Reel SF

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

Experiment In Terror - Toby at The Country Club

  Kelly's sister Toby and boyfriend Dave choose a sunny day and outdoor setting to go for a swim.  They are at Max Friedman's Marin Town and Country Club in Fairfax, 30 minutes or so by car north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County (map).  (CitySleuth is indebted to reader Janice Pearcy for bringing this location to his attention).  Although termed a club, it was open to the public and by the 1960s hosted thousands of visitors on a typical summer weekend who could enjoy swimming, basketball, baseball, volleyball, dancing, movies and more.  Families, especially from San Francisco, would rent out summer cottages here for a leisurely week or two for their annual vacation.

Then ... Toby shrieks as she's about to leap backwards from the diving board.

 

... and Now,  the country club closed down in 1972 - the site is now privately owned - and since then the pools and buildings have steadily deteriorated over the decades as evidenced by this sorry sight.

 

... a vintage photo ...  the diving board Toby jumped from is seen in this undated photo, taken in the club's heyday from the opposite direction, with the pool house behind it.

... and Now,  the same view today.  The diving board is gone but the pool house still stands

 

... an early aerial view ...  This aerial from the 1940s of the Marin Town and Country Club clearly shows the swimming pool featured in the scene above. To it's right is a basketball court and a small diving pool and the tennis courts are partially visible near the top right corner.  Baseball diamonds are on either side of the oval parking lot, which used to be a horse ring.

... and Now,  the algaed pool and pool house from the air today.  The surrounding spaces have been claimed by many uninvited trees.

 

  This amusing poster for the country club reminded Casper-the-ghost-like denizens trapped in the nearby bleak city of the glorious paradise but a short drive away.

 

Then ... Toby and Dave (Harvey Evans) flirt outrageously in the pool and we get a closer view of the diving board structure and the pool house.

... and Now,  the original tiles are still there, also one of the diving board mounting brackets.  The drooping downspout on the dilapidated pool house is but one example of the ravages of time.

 

  Toby then gets a fright when she finds a note from the stalker in her sports bag commanding Kelly to meet him at the Roaring 20s night club the following evening.  He was that close to her, playing mind games to heighten the threat.

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