospect of Gay actors and director films would have more mass appeal than that hardcore stuff. Speaking of that what happened to Beau Geste, a little porno theatre around the corner? I saw Gordon Grant there making a personal appearance.

The NEW official website of The Castro Theatre is located here:

http://www.castrotheatresf.com

And the new calendar is online! Check it out!

Count this and Cinema 1-2-3 as goners.

Seems like it would be economic suicide to change the programming to the point that people would stop going. The Nassers have owned the theatre for decades, and I doubt they want to see it close due to a lack of patronage. I wonder if they are considering twinning or triplexing which was kicked around in the late 70's or early 80's. The theatre is a national historical landmark but don't know it that protects the interior as well as the facade. There was a noisy demonstration in front of the theatre Saturday (18th)over the firing of Anita Monga and the hiring on an LA programmer who obviously doesn't know the local film scene (according to an interview with him in a recent SF Chronicle column by Ruthe Stein - "The Movie Insider"). Time will tell whether his programming will bring movigoers into the Castro or whether it was the wrong employment decision. The "Film Noir" series that has been so popular at the Castro has pulled out and will be at the Balboa.

There are obviously some great, clued-in business owners but, more often than not, it's the day-to-day staff of a business who's far more aware of what the public wants and responds to, but unfortunately they're not the ones with the capital and the resultant clout and, inevitably, the staff (and the customers) suffer. Hopefully, with the current outcry, the Nasser family will catch on before long...

I recently went to see MEET ME IN ST LOUIS at THE CASTRO - and the house was almost empty! Never in all my years has this occured for a Judy Garland picture. The owners better 'get with the program '
or sell/lease the movie palace to someone who truly cares for its audience and survival.

For those interested there was a boycot of the musicals recently shown at the Castro (why so few people showed for Meet me in St. Louis maybe) but everyone is still encouraged to patronize the festivals that play there, such as the upcoming Berlin and Beyond. However customers who disagree with the current situation are encouraged to not patronize the snack bar, as those proceeds go only to the castro and not to the festivals that screen there.

The recent calendar is not awful in terms of selection, but by no means exciting, and whoever wrote the blurbs is not very educated about film, and clearly did it very quickly. They seem to be playing everything for camp and no substance. Its some of the worse film writing ive come across in a SF movie house calendar. I will be curious to see what the SF film festival does... granted they seem to be going in another, yet just as anoying direction from their past. Mel Nobikov (sp) is turning in his grave...

If the castro goes south, the san franciso film scene will be officially moot... The Roxie is a shadow of its former self, the Four Star is closing, and the Red Vic is just not the same caliber. The Balboa seems to be the only theatre trying to do something. I hope they can keep it up.

Someone should reopen the Strand and bring back the former Castro programmer and move all the festivals there.

Actually I would like to change my statement on the Roxie... though not quite as impressive as thier calendar days, they are still a significant addition of the SF film landscape.

Just looked at the "coming attractions" at the Castro website. Blech!

Even when I lived in the Bay Area, I rarely went to the Castro for a movie. It was fairly far away from me, and "art" films rarely interest me. VERY occasionally, there'd be a silent movie or organ concert, and THOSE I went to!

The Wurlitzer is wonderful, one of the most beautiful-sounding anywhere. The acoustics in the Castro are TERRIFIC for the organ!

Because I happen to personally know the people involved with that theatre organ, I was lucky enough to be able to make a few early-morning visits for impromptu mini-concerts. Those were truly special experiences that I will never forget.

How come such a wonderful 20's movie palace as this, equipped with one of the world's finest theatre organs, so rarely shows silent movies? Even back when I still lived in the Bay Area, silents were almost never shown, averaging maybe twice a year or so.

On those rare occasions, they drew large audiences. My favorite haunt since I moved to Oregon, the Elsinore Theatre in Salem, hosts maybe 20 silent-movie programs a year and THEY tend to draw large audiences, too. I think there's an audience for this form of movie entertainment, and it's largely untapped.

I can understand that silents are sometimes hard to acquire, and you have to pay an organist, etc., but come ON! These movie palaces are DESIGNED for the "flickers"! Let's use them for their intended purposes already! Occasional silents are a great addition to a movie palace's schedule.

I'm as downhearted about the Castro as most everyone else, but let's not cut off our nose to spite our (or their) face(s). If someone were to move all the festivals and the former Castro programming elsewhere, the Strand would be a po-o-o-o-or substitute---how about the New Mission, the Harding, or the former Cine Latino instead? No sense replacing an architectural diamond (which was a big part of the Castro's appeal with many festivalgoers all these years) with a lump of coal a fraction of the diamond's size. (Of course, that's assuming such a thing could be carried out.)

Saw Portuguese films here during a film fest.

The Castro is hosting a 70mm festival August 1-11.

Aug. 1 ... Vertigo
Aug. 2 ... 2001: A Space Odyssey
Aug. 3 ... Lawrence Of Arabia
Aug. 4 ... The Bridge On The River Kwai
Aug. 5 ... Apocalypse Now
Aug. 6 ... The Road Warrior
Aug. 7 ... Ghostbusters
Aug. 8 ... Dragonslayer
Aug. 9 ... Tommy
Aug. 10 ... Edward Scissorhands
Aug. 11 ... Hello, Dolly!

Last week I had the opportunity to see Valentino in THE SHIEK at the Castro with a pianist providing a live score. What a great night at the movies. Even the hipper then thou crowd was captivated by the experience. After a few initial giggles at the unfamiliar acting style, the audience beacame drawn into the story and the experience. Coming up at at the Castro is a week of Harold Lloyd. The Shiek was preceded by Wings, and the Silent Film Festival. Though there may not be enough Silents for everyone's taste [including mine] the art of the Silent Film is alive at the Castro.

Sheik.

Thank you Gerald, so much for the I before e rule huh?

Thank you Gerald, so much for the I before e rule huh?

They used a PIANO when they have a magificent THEATRE ORGAN (one of the finest, I might add) right there? What the heck are they THINKING???

The Castro will be having a 3-D festival coming up in October, also will be showing some of the Universal horror movies as well as the Hammer classics.

Really tired of the bashing people do of the Castro theatre. Considering the climate of the overall movie market.

A piano is far preferable to some of the bad instrumental accompaniments I've heard which seem designed to totally destroy the mood of so many silent films. Especially when you see silents on DVD or TCM. The soundtracks are guaranteed to be abysmal making the films unwatchable.
I wish we had a place like the Castro in New York.

If anything there have been more gay movies at the Castro since Anita's firing. Admittedly my tastes are a little more mainstream, but I find myself going to the Castro more since she's been gone.

Unfortunately Landmark tends to get the best gay independent films and they usually put them at the Lumiere on Polk St. There would have much bigger and livelier audiences if they played the Castro.

Speaking of Anita, there is one big difference that I have noticed. Since she is no longer the programmer the quality of the prints has gone way down. A few weeks ago I saw Dragonslayer there and the print was awful. This week I saw Ice Station Zebra, and it may have been the worst quality print I have seen at the Catro in the 20 years I have been going there.This is a film that shows often on TV in an excellent print, so I know there are better available prints then the one the Castro showed this week. Anita's connections used to assure us the best print available. I guess the new programmer does not have these kind of connections

I would like to add to jackeboy's comments: I too have noticed the quality of the prints going downhill. I have attended several screenings at the Castro within the last few months, and with each og them was something disappointing about the print and/or presentation. Namely, the 70mm festival. I saw "Tommy" there, which was not only totally faded, and worn, but just a useless, cropped print. It didn't make any sense for the Castro to show this print, when there are FAR superior 35mm prints out there. I also saw the restored "Vertigo" as far of the festival, and having seen it at the Castro before in 70mm, this print was poorly presented with intermittent focus throughout. They also ran a poor quality, worn old print of "Psycho" earlier last month, which was the worst print I had ever seen of this film. I KNOW there are better prints out there currently. There definitely seems to be a lapse in print quality there, and though I am anticipating the 3-D festival, and am already skeptical. Does the Castro even have a silver screen for this?!

I would like to add to jackeboy's comments: I too have noticed the quality of the prints going downhill. I have attended several screenings at the Castro within the last few months, and with each of them was something disappointing about the print and/or presentation. Namely, the 70mm festival. I saw "Tommy" there, which was not only totally faded, and worn, but just a useless, cropped print. It didn't make any sense for the Castro to show this print, when there are FAR superior 35mm prints out there. I also saw the restored "Vertigo" as part of the festival, and having seen it at the Castro before in 70mm, this print was poorly presented with intermittent focus throughout. They also ran a poor quality, worn old print of "Psycho" earlier last month, which was the worst print I had ever seen of this film. I KNOW there are better prints out there currently. There definitely seems to be a lapse in print quality there, and though I am anticipating the 3-D festival, I am already skeptical. Does the Castro even have a silver screen for this?!

All of these comments (above) should also be directed to Bill Longen, the new programmer at BLCastroTheatre (at) aol.com . . go to www.thecastrotheatre.com and click on Contact Us.

This is another photo of the Castro Theater.

recent photo:
http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/sf100.asp

Are there any interior photos to be found?

Historic photos can be found at
http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/librarylocations/sfhistory/sfphoto.htm
Click on Digitized Images by Subject, scroll down to Theaters, click on letter C, where there are about 8 historic photos. Not sure if there is an easy way to find current interior photos unless you want to email Bill Longen the programmer at BLCastroTheatre (at) aol.com

Thanks Tom! What a gem, sure wish we had more like that in NY

If you haven't already, go to the Castro Theatre website
http://www.thecastrotheatre.com
and click on the History section which has a few old and new photos.

Here is another photo of the Castro Theater.

I went to just about every Saturday matinee at the Castro from about 1959-1962 or early '63. Why the heck not? It was only 20 cents to get in, and another 20 cents for popcorn AND soda. It was usually a double feature with a cartoon. At that time, it was a little run-down, but still impressive. I remember seeing "The Phantom of The Opera" ('62 version, Herbert Lom in maybe his only starring role?) and being a little nervous about that big chandelier.

This is the Castro marquee at night.

An undated photo:
http://206.103.49.193/sf/htm/sf004.htm

Queer queues at the Castro:
http://flickr.com/photos/earthworm/21908489/in/pool-filmfests/

I must say the Castro has given me the most AWESOME movie-going experiences in this city. Especially this past year! I heard of the programming upset behind the scenes some time ago, but to be honest, I go now more than ever before. I went to almost every film at the GODZILLA FEST. I basically set up house at the Castro even though I live nearby. Such a wonderful, fun experience. I enjoyed the 3-D fest and tried to go every night. The horror fest last year was GREAT as was their Halloween programming!!!!!! Whenever they play Hitchcock - I'm there. Recently they played some fun films like Xanadu and Skatetown USA. Very fun.
More upper-crust foreign fare and such were probably favored before, but I never went to see them (except for the Fellini films...I'm now a fan of his work). The programming now is really fun. I'll take a Joan Crawford double feature or Vincent Price fest ANY DAY over the usual arthouse programming.
I LOVE THE CASTRO THEATRE!

I'm so happy to say that I, too, was lucky enough to have a Castro experience all the way from Brooklyn ! I was visiting my sister in the '80s, and had never seen "Gilda" with Rita Hayworth, believe it or not. I got to see it, complete with organ serenade, and was happily dazzled !

Here are 29 interior/exterior modern photo's of the Castro Theater.

This is the organist at the Castro. This might have been filmed on someones cell phone :)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zunYAgNSQMg&search=movie%20theatre

The Castro Theatre is magnificent, and as a SF native, I have gone there many, many times over the years. I will say that current Events Promoter/Producer Bill Longen obsesses over the prints they get, but sometimes distributors send garbage, and it's too late. I was the programmer for both GODZILLAFEST and SHOCK IT TO ME! at the Castro Theatre, and while I worked with Anita on the former, both of them were easy to work with and very cool. We came to Anita with three days of Godzilla films, and she expanded it to five, then seven -- even I thought that was crazy, but it worked and the show was a resounding success.

For SHOCK IT TO ME!, Bill was not only adamant about getting the best prints possible, as he is with everything they book for the theater, but also the best film selection possible. Sony’s print of THE COMEDY OF TERRORS was fading (it's was all that was available), but the prints of HOUSE OF USHER and DR. PHIBES were STUNNING, as were the prints of VAMPIRE LOVERS, REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, CURSE OF THE DEMON and THE HAUNTING. You can’t expect perfection in 40 year-old Horror Films that the distributors hardly care about, but we got close.

Working together with us, Bill brought some great ideas to the table, and felt as though we were one big family. As a result, SHOCK IT TO ME! also was a success, and it was an absolute pleasure (and a privilege) to work with the staff and management of this great movie palace. I am looking forward to continuing for as long as they'll have us.

Since he came aboard at the Castro, Bill has booked in some crazy stuff (and let us run amok, too) -- was anyone there in the PACKED house for the colorized PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE screening recently? Yes, an Ed Wood film packed the 850-seat floor. Simply amazing what a little solid PR can do for an awful film. LOL. Believe me, it was a night that was hilarious and just felt damned good. I'd rather see programming like this, than anything in French -- just kidding.

But, fear not (or maybe you should), there’s more cool programming in the pipeline (Bill is plotting and planning), and we are booking films (and guests) for the triumphant return of SHOCK IT TO ME! for the 2006 Halloween Season. Thanks for all those who attended last year, and those who left kind comments on this page. This year's show will be bigger (two weekends) and twice as ugly! Thanks again and stay tuned...

¡Viva Castro Theatre!

I love the Castro. There 3-D festival was cool. Hoping they might be able to show "Those Redheads from Seattle", "Charge at Feather River" "Taza, Son of Cochise" in dual strip since they have recently been restored and will be shown at the upcoming 3-D Film Expo in September at the Egyption in Hollywood.

I do wish they had money to invest in a little clean up at the Castro. The spotlights projected into the auditorium during intermission are quite annoying very unflattering to what is a beautiful inerior and the ceiling design is almost unrecognizable at this point. I imagine any restoration work is probably unaffordable, sadly.

Oh, if only the Castro Theater could get the refurbishing it truly deserves. There is so much detail that could be restored - the ceiling alone would be worth cleaning and restoring. Probably decades of cigarette smoke has blackened it. It would probably take several million dollars to properly refurbish the place.

But even in its tarnished state, it remains a marvelous theater, one of the cultural gems of San Francisco. And you haven't lived until you've seen the Wizard of Oz or some other movie loved by gay people there - the audience is just as much fun as the picture sometimes.

I wouldn't say that the Castro Theatre is at all "tarnished"; I have spent a lot of time in this cinema as a fest producer/organizer, and on the contrary, the Castro is a very clean, well-kept venue. In the 1970s and 1980s I heard that it was becoming run down (I remember seeing SEVEN SAMURAI there in 1981/82 and don't remember much about the theatre), but after 60 years, what wouldn't be?

Conversely, in the last several years, having been there both day and night -- for several days in a row -- I haven't experienced or seen anything that was falling apart or fraying around the edges. The Castro is a working theater, and to close it for that kind of extensive cleaning of the ceilings would be cost-prohibitive, to say the least. The cost of maintaining the archival projectors, alone, is astronomical. Keeping the films running and the sound system working, are probably the two elements that most patrons take for granted, but are the most important things to insure that any cinema stays open and viable.

With that being said, the Castro has already replaced all of the carpeting and many of the seats (all on the floor, and a majority of the balcony – some of the seats in the balcony were kept original to preserve the historic aspect). They are always looking at what needs to be done to improve the presentation of the films – which are always changing, sometimes from day to day – and how they can better serve their patrons. Expect some more improvements to the Castro over the next year.

Against common sense, I have spent a large portion of my life in San Francisco cinemas, from the industry screening rooms to fleabags like the defunct Strand -- I’ve seen them all -- and the Castro Theatre is hardly “tarnished”. If people would like to see the theatre make better and more aggressive restoration, the best way they can do this is to patronize the Castro as often as possible. The more the theatre earns at the box office and concession, the more the Nassar family will invest back into their theater.

The link to the Castro Theatre is dead, the current and correct link is http://www.castrotheatre.com

In 1989 I worked for a local paint store. Blumenfeld Enterprises managed the theatre then and had an account with the paint store. After the 1989 Loma Preita earthquake the Castro closed for several months to patch up the damage. One of the Blumenfeld's painters came in one day and bought all the shellac we had off the shelf and asked me to order another 10 gallons. When he came in to pick up the rest of his order several days later I asked him what he was doing with the shellac (noting that the Castro was listed as the job site). He said they were "restoring" the tented plaster ceiling. I asked him what they used to clean off the decades of nicotine and grease, he said they were just applying the shellac as ordered by the foreman. I told him that shellac darkens with age, did they think about that? He said they were in a hurry to finish the work so that the theatre could reopen. If anything in the Castro is "tarnished" it's the tented ceiling. It has gotten much darket than it was before the "restoration" and details that were clearly visible and much lighter are now hidden.

While that may be true, I have no reason to doubt your story, but I do doubt the story of the Blumenfeld's painter. First, we would need to verify if this "restoration" actually occurred - otherwise, it is simply hearsay. But, with that being said, the Castro still stands head and shoulders above the sea of multiplexes in San Francisco - since all of the other "old time" theaters are rapidly disappearing, and soon, only the Castro will be left standing. We shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. But, rest assured, the Nassar family has great plans for maintenance and renovation for the old girl.

Don't forget the Castro's Halloween Horror Film Festival, SHOCK IT TO ME!, October 27-29 2006
http://www.myspace.com/shockit2me

This is a recent photo of the Castro Theater and here is another.

I was being facetious August, by putting restoration in " ". I'm no expert but I would think (as a former painter) that a restoration would include first a good cleaning of the surface before putting on a preservative. As I said, I think they were in a hurry. The Castro is my neighborhood theatre and I feel lucky to be able to walk just a few blocks to see a film there. The multiplexes leave me cold also.

An amazing theatre, and despite the controversy over Monga's firing, they still do great programming.

Like a lot of old movie palaces, the central heat/air leaves something to be desired. If its chilly (and in SF it can be chilly any time of the year) dress warmly.

Here is a 1927 exterior photo and this is a 1927 interior photo.

Here is a recent night photo of the Castro Theater and this is a close-up view.

There's another recent photo of the Castro's marquee and vertical sign on the front page (E1) of The Arts section of today's issue of The New York Times, and probably viewable at www.nytimes.com

P.S. There's an even better B&W photo of the auditorium with the continuation of the NYT article on page E7.

P.P.S., The interior photo is even better at the NYT website, where it's displayed in full color rather than B&W.

The Times write-up spotlights their wildly successful “Noir City” film festival, now in its fifth year and probably their biggest annual event (now playing through February 4th).

Here’s another excellent example of a restored old-time movie palace, serving up great classic cinema, to a large contemporary audience of enthusiastic and appreciative movie-going fans.

Here is a 2007 night view of the Castro Theater.

Photos (from 2000) here:-

Exterior:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/423234131/

Lobbies:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/423234128/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/423234124/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/423234123/

Auditorium:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/423234119/

Loutheatres said, "...despite the controversy over Monga's firing, they still do great programming."

There was no "controversy"; Monga butted heads with the owners of the theater, and they let her go. The rumors that flew in the media came from a case of sour grapes, and other wild claims were unfounded. Monga recently worked with the Castro to present NOIR CITY 5 (she's the programming director). So, I guess the "controversy" leveled at the theater was all for naught? Anyhow, the Castro Theatre is doing better than ever -- and the last couple of times I was there, I wish I hadn't dressed so warmly (since it was so crowded) it got stuffy.

Besides, lots of really progressive and interesting things are in store this year!

Photos of the Castro Theatre make it look so much larger than a 1500 seat house. It certainly is beautifully designed.

This is another 2007 photo of the Castro Theater.

I've heard rumors that the neighborhood is changing to more of a straight/gay mix. This is thirdhand as I don't spend much time in SF. Unknown if this would change the programming at the theater.

Another 2007 photo of the Castro Theater can be seen here.

I was the manager of the Castro Theater when it suddenly closed because of the 1989 earthquake. The theater was only dark for about 30 days, not months as stated on this thread. There was a very hurried “restoration” of the auditorium because it was costing a bundle in lost revenue. Scaffold was raised in the entire interior of the auditorium, and a considerable amount of plaster decoration was taken down. There were plaster tassels and rope swags removed from the tented area around the chandelier. They were stacked in the lobby and taken “to storage” from whence, I doubt, they will ever be returned.
There was also a good deal of damage to the women’s restroom and the manager’s office the walls of both having collapsed onto the grand staircases. While this did not appreciably change the look of the lobby when repairs were finished, it did help delay reopening.
The console of the organ was badly damaged and required restoration, as did the organ pipe lofts on either side of the screen. In the upstairs booth the old carbon-arc projectors were violently moved from their original positions. Later newer projectors were installed (actually they were originally in the French Pavilion at the Seattle World’s Fair) because the picture had to be considerably brightened to show Ted Turner’s restored “Gone With the Wind.”
Behind today’s wide screen there was the original proscenium arch from the 1920s. I’m not certain it’s even still there now. Because the picture in those days was square and quite small, in old movie palaces the screen was framed by elaborate plasterwork. The Castro’s original proscenium was badly damaged in the quake and may have been removed by now. I doubt it would ever be restored.
During that time, with workmen coming and going, trucks and materials being unloaded, people from the community would dash past the “No Entrance” signs convinced the theater was being trashed into a tri-plex by the Blumenfeld organization. In fact, no such plan was ever seriously considered by the Blumenfelds. It was Mel Novikoff who had planned such a change before his death, but I don’t think it ever went beyond the talking stages.

This weekend the legendary Castro Theatre is celebrating its 85th anniversary. There's quite a festival planned of great entertainment. Why I am not there? Well family commitments and Broadway shows.

The program looks of all things awesome. Mainly on Saturday as there is a screening of a true classic in its proper setting. If you live in San Francisco and don't go to see the film "San Francisco" there, you should be deported.
There's also a sing along Wizard of Oz scheduled for 2pm. Then at 11am, its cartoons and also a Laurel and Hardy film. all for the admission price of 25 cents!!! The price of admission from 1922!

Then on Sunday, a screening of the legendary "Phantom of the Opera " starring Lon Chaney and featuring live accompaniment on the beautiful Wurlitzer organ. Noon on Sunday, its "Gone with the Wind".

There's also other special surprises in store too. Be there for them, its gonna be a great weekend.

If anyone does go, please, photos, recaps, whatever! Get there, spend your weekend at the Castro Theatre and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this legend

The showing of "San Francisco" reminds of another movie, "Hello, Frisco, Hello." When that Technicolor musical premiered at the Fox Theatre on Market Street in 1943, the advertising was changed to read "Hello, San Francisco, Hello," after the management received many complaints from residents who considered the abbreviation "Frisco" an insult to their beloved city.

Here is a night view of the Castro Theater.

Tonight (8/10/2007) kicks off the Castro Theatre's 85th Anniversary celebration.

Wow, I hope I look this good when I am 85. Tonight is a live Hawaiian music show celebrating diversity.

8/11/07 starts the day with a Laurel and Hardy film, cartoons and a special 25 CENT ADMISSION PRICE, just like it was back in 1922.

2pm is a Wizard of Oz sing along and then

7pm The classic San Francisco as it should be seen at the Castro.
Sunday 8/12 "Gone with the Wind" is screened and also the legendary Wurlitzer organ accompanies Lon Chaney's "Phantom of the Opera" What
an awesome weekend celebrating this great theatre!

Great interview with Don Nasser, owner of the Castro Theatre, in the recent edition of the Castro Courier...

http://www.castrocourier.com/Web_Editorial/aug_07/castro_theatre.htm

Dan Reed of "On the Castro.com" was asked to put together a retrospective piece for the 85th anniversary of the Castro Theatre.
This features interviews with the Nassers and programmer Bill Longen.
Its very well done. Dan posted it up to his website, so here's the link.

http://www.onthecastro.com/play.php?episode=37

Be cautious at some of the other links if you care to sniff around.

Actually its Dave Reed. Darn this thing for not having a delete function!

You lucky, lucky people!

What a great time this past weekend at the Castro for the 85th anniversary. I have met with both Nasser brothers many times in the past year and have told them about having some color added to the indoor lights. I even offered to by the blue, green and red bulbs. Didn't hear a word. The whole place is lit up in the main theatre with gold and yellow lights on the curtains. The bulbs under the balcony lights need to be blue during the movie. Most are not working. The best place for some dark blue/red bulbs is on either side of the stage on the bottom of the organ loft curtains during a film showing. They have speakers blocking the side curtains. I wait for the day when the main big light on the ceiling can be re lit. Blue during the film on low with the intermission setting green, yellow and orange red combo. The same in the lobby, the candy counter is so dark I don't see how the help can make change. More ceiling lights need to be added above the consession stand. And the two big art deco lights in the lobby in place of boring white lights (always turned way to low) replace with some color lights. In the summer put in Blue on the bottom row Green on the next then Yellow on the top. In the winter put in Red on the bottom Orange on the next row top off with Yellow. These lights need to turned up, they are way to low now. The Nassers told me last year they are about to re do the electric in the theatre. Many times I have gone In and found the main theatre in the dark. Someone had to do something with the fuse box? Let't bring back some color at the Castro. With the new seats, great projection, Dolby Digital and 70mm this is a first class house. Thanks to Bill Longen for helping get this great San Francisco theatre back on track. When he brought back a 70mm print of It's A Mad Mad World last year he made special masking for the big screen so it fit. This is real showmanship!

Hi Terry... your "lighting" comments are so true in every aspect and YES, blue lamps should be used during screening times. Lighting in theaters is so very important. READ ON...

When I was co-doorman with the infamous Jim Lewallen from 1994-2001, I was part of a crew who replaced ALL of the multi-colored bulbs in the massive chandelier. This was a huge task resulting in a two-hour lowering session. We found various old and dated notes from earlier employees who had performed this exciting task and I added my name!

We often experienced electrical shorting-out problems with the original footlights because of the huge overload of pink/red -mostly 45watt floods. So I was asked to work all night until noon the next day by disconnecting the system and boxing them in to never be used again. I wonder how many stars and curtain calls they had seen?

I also replaced the rotten lower masking (rags) with 24" high black painted plywood and was later asked to (reluctantly) board-over the oh-so beautiful original Parquet tiled stage with ugly black painted plywood.

Another Castro lighting project I personally triumphed, over was the completely forgotten lights framing the interior of the great arched window of the facade;
Entry was gained from the projection booth. I carried a large sack of new 60watt yellow bulbs and literally crawled up and over the 24" clearance between the wall and the towering window. Gingerly removing each burned out lamp they fell to their "death" at the base of the window, joining hundreds from the past years.

I also noticed small screw-in clips with wire and remnants of what looked like broken Neon tubing. These were located up, down and across the wooden square frames of the numerous small glass windows.
Owner, Ted Nasser, exclaimed to me that he had forgotten about this yellow illumination and had not seen it since his youth.

On a "wet" note; I was urgently called to the Castro one rainy night after the theater had been repainted. The drain plug in the marquee was blocked from a slew of trash and old scraped-off paint.
The irreplaceable framed structure had begun to seriously bow under the tremendous weight of the rain water and would nhave collapsed onto the sidewalk.
After "snaking" the badly clogged drain, water shot out of the sidewalk exit pipe like a Geyser gone crazy.

Ah the happy times memories associated with such a fabulous theater!

Thanks Simon for your great report. I seem to remember the story of the paint junk the Blumenfields put on the front and it flooding the marquee. One of these days I hope someone will come along and paint the front of the Castro and the Marquee. The stale light color it is now doesn't show off the front like the Castro needs. Bring on the greens, oranges, red, yellow and pink. Make it look like a art deco Miami Theatre in San Francisco. I think they have a law in SF, no flashing neon. Seems the front did flash neon at one time? Now the inside, have you ever been to the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto CA. check out the dark blue lights up in the ceiling during a film showing. This is what the Castro needs. Also on the bottom of the curtain a small border light tray, with a variety of color you can change per movie theme. I remember as a kid going to all the Golden State Theatres in California when they closed the curtain between previews and the main feature they had a dark blue/red light on the curtains as they moved, some of this light went on the bottom of the screen, it was the best in showmanship. Next time I see the Nassers I will talk to them again about adding some color inside. Maybe when no one is watching we can change some bulbs if they don't!

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sfmetro/01.97/movie-organ-97-1.html

David Hegarty keeps the art of the pipe organ alive at the Castro Theater

By Teresa Bergen


Musical trends change all the time. But decisions to dispense with a ukulele or add another guitar are nothing beside the tumultuous history of the theater organ. These huge instruments require space, installation and upkeep, as well as musical skills few people possess.

The Bay Area is lucky to have more than its share of pipe organs installed in theaters, as well as several gifted individuals who can play them, with the Castro Theater boasting one of the best organs in the country, and one of the few that is played every night.

David Hegarty, the Castro's full-time organist, is remarkably modest and distinguished for a San Francisco celebrity. When asked about his local fame, he smiles discreetly and admits to often being recognized on the street. "It's a unique position for an organist," he says. "Even on the concert circuit you don't play to this big an audience, usually."

The Castro's organ is played during intermission before the last two shows of the night. The theater organ, an adaptation of the classical organ, was created to replace pit orchestras and accompany silent movies. When talkies came, organs were relegated to intermissions. Their heyday was in the '20s, and by the '50s their popularity was on the wane, with most organs removed from theaters by the '60s.

Then a strange thing happened. In the '70s, certain pizza parlor owners decided theater organs were the perfect accompaniment to family dining, and pipe organs began their comeback.

The Castro Theater's original organ was installed in 1922. But like most theaters, it joined the organ removal trend when old-time music went out of style. The Castro remained organless until the early '70s, when then-owner Mel Novakoff decided his traditional-style movie house needed a special touch. He rented an electronic organ and placed its speakers in the pipe chambers. This was the organ on which Hegarty began his 18-year (so far) gig at the Castro.

A few years later, around 1980, the Taylor family approached the Castro, seeking a home for their pipe organ. The Castro agreed to take it on, thus beginning a three-year remodeling adventure. The new organ was bigger than the original, so the pipe chambers had to be overhauled and a new room built to house the larger blowers. "The organ was restored to absolute pristine condition," Hegarty said.

The console of the new organ was built in 1925, and was installed at the State (now Palms) Theatre in Detroit. The pipework was gathered from various Wurlitzers around the country. Like the Castro's organ, Hegarty, too, is from Michigan. He began playing accordion at age 7, then organ at age 14. By the time he was 15 he was playing in churches. Hegarty has managed to turn his early interest into an astounding career. He earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, and did doctoral studies in classical organ. Now he teaches workshops around the country on his Intro to Organ Playing method book, composes and publishes church music, and plays at the Castro almost every night, as well as performing in local churches and concert halls nationwide.

According to Hegarty, Jesse Crawford is the man who invented the theater organ style. "We all emulate him," he said. "He played at the New York Paramount in the '20s." Hegarty's personal role model is radio and TV organist John Gart. "I emulate his style more than anyone else's," Hegarty said.

He got to know Gart in his old age, and inherited Gart's whole library of original organ music. When Hegarty plays at the Castro, he tries to match his intermission selections with the movie. "In the case of musicals, it's handed to you," he said.

Hegarty tries to find some musical connection--theme music, songs in the mood of the movie, music from the era when the movie is set. "After you've played these for years, you begin to remember songs that showed up even incidentally in movies," he said.

Hegarty has seen a lot of films, his favorite being Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, both for the picture and the soundtrack. Every performance ends with the Castro Theater's theme song, "San Francisco." "I don't know how many thousands of times I've played that song in the last 18 years," Hegarty says, smiling good-naturedly.

This is another recent photo of the Castro Theater.

It's 70mm week at San Francisco's Castro Theatre. Just got back from the 70mm showing of Patton. Looked great on the big Castro screen. Not curved but still looked good with a great stereo. If you live near the SF area check out 70mm this week. Many are brand new 70mm prints. Some are blow ups from 35mm to 70mm. Sept 18 'Patton' Sept 19/20 'Lord Jim' Sept 21-'Ghostbusters'/Lifeforce Sept 22/23-Lawrence Of Arabia Sept 24-Starman Sept 25/26-2001:A Space Odyssey Sept 27-Total Recall/Terminator 2:Judgement Day. Check these prints out at the Castro Theatre this week! The Castro is one of the few theatres in the SF Bay Area that can still run 70mm. Give them your support. And next year let's bring in some of the 70mm roadshow music films. Yes the roadshow days are back this week only in San Francisco California. More info at www.castrotheatre.com for times.

Here is the Castro Theater at night.

This is a more recent view of the Castro Theater.

Gorgeous photos of the auditorium, 2006 by Ken Roe:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=castro&w=53257210%40N00

If you go the beautful Castro theatre be sure and dress warm. It is freezing. It is not as bad as it was last year, when I attended a showing of In Cold Blood in 4 layers of clothes, but it is still really cold.

Here is another recent photo of the Castro Theater.

This is a recent interior view.

Class.

Here's a nighttime view of the Castro Theatre.

http://castroshopper.vox.com/library/photo/6a00c2251c030c604a00e398d990530005.html

This after its "re-design" to its look for the filming of Milk.

This is another recent photo of the Castro Theater after receiving the "Milk makeover". The building looks good.

I had the good fortune of attending a screening of "Pink Flamingos" at the Castro in 1989. It started my love affair woth both classic theaters and John Waters' movies!

I met John Waters in 1983 after a screening of "Pink Flamingos". That was at the TLA Theater in Philadelphia. He's an interesting guy.

Here is a recent view of the Castro at night.

This is another photo of the Castro.

I wonder if they were running that film in some kind of cross-promotion of the dismal remake that came out last year.

Actually this showing was a special event featuring a Q & A session with Carol Lynley. Ms.Lynley stayed at the hotel where I work and could not have been nicer.

Nope, this marquee was put up especially for the filming of "Milk." Odd that they chose Poseidon Adventure, as I don't think it ever played the Castro first-run.

Question for all you Castro-ites: Anybody know why the drab looking stripes on the exterior were not re-painted red? And did the marquee fade into that drab color over the years, or was it actually painted that color after the 70's ?

The marquee had two subsequent color schemes after the 1970s colorful one so recently recreated:
--A late 70s or early 80s one which was light cocoa brown with white and dark blue accents (this is how it looked when I first photographed and attended movies there in 1984.
--A 1990s (?) very bland light tan, beige and white color scheme, recently consigned to blessed oblivion by the current colors.

There was a showing of The Poseidon Adventure at the Castro a few years back, which was the event I mentioned in the above post. So while it might not have played as first run, it has been there at least once as a revival.

Another recent photo of the Castro can be seen here.

Looking forward to the John Barry tribute May 16 - 21!

have the film's for July's 70mm film fest been announced yet?

Not as yet. They will be showing Indiana Jones. What an awesome place to see this movie.

Keep checking the website for information or get added to the email update list.

Yes, the films for the 70mm festival are announced as are the films for the John Barry tribute.

Looks like a hot summer at the Castro Theare!

what totally off the wall films for the 70mm Fest - oh it's more enticing now.

what? no one wants to comment on the films at the 70mm fest? Other commitments preventing me from trekking cross country to attend this.

In answer to Giles, I attended two showings of the 70mm festival.I saw "Blue Thunder". The movie was fun, the print quality not so great. I also saw "The Wild Bunch". On this print there was what I can only describe as loud static on the soundtrack. I have found print quality to be a real issue at the Castro lately. Last month I saw "The Ipcress File" at the Castro, and for half the movie there were green and blue vertical lines bisecting the screen on every other reel. Having said that, there is still no other place I would rather see a movie in San Francisco then the beautiful Castro Theatre

some great background and lobby shots of the Castro showed up in the episode of "Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List" in which she attended and performed for the "Bear" Convention.

This is a July 2008 photo.

Here is the Castro Theater in September of 2008.

I went to the Castro twice this week. On Tuesday there was a 70mm showing of West Side Story. Towards the end of the movie, at a peak emotional moment, the film stops. It seems that one of the projectors had stripped a gear. With only one usable projector, they continued the showing, making reel changes on the one projector. A valiant effort by the Castro staff, but the wait between reel changes kind of ruined the showing for me. The manager was kind enough to give me a readmit ticket, which I used last night to see the restored prints of Godfathers 1 and 2. About 30 minutes into Godfather 2, there was a 4.0 earthquake. I have seen a bunch of strange things happen at this theatre. Like the double feature of 2 William Wellman films. Heroes For Sale was great, but they could not open the curtain,for the second feature, and had to cancel the showing of Wild Boys Of The Road. Or the showing of Vertigo where the sound went out halfway through the film. Or when I went to see Journey To The Center of the Earth and they could not get the masking adjusted for the film and had to cancel that showing. The Castro is a theatre with it's own personality, and sometimes that personality can be a little cranky.

out of curiosity were the restored prints of Godfather I and II, 35mm or DLP?

They were both 35mm prints.

For a great photo of the Castro Theater shot in the 1990s, see the cover of the new book "Gay San Francisco" at www.JackFritscher.com Author Fritscher met his lover, and now legal spouse, under the marquee of the Castro Theater on May 22, 1978, the first night after the White Night Riot and the first birthday for Harvey Milk after his assassination by Dan White. Fritscher and spouse Hemry are specialists in reporting the untold Tales of the City in their 2008 book "Gay San Francisco."

Mr Fritscher... Are you planning on doing something nice for the people who run this sight? The reason I ask is that you seem to be using them to try and sell your book under the pretext of posting a picture of the Castro.

Jack Fritscher: My book "Gay San Francisco" featuring the Castro Theater as an icon on its cover is, yes, a trade paperback, but it is also the first GLBT book to be published simultaneously in a series of "free and green pdfs" at www JackFritscher com.

Now, in my eighth decade, I could care less if I sell a book; in fact, I am giving away free access to the entire text of "Gay San Francisco" to everyone at my site.

As a senior citizen who is an eyewitness to gay film history, my intent at this Cinema Treasures site is to join the online community and enhance Cinema Treasures' lore and history about the magic symbolism of theater marquees.

Wow. I have never met an author who doesn't care if he sells any books.It was the whole linking to the ad for your book thing that threw me off. I am sorry if I offended you, and I look forward to your postings on Cinema Treasures.

An AP story in today's SF Chronicle says the Castro set a box office record for the opening 3 days of Milk. The film grossed $109,440 Nov 26-28 beating the previous 3 day record of $50,584 set in May for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

MARQUEE: My dim memory has the current Castro marquee (repainted for the Milk movie filming) to be a close approximation to what the marquee had in the 1970s. The marquee and the whole exterior were painted in various shades of beige for some unknown reason in the 1990s. It was so bad the name was barely visible during the daytime. Also, the neon appears to have been redone, spruced up, and animated (it now flashes) for the Milk movie filming.

CEILING: I remember the Castro both pre and post 1989 quake, and the thing I remember most about the "restoration" was that the ceiling looked like it had just a coat of shellac on it. Of course, given the time frame and expense it would have been impossible to re-paint the ornate ceiling image to restore it to what it originally was. Before the quake the ceiling had lost a lot of plaster, so much that it looked speckled white. It would have been a 6-month project just to repaint the ceiling imagery. I assume that the shellac was an easy way to cover over the white and leave as much of the rest of the image as they could do under the circumstances.

SEATING: My only argument with the current Castro experience is the wooden cup rings between the seats. Better that they could have been attached to the seat in front rather than between where it's too easy to bump a cup with your elbow.

What a spectacular-looking theatre, both inside and out!! Too bad about the occasional problems with the film, etc. and the lighting. Is there a way to fix it? Just curious. I don't reside in S. F., or anywhere on the West Coast, but if was a S. F. resident, or West Coast resident, I'd be all ears, if one gets the drift.

Here is a nice 2009 photo of the Castro.

Yeah......love that great-looking marquee. Thanks for the photo, Lost Memory.

Shouldn't concerts or special events be another function? Petula Clark is going to perform at the Castro on March 21, 2009.

Petula Clark performing at the Castro Theatre? Oooh...how exciting! I remember Petula Clark. I was a big fan of hers in the mid to late 1960's, when I was a teenager, and when Petula Clark was in vogue and popular.

So was I. If this theater wasn't 3,000 miles away, I would go. :(

If the Castro Theatre wasn't on the opposite side of the country for me, I'D go, also!

"Don't hang around and let your problems surround you, there are movie shows - Downtown" ;)

This is a February 2009 photo.

Thanks, Lost Memory. It looks like the Castro Theatre was just cleaned and renovated? Was it?

My nostalgia burns brightly.

MPol....I think that the Castro was cleaned for the filming of "Milk".

Aha! Okay. Thanks for the info.

Here is another shot of the Castro at night.

I love it!! Thanks, Lost Memory.

I saw the theater while watching the movie "Milk". Very classy theater, even though I haven't been inside it.

Same here, Justin, although I'd admittedly love to see the inside of the Castro Theatre some day.

This is a 2008 photo.

Here is a 1986 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cwf5do

The Castro in 1997:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3473522659/in/set-72157617054310351/

1947 Photo

1981 Photo

1986 Photo

Here is a nice 2009 photo of the Castro at night and this is a 2009 shot of the interior.

I went to the Castro this week to see a double feature of Goodbye Mr.Chips, and Wuthering Heights. About halfway through Wuthering Heights, some people in the audience began laughing at the film in a mocking way.While waiting for the second feature, I formulated the following theory. At some point the people who were laughing had made an emotional connection with the film, but regarded themselves as too tragically hip to have that happen. So as a defense mechanism they mock.This happens fairly often at the Castro. It is especially bad during the annual Film Noir festival. You almost feel people are going to the movies to make fun of them. Comments anyone?

This is a July 2009 photo.

It was nice to see on the Castro website that they have returned somewhat to the kind of programming that was typical of the 1980s; the screens even look like their brochures of that period.

Here is a recent shot of the Castro at night.

A nice September 2009 photo is here.

Fans of the Castro Theatre can follow this cathedral of cinema

on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Francisco-CA/Castro-Theatre/199403516808?ref=nf

and on Twitter

https://twitter.com/Castro_Theatre

Photo fo the Castro courtesy Nicks Classic American Theatres.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s254/Pavy1/CastroTheatreSanFranciscoCA.jpg

A couple of photos I took of the Castro Theatre on Feb 28th can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33098862@N06/sets/72157623542668454/

Bryan, greast set of photos, very clear. Hope you are doing well.

Thanks Chuck, you too.

This is a larger version of the photo at the top of the page:
http://tinyurl.com/y8z5oa9

Thats a great photo from the 40s...the Castro is my favourite theatre on the West Coast...but its a long way from Brighton U.K :)

Another photo of the Castro Theatre.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanscott/4452241822/in/pool-theater-drive-in/

Another 2009 photo of the Castro Theatre.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattron/3448337503/in/pool-cinemasignage/

Here is the ticket booth taken in 2009:
http://tinyurl.com/y7hoeww

Another 2009 photo of the Castro Theatre.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anomalous_a/4262117992/sizes/l/in/pool-53328547@N00/

I've posted information and photos from a recent visit here.

What a great night photo.

2008 photo of the Castro Theatre.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freelancer018/2825330914/