San Francisco Film Society Oral History Project Interview with ...

CLAUDE JARMAN: There was Bill Boyd, and there were a couple of staff people—Ernie Beyl for
press relations. Then there were mostly volunteers from that point on. Our events director was Charlotte
Smith, now Charlotte Schultz. That’s when Charlotte first got involved. Charlotte and I both came to
San Francisco at exactly the same time. We had something we set up called the Festival Guild, which
was all the young people trying to get involved. The Guild had parties and a younger crowd that would
do things. Charlotte and I were involved in that aspect of it.
MARGARITA LANDAZURI: Well, there were some amazing parties. I read about one on a plane, and
one on a ferryboat.
CLAUDE JARMAN: Well, it was really kind of big—it was amazing how it took off as quickly as it
did.
MARGARITA LANDAZURI: Do you think that helped raise the visibility of the Festival?
CLAUDE JARMAN: I think so. I think it became more of a civic event.
MARGARITA LANDAZURI: Did Bud Levin leave on his own? Was he forced out? How did that
happen?
CLAUDE JARMAN: I don’t think he wanted to continue it. I think he realized that it had become a
bigger event than he was able to do. The man owned a theater. He wasn’t going to spend all his time
doing this. I think he realized that what he did was fine, but that it was going to move on to another
plateau—and he recognized this.
MARGARITA LANDAZURI: And it wasn’t acrimonious?
CLAUDE JARMAN: I don’t think so, no. In later years, I certainly always invited him, and we always
recognized him throughout the years as the person who was instrumental in starting things up.
MARGARITA LANDAZURI: What kind of a budget did it have?
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