The Turk St. Follies

105 Turk St. | map |

Opened: The late 1960s. The location was the south side of the street between Taylor and Jones. We're a block from several somewhat larger theatres, the Golden Gate and Warfield. 

It's a Tom Gray photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.  Jack notes that the address on the marquee wasn't correct. Evidently they also didn't have a name for the place yet. This image and the one below were shared in a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Gary Parks commented: 

"I like the little sculpted G's on the building, which certainly do not speak to the ratings of the films inside. I wonder what they stood for originally?"

Betty O'Crocker suggested that maybe it was Girls! Girls! Girls!

 

 

A 1970 view of the venue from KRON. It's from footage on the Bay Area Television Archive "Censorship of Skin Flicks" page where they comment:  

"KRON-TV Newswatch footage from August 4th 1970 with Phil Wilson featuring a report on the making, screening and censorship of pornographic movies in San Francisco, focusing on O'Farrell Theatre owners the Mitchell Brothers. Includes exterior views of downtown adult movie theaters and of a film production set at the O'Farrell Theatre.."

The BATA page also includes links to other footage about porno exhibition in the Bay Area. Thanks to Gary Meyer for spotting this for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes: "A good collection of those XXX marquees."

 

Here they have the Turk St. Follies name up. It's a somewhat later shot from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: 

"A barker at the door waves welcome to curiosity seekers challenged by the promises made on the marquee. That's a 1968 Lincoln parked out front. Once again, my buddy Tom Gray has immortalized memorable moments of a half century ago."

 

 

 

Here they've gone wilder with the signage budget. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing this Tom Gray photo from his collection. By this time you only had to be 18 to enter. In the top photo the signage said you had to be 21.

 

Closing: The date of its demise has escaped the historians.  

Status: The building is still around although with a redone facade.

That squat thing in the middle is the former Turk St. Follies. Through the parking lot we're looking at the back of the Golden Gate Theatre. Taylor St. is off to the left. Photo: Google Maps- 2017

More information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller.

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