Surf Theatre
4520 Irving Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94122
4520 Irving Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94122
1 person
favorited this theater
This theatre opened in September of 1926 as the Parkview Theatre (there is a construction announcement in the San Francisco Examiner on December 12, 1925, but it’s first listing in the telephone directory is November 1926).
It was renamed the Sunset Theatre in September of 1937. It was remodeled and renamed again as the Surf Theatre on July 24, 1957. The theatre closed for good on July 7, 1985.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
I remember attending a silent comedy festival at the Surf, probably in 1980. It was about a week-long event, and my girlfriend and I went to at least two of the performances. I remember crying while watching Chaplin in City Lights, and laughing out loud, nearly continuously, during many Buster Keaton shorts.
Those old silent comedies are just not the same when viewed at home on DVD. In a theatre such as the Surf, once a handful of people start laughing, it’s catching, and soon the whole audience is part of the show.
There is a 60’s photo of the Surf Theater here:
View link
Newer color photo & brief history here:
http://www.outsidelands.org/surf_theater.html
Has it just been sitting empty the last 20 years?
The Surf was turned into a church shortly after its closure; presumably it’s still operating in that capacity (though an update is clearly in need here).
Update on my earlier post—-I happened to be in the area, got a look, and yep, the Surf is indeed (still) a church.
Question for anyone familiar with the Surf. One of my biggest childhood tragedies was the day my father took me to see The Three Stooges in a live appearance promoting one of their movies in the early 60’s. He drove up, saw that the line snaked around for 2 blocks, and drove me home, crying all the way. Does anyone know if this appearance was at the Surf?
Back in the mid-70’s I loved going to the Surf… loved to go on foggy nights, and one time saw a great silent film (“Intolerance” maybe?) with which the theatre had a pianist playing musical accompaniment on a grand old organ down in the front. Wow.
I also loved to go to the Surf on foggy nights. I had many an eerie, but very enjoyable walk back to the Judah streetcar line late at night. The walk after viewing the Japanese ghost movie “Kwaidan” was particularly so. Great memories!
1985 Photo