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

walking. We get down here, somebody else says “Congratulations.” And Francis turned around
and looked at me and said, “Why are they congratulating you? It’s my birthday.” I said, “You
know, I have a surprise for you. You can come here any time you like. I bought the bar.” Well!
He said, “How could you do a thing like that? I love this bar. We could’ve been partners.”
I think the thing was that Francis and the guy didn’t get along because the guy didn’t like the fact
that Francis had made The Godfather and he was Italian, and there was all that anti-Italian
Defamation League at the time. Remember? They didn’t like the way the Italians were portrayed
in the film. So that’s why I said to him, “You can come here any time you like. Now I own the
bar.” And it’s because of them—all of them—that the bar became a success.
MIGUEL PENDÁS: Now, this is a few years later, right?
JEANNETTE ETHEREDGE: Yes. When Peter Scarlet was already at the Festival, in the ’80s.
JEANNETTE SHAHEEN: He was when I started, but I don’t know how many years he was
there.
MIGUEL PENDÁS: As far as I know, Peter first became involved in 1984.
JEANNETTE ETHEREDGE: Okay, well from that time. But before that, it was Phil Kaufman, it
was Francis, it was Sam Shepard, Tom Luddy. All those people that turned people onto this bar.
MIGUEL PENDÁS: Would you say that there was a transfer of people going to Bali’s and then
coming over here?
JEANNETTE ETHEREDGE: They did that too, yes. I don’t remember the year. Remember
when Truffaut was honored? That was later.
MIGUEL PENDÁS: That was 1980, right?
SHEILA CADIGAN: It was ’80.
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