Balboa birthday bash

By Thomas Gladysz
San Francisco Silent Film Examiner

Back in the 1920’s, the silent cinema was an incredibly popular form of entertainment. Radio was still coming into its own, and television and the internet did not exist. To meet the demand, theaters were springing up everywhere.

Everywhere included San Francisco, where first run movie palaces lined Market Street, and smaller neighborhood houses dotted the City’s outlying districts. Drive down Mission Street or Geary Blvd. and you’ll see the still standing facades and marquees of just a handful of San Francisco’s many old theaters.

One of those theaters, the still thriving Balboa, is having a birthday. The Balboa is one of the last neighborhood theaters still operating in San Francisco. And to celebrate, this Richmond District institution is celebrating its February 1926 opening with the screening of a classic silent film and other festive goings-on. The Balboa Birthday Bash – as it’s being billed – will take place on Sunday, February 28th. The evening’s entertainment starts at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

The Balboa Theater was built in 1926, and opened as the “New Balboa Theater” in order to distinguish it from an already existing Balboa Theater on Ocean Avenue. The theater was part of a local chain owned by Samuel Levin. Interestingly, the New Balboa was designed by James and Merritt Reid, renowned architects who also designed the Cliff House, Fairmount Hotel, Spreckels Temple of Music in Golden Gate Park, and numerous other theaters including the Alexandria on Geary. The Levin’s owned and ran the Balboa until 2001, when local film maven Gary Meyer took over.

To celebrate its birthday, the Balboa will screen The Cat and the Canary (1927), a silent film adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black comedy of the same name. Directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni, this American film stars likeable Laura La Plante. It is part of a small genre of comedy horror films inspired by Broadway stage plays. The film was one of early horror productions from Universal studios. The Cat and the Canary will feature live musical accompaniment by Dave Miotke.

Also on the program are selected short subjects, a live vaudeville show featuring magician James Hamilton and singer Linda Kosut, the Balboa Premiere of a short film shot at the theater, and birthday cake by Diane Boate. And as well, local theater historian Jack Tillmany will be signing copies of his books on local theatres in the Balboa lobby.

The birthday program will start with the world premiere of Double Feature, a new silent short filmed at the Balboa. It tells the story of “a brokenhearted young man who waits for a date that never shows and a lonely projectionist mourning the past while dreaming of a better future. They meet one night at an old art-house cinema and find that at the movies, anything can happen.” Double Feature, which includes both interior and exterior scenes shot at the Balboa, is very much a love letter to old theaters. The director of the film will also be in attendance at the Balboa Birthday Bash.

The Balboa Theater is located at 3630 Balboa Street in San Francisco. Advance tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets. Audience members are encouraged to wear period clothing. The Balboa is also promising prizes, birthday cake, and surprises.

For more info: Additional information on this special event can be found on the Balboa Theater website at http://balboamovies.com/events.php#birthday. Also be sure and visit the Cinema Treasures page on the Balboa which details its history and contains links to both historic and contemporary images of the theater. And as well, the Western Neighborhoods Project has a webpage on the Balboa.