The former longtime owner of San Francisco's iconic Nob Hill Theatre, Shan Sayles, has died.
Mr. Sayles, who lived in Carmel, passed away Wednesday, December 21, one day before his 82nd birthday. The cause of death hasn't been released.
He bought the building at 729 Bush Street that houses the theater, known for its male strip shows and video arcade, in 1968.
Current Nob Hill owner Larry Hoover said that six years ago when the people who owned the theater at the time decided not to renew their lease, Mr. Sayles "called us out of the blue and asked us about the theater, if we might be interested. He just had a love for this theater and didn't want to see it close."
Mr. Sayles "was very charismatic," Hoover said. "He was fun. He had great stories. He was full of life, and he was just a very, very fun man, very giving."
Hoover said that Mr. Sayles still called the theater almost every week.
"Even though he wasn't a business owner he was interested in our numbers" and who the headline performers were going to be, Hoover said. Mr. Sayles wanted to ensure that customers were "happy," he said.
Hoover first met Mr. Sayles about 25 years ago when his 16-year-old son got a summer job at Mr. Sayles' Carmel theater, which showed mainstream films.
One day, someone in a Rolls Royce dropped off the teen at home after work.
"We said to my son, 'Who was that?' My son said, 'That's Mr. Sayles. He owns the theater,'" Hoover said.
The original Nob Hill Theatre, which was at the Fairmont Hotel on Mason Street, closed around 1964, according to Hoover. Mr. Sayles bought the rights to the name when he purchased the current site.
"They showed B films initially," but "it wasn't making any money," Hoover said. Around that time, several theaters in San Francisco showed gay pornographic movies.
"His partner at the time suggested they show gay porn," so in the early 1970s, they changed the theater's format, Hoover said.
Because of the stigma and legal issues involved with mailing or receiving pornography across state lines, "starting a business like that, it was tough," Hoover said, but "it took off right away."
Mr. Sayles also produced the 1970 film Song of the Loon .
"It was soft porn, but it was kind of like the Brokeback Mountain of its day," Hoover said.
He said that Mr. Sayles "just loved films" and also owned mainstream theaters in other parts of the country.
Although Mr. Sayles mostly lived in Carmel, when he still owned the Nob Hill he'd often stay in an apartment there that was once featured in Architectural Digest, Hoover said.
Hoover, who said the theater continues to do well, said it's "always been a safe place. It's always been fun to come here."
John Whitt, Mr. Sayles' partner, didn't respond to an interview request.
Hoover said plans for a memorial are pending.