Clay Theatre

It’s funny, you never fully realize the details on buildings until you are no longer able to see them daily. I used to frequent the Clay all the time, since it was practiccally the only place to see French language films back then, and other more obscure films.

I think my first film seen here was in the early 80s, it was Isabelle Huppert and Miou Miou in “Entre Nous”. I’ve seen many many films here up until Amelie, when I left San Francisco.

I remember the seats not too comfy, and the site line was on the flat side, but it was cozy, the concession had hot tea and it was just a great place to see a movie, and lose yourself in another culture and language.

Long live the Clay!

Here are some September 2007 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/2ypb6y
http://tinyurl.com/24dsr4
http://tinyurl.com/2gj2dq
http://tinyurl.com/23uf6m
http://tinyurl.com/ypso6q
http://tinyurl.com/29er6k
http://tinyurl.com/27mfez

Here is documentation on a 45 day moratorium re theater demolitions from the SF board of supervisors in 2004:
http://tinyurl.com/3dwcbl

Here is a July 2006 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/vdpro

I caught Patrice Leconte’s disturbing Monsieur Hire here on August 1st, 1990.

Mr. Van Bibber’s comments can also be found on Landmark’s website where they provide a history for each theater.
PINK FLAMINGOES was far from the first midnight movie. Mike Getz ran them at the Presidio from the early 1960s. That had been a leading art film theater until the success of I AM CURIOUS YELLOW moved the owners, Art Theater Guild, in the direction of more films of a sexual nature (from Belle de Jour to Radley Metzger to hardcore). Mr. Getz (who still operates cinemas in Grass Valley) programmed a mix of underground shorts, cult features and camp classics each weekend. He expanded his clever programs into a national circuit, providing audiences and film rental for independent and experimental filmmakers.

Soon the North Beach Movie was also showing weekly midnight programs as was the Gate Theatre in Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge. And of course the Cockettes were accompanied by movies at midnight at the Palace from 1969 (when John Waters lived in San Francisco and was inspired by those events).

Now midnight movies go back much further. I don’t know how far but in the 40s-60s there were always horror films screened at the witching hour in both drive-ins and walk-ins. Often a traveling magician would accompany with a magic, hypnotism and spook show. They played at many neighborhood houses.

The Clay Theatre was built in 1910 and has been operated by Landmark Theatres since 1991. The mighty Clay is one of the oldest theatres in San Francisco. Built in 1910 by the renown Naify Brothers, builders of the first movie screen in town, the New Fillmore, the Clay was first a nickelodeon house. In April of 1935, Herbert Rosenor reopened the Clay as The Clay International, a foreign film showcase. In the early 1970’s the theatre was part of the Surf Theatres group, run by pioneering San Francisco film exhibitor Mel Novikoff. In 1972, the Clay hosted the first midnight movie in San Francisco with the premiere of John Water’s Pink Flamingos, and also hosted many other controversial films, including The Life of Brian. Since Landmark assumed management in 1991, the Clay has enjoyed such improvements as digital sound, new seats and an extensive refurbishment of its art deco and classic Greek accoutrements. The combination of classic appointments and modern aminities has helped keep the Clay a comfortable, laid-back place to see unique film programming for almost a century.

This was a long running art house theater. Walter Reade Theaters ran it for years. Landmark was the last operator of this theater. Very popular theater for foreign films in its day. (Lina Wertmueller’s films were very popular here, in particular the 1977 film Swept Away.)