archive for April, 2008

monthly archive
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

SFist: “A Jitney Elopement” — Charlie Chaplin’s San Francisco film

File this — again — under “there’s ALWAYS a San Francisco connection”.

A reader recently alerted me to the fact that Charlie Chaplin, America’s favourite clown (and perhaps the most influential performer in motion picture history), shot one of his bazillion-odd silent movies on location in and around Golden Gate Park.

“A Jitney Elopement” is classic [...]

8 Comments » - Posted in From the community, Just plain cool, San Francisco angle, San Francisco history blog, Video by richard - sparkletack
Friday, April 11th, 2008

Pacifica is back!

When last we encountered this goddess-behemoth, she was being blown up by the Navy at the end of the ‘39 Pan-Pacific Exposition. The mythical goddess Pacifica — symbol of the Fair — had loomed over Treasure Island for the duration, a sternly imposing concrete figure of some 80 feet tall.

Though sculptor Ralph Stackpole had [...]

6 Comments » - Posted in From the community, Just plain cool, San Francisco history blog by richard - sparkletack
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

sparkletack facebook group

Web 2.0 here we come … there’s a brand new Sparkletack group on Facebook.

You can post photos and video, add links, start a discussion, or just join the group and show your enthusiasm for Sparkletack and San Francisco history. And if you’re not already part of Facebook, it’s painfully easy to join.

C’mon, drop by [...]

No Comments » - Posted in Media, San Francisco history blog by richard - sparkletack
Sunday, April 6th, 2008

tour review — san francisco ghost walk

I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there. Every so often I participate in one of these, try to pick up a thing or two, and take some notes for you. Ratings systems provide a useful shorthand, but your mileage [...]

3 Comments » - Posted in From the community, Walking tour reviews by richard - sparkletack