By Candice Dayoan
“I have never seen the Balboa Theater this packed!” commented my friend. I looked around and smiled. I always love it when small theaters that really need it are packed.
I recently learned that my neighborhood in San Francisco used to be home to a major attraction: a 10-acre seaside amusement park, Playland at the Beach. It was demolished in 1972 and has (almost) been erased from the physical landscape. Remembering Playland is a new documentary that explores its rise and fall
The film premiered earlier this month and has been playing packed houses ever since. The location is perfect: The Balboa Theater is less than 10 blocks from where Playland at the Beach used to be.
The screening began with amusement-park-themed classic clips. A Donald Duck cartoon, a rollercoaster scene from Abbot & Costello in Hollywood, and my favorite part: two clips from movies that were actually filmed in Playland. The first clip was from the 1958 film Lineup and featured the adjoining Skateland Sutro Baths. The intro closed with the end of the Rita Hayworth/Orsen Welles classic, The Lady from Shanghai in Playland.
The film itself is a well-paced documentary and is straightforward without being too simplistic. Director Tom Wyrsch intersperses interviews with Playland attendees and employees with historical footage, photography, and sound. After providing a brief overview of the details of how the park came to be Playland, the director explores each attraction and ride through the eyes of these nostalgic visitors who were, at most, only teenagers when the park closed.
This is where the editing shines. I laughed at the varied reactions each patron had to the different rides. What one former employee fondly remembers as “a welcoming mother” another patron keeps as a deeply disturbing memory. A patron’s “rush” is another’s “death trap.” Wyrsch treats each major attraction with fragile respect, as if their memories might break if we rushed through. As someone who wasn’t even alive when it was open, I found myself nostalgic for something I’d never know.
I suspected most of the audience did know. As they featured each ride, collective gasps and chuckles of familiarity took over the theater. My hunch was confirmed: After the movie, the host asked for anyone who actually visited Playland to raise their hands. More than 80% of the audience proudly did. 
As the film showcased, Playland wasn’t just a theme park, it was a community. For the run of the movie, I felt like I was invited to become part of the community. That was the best part about seeing it here. I was sharing these memories with people.
Due to its popularity, it will not only be playing this upcoming weekend, but also for a week (dates to be announced) in April. I highly encourage seeing it in this setting; you’ll feel like a kid again.
If you want to find out more, I also encourage you to visit the museum Playland Not At the Beach in El Cerrito, CA.
Nice work. So odd to know that the diving bell water tank from Playland still sits under the Safeway…
Thanks, Scott! I know, it was REALLY awesome to eat It’s Its from there too. Crap i forgot to write about that!
Gotta say: Laughing Sal (which resides at Musee Mecanique) is a fucking creepy ass puppet!!!
http://www.museemechanique.org/
I went there with Rosie a couple of years ago and I had to avert my eyes as I walked by her, b/c she freaked me the hell out!!!!
I gotta see this film – I’m only sad that [REDACTED] won’t be here while the movie plays b/c he’s equally obsessed with Playland at the Beach (aka,Sutro Baths)…
Yeah I’d put it under the “freaks me out” category
Whitney’s Playland at the Beach was not known as Sutro Baths, Sutro Baths was a seperate entity located just below Mount Sutro next to the Cliff House. As a kid I spent many hours at both Playland & Sutro Baths.
Signed: a 69 year old kid who lived on 34th & Balboa Streets.
Hmmm… good to know, Trebor! Thanks for the comment. It must have been amazing to go to both places – would you be interested in sharing some of your experiences with us? Sutro is a particular fascination of mine, I don’t know nearly enough about it – but, I like to go hike the ruins and try to imagine what it was like in its heyday.
I had no idea that Playland and Sutro were different things – I think that it’s kind of confusing these days (and, I haven’t seen the Playland at the Beach documentary, so I feel like I know even less…)
Thanks!
Kate (aka, the Editor)
Laughing Sal is a hoot! she reminds me of a drunk hillbilly/hobo, if you will……..everytime i see her i cant help but put a quarter in the machine to make her laugh it up.I used to go to the cliff house musee mechanique with my best friend and play the old style amusement games for a 1,5,and 10 cents.I was about 9 or 10 in the 80′s.I used to hang out at the sutro bath area and hike around and thru the tunnel.a rock was acessable on a long strip of rock(walking)to the rock where fisherman fished,it seems the strip is gone.there was a room from a structure of playland across from the cliff house,and the sign remained until they took that away eventually,so I had missed the playland atmosphere.There was an skating rink or ‘arena’ on 48th ave I had spent my time at too,they tore that down as well.there seems to be 2 laughing sals (maybe there’s more) the other one is at the beach boardwalk in santa cruz,but maybe you are aware of that.I seen that the movie was playing there last week,hopefully it will still be there 2 moro.I would love to see it and own the dvd if possible.thanxs for reading me.sonja G. born and raised in Frisco…….
Nobody born and raised in The City would ever call it “frisco” – a little respect please it’s San Francisco. I worked at Playland in the summer of ’68 only 15 at the time – life experience
If you loved Playland, you might want to take a look at my new book, SAN FRANCISCO’S PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH: THE EARLY YEARS. Around 250 photos of the park between 1914 and 1945.
http://themeparks.about.com/b/2010/11/18/playland-at-the-beach-amusement-park-book.htm
I’m now working on SFPATB: THE GOLDEN YEARS. If you have some good photos or stories to share, I’m interested.
FYI – I’ll be signing books at Playland NOT at the Beach in El Cerrito on 12/4 from 1-4. http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org/index.html
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