Reel SF

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Fri, 29 Oct 2021 17:46:00 -0700

Navigation Tips - This page shows the most recent location postings. To view locations by movie, click on the movie title above. For locations by neighborhood, click on its tag on the left.

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A message to my readers

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:39:35 -0700

The website Posterous that hosts Reel SF is closing down next week thanks to Twitter's acquisition of their engineers. But fear not! ... the show must go on, so Reel SF will in the next day or so be transferred over to the host website SquareSpace. Readers don't need to do anything differently, the address reelsf.com will still take them there as before. The site will have a slightly different look and feel but my goal is to minimize the changes. Apologies in advance in case there are hiccups during the process.

CitySleuth

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Days of Wine and Roses - Reflections

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:19:14 -0700

Sometimes it takes an epiphanous moment for an alcoholic to see the light. In Joe's case it happened as he walked downtown one day and caught his reflection in a window.

Then ... Four years have passed during which time Joe has been fired from five jobs because of his alcoholism. He is seen walking near Union Square along Maiden Lane (map), originally Morton Street and once a red-light destination for bars and brothels but by the 1960s an up-scale shopping street of high-end boutiques. Nothing to do with the movie, but check out the interesting building across the street - the one with the archway entrance ...

... and Now, that building used to house the V.C. (Vera Chase) Morris Gift Shop. In 1948 it was renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright and used as his prototype for the interior circular ramp at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Now the home of the Xanadu Galley, this is the only Frank Lloyd Wright structure in San Francisco.

Then ... He pauses and catches sight of himself in the window of the Union Square Lounge.

... and Now, this is 177 Maiden Lane, now with a remodelled shop front and home to Spectacles, an opticians store.

... and Now, a recent photo of the store.

For the first time he is repulsed by what he sees and realizes what a bum he has become.

He heads straight back to their now down-scaled rooms and drags Kirsten, it's daytime but she's already drunk, to a mirror. In an emotional outburst he confronts their reflections and declares them both "... a couple of bums ..." and tells her they have to get sober and stay sober.

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The Exiles - A Bunker Hill movie in a San Francisco blog??

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:23:00 -0700

This movie was filmed entirely in and around the Bunker Hill neighborhood of late 1950s Los Angeles. So why include it in a San Francisco movie location blog? Well, two reasons. First, CitySleuth found out the hard way, after scouring the city for several San Francisco locations, that they had been filmed in Bunker Hill. As it turns out, L.A.'s Bunker Hill and S.F.'s Telegraph Hill had much in common with their turn-of-the-century wooden buildings, steps and steep streets. And second, because in researching these sites over the years CitySleuth has come to know and love the old Bunker Hill so well despite never having been there and despite its total erasure by the end of the 1960s. So imagine his delight coming across this wonderfully restored movie and witnessing the preservation of sorts of so many locations from a bygone era. Such nostalgia, ergo it cried out to be shared.

Before we get to the movie, here are three scenes set in San Francisco that led CitySleuth to Bunker Hill ...

Woman On The Run (1950) ... The police arrive to investigate a murder above the Hill Street tunnel. The building to the left at the bottom of the hill is the Bunker Hill Central Police Station at 1st Street and at right, receding south into the distance, is Hill Street and downtown Los Angeles.

... and Now, the steps and tunnel are gone and the hill flattened. Here's Hill Street south from 1st Street today. The police station on the corner is gone too but worse, to the dismay of many, the very soul of the old neighborhood has been ripped out.

Sudden Fear (1952) ... An enraged Jack Palance aims his car at his wife Joan Crawford (who turns out instead to be his lover Gloria Grahame) as she runs past the Mission Apartments at the corner of 2nd and Olive.

... from 1948 ... here's the same building in this vintage photo which also captures the Hotel Astor on the corner of Hill Street and the balustrade above the 2nd Street tunnel.

... and Now, again unrecognizable. Those wonderfully evocative old places now seem like figments of the imagination.

The Sniper (1952) ... Arthur Franz is seen walking on Court Street on Bunker Hill. To get there he has just climbed the steep Court Flight steps leading up from Broadway between 1st and Temple. Behind him across Broadway is the old Hall Of Records.

... and Now, Court Street has been eradicated and the hill carted away to make way for this car park. City Hall is in the background but the old Hall of Records, which used to be at the left of this photo, was torn down in 1979.

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Days of Wine and Roses - Oil Field

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:30:00 -0700

Joe's drinking habits have not gone unnoticed at his office. He is demoted to a smaller account and, worse, the customer is in Houston requiring lots of visits away from home.

Then ... He meets with his clients amongst a forest of derricks.

... in 1930 ... It's highly unlikely the director flew his leading man to Houston to shoot this scene. Why should he when there were lots of oil fields in and around Los Angeles? CitySleuth postulates that the scene was either filmed at the Signal Hill oil field at Long Beach (map), or a photo backdrop of Signal Hill was used in a studio setup. This vintage photo, below, shows Signal Hill covered with derricks and the site was still very productive when the movie was filmed.

... and Now, Signal Hill was originally so-named by early Spanish settlers because of the local indians' use of the 365 foot hilltop for sending smoke signals. After oil was discovered in 1921 Signal Hill became a small incorporated city, completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach, where up to 300 wells produced 900 million barrels of oil by 1980. With its oil field mostly depleted it is now a residential and commercial town. There are still some producing wells dotted around; two of them are seen below outside Curley's, the venerable cafe at 1999 E. Willow Street near Cherry that has been serving oilmen since 1932.

... and Now, a solitary reminder of the past stands at E. 27th and N. Olive Avenue.

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Pal Joey - A Happy Ending

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:38:00 -0700

Unlike the stage show which strands Joey on his own, the movie has a happy ending ... it is a Hollywood musical after all.

Linda pleads with Vera to reopen the club but she won't relent until Vera offers to leave. That achieved, Vera tells Joey not only that she's changed her mind but that she wants to marry him. But Joey refuses and for the first time Vera realizes that his feelings for Linda are serious.

Then ... Joey returns to the empty club for one last sentimental look then leaves, with a passing farewell to the T-Bird. "So long little bird, don't pick up any nails".

... and Now, the same bird's eye view, shot from the apartment building next door, gives us another perspective of that incongruous privacy hedge.

Across the street in Vera's car, she and Linda watch him leave. Vera motions Linda to go for it.

Then ... and go for it she does ... in front of the mansion he tries to get her to 'beat it' but a passionate street-side kiss turns him to melted butter and off they go, together. But wait a minute, what's wrong with this location?

... and Now, here's the real location below, viewed along Washington past the Spreckels Mansion from the Octavia Street corner. If the wall wasn't hidden you would quickly realize that the scene above was a studio creation with a painted cityscape in the background.

... from 1956 ... this is obvious by comparing the wall in the movie above with the real wall seen in this vintage photo of the mansion as it was shortly before the time of the filming. Note the complete absence of trees and the presence of cable car tracks, right before they would be torn up for good.

Then ... The schmaltzy 'Into The Sunset' shot is a view of the Golden Gate Bridge taken from between the St. Francis and the Golden Gate Yacht Clubs in the Marina district (map) with lurid sky no doubt courtesy of the art department.

... and Now, from the same spot today.

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Sudden Fear - Sudden Death

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:57:00 -0700

Lester desperately scours the downtown streets for the fleeing Myra. When he spots her he chases her through a maze of dark streets, back alleys and narrow stairways, all filmed not in San Francisco but in the old Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles. During the chase Jack Palance, always a fitness nut, demonstrates his athleticism with this vault, below, over a back alley railing.

Then ... She gives him the slip and he continues to prowl the streets in his car. Meanwhile Irene is walking home, wearing a dark coat and white scarf, just like Myra. Here, she climbs a steep block and crosses the street.

... from 1948 ... This vintage photo reveals where this corner was ... the southeast corner of S. Olive Street (crossing left to right) and W. 2nd Street in Bunker Hill. The building on the corner where the man is leaning is the Claridge Hotel.

Then ... Lester rounds a corner in a shot highlighted by the noir-lit building across the street.

... and Now, this view looks west up 2nd Street to Grand Avenue. The lighted building above is the Dome Hotel Apartments. Today of course the same location, below, is unrecognizable thanks (or no thanks depending on your point of view) to the redevelopment in the 1950s and 60s during which Bunker Hill was completely removed then rebuilt. The corner lot where the Dome stood is now a part of a large open car park.

... from the glory days ... but we can at least enjoy photographs from the past - here's a closeup of the onion-topped Dome Hotel Apartments in its prime.

Then ... Lester mistakes Irene for Myra and angrily aims his car at her as she turns back and runs down 2nd towards Olive past a rather unusual building.

... from 1948 ... here's the same building in this vintage photo. It's the Mission Apartments at 504 W. 2nd Street at Olive. The corner building across Olive is the Claridge Hotel seen earlier in this post behind Irene as she crossed Olive. This informative image also captures the Hotel Astor on the corner of Hill Street and the balustrade above the 2nd Street tunnel.

... and Now, again, unrecognizable. Those wonderfully evocative old places now seem like figments of the imagination.

On a trivia note, Patricia Knight and Cornel Wilde were filmed in the 1949 movie Shockproof at this same location.

And it was used again in Stanley Kubrick's 1956 movie The Killing when Sterling Hayden drives to the Mission Apartments for a meeting.

Then ... Getting back to this movie ... at the last second Lester recognizes Irene and hits the brake. In a twist that punishes the schemers and spares the intended victim he plows into her and they are both killed, pinned by the up-ended car where it comes to rest in front of the side of the Claridge Hotel opposite the Mission Apartments across Olive (you can see the window the man is leaning from in the 1948 image above). In 1950s Hollywood, crime doesn't pay.

... from 1948 ... this vintage image gives us a daylight view of the same spot.

... and Now, this corner has become a parking lot. Thankfully Los Angeles' art deco City Hall in the left background was left untouched by the wrecking ball.

As a bonus, here's a look at the fatal denouement from the reverse angle - the arrows overlaid on this 1940s photo show the path of Lester's car from the Dome Hotel Apartments on Grand Avenue down 2nd Street past the Mission Apartments where he struck Irene, coming to a halt across Olive alongside the Claridge Hotel just off the picture at far left.

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Days of Wine and Roses - Joe and Kirsten's Apartment

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:11:00 -0800

Newly married, Joe and Kirsten now have a baby daughter and have upscaled into a fine apartment with an even finer view.

Then ... Joe carries a bag of groceries to the apartment.

... and Now, he is on Pacific Avenue crossing Franklin in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. The house on the corner behind him is the historic Talbot-Dutton house at 1782 Pacific built in 1869. It was also used as a location in the 1968 movie Petulia

Then ... He enters the breezeway of his apartment, 1800 Pacific (map), opposite the Talbot-Dutton house.

... and Now, here it is today after a recent makeover.

Then ... Later in the movie a cab drops him off, drunk, in the breezeway where he picks some flowers as a peace offering for his wife.

... and Now, the large brick planter is gone after being hit by the car of a resident who might have been in a similar state as Joe at the time.

Then ... Joe staggers into the lobby and, feeling no pain, heads for the elevator.

... and Now, the mailboxes in the breezeway have been upgraded in response to unauthorized letter removals over the years.

Then ... The apartment has a clear view to the Golden Gate Bridge. Was this scene filmed in one of 1800 Pacific's apartments? CitySleuth and the building manager think not. The interior, especially the fireplace, is sufficiently different in layout to suggest that a studio set was used with a photo plate for the view.

... the window view now, in addition, the building's view of the bridge, below, though similar to the movie's, does not properly line up with the Marin headlands behind it. The movie photo was taken from a spot further west.

... a better match now , the view below, a closer match to the movie window view, was taken from near the corner of Broadway and Broderick in Pacific Heights.

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Pal Joey - Club Chez Joey

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:28:00 -0800

Joey has persuaded Vera to fund the opening of a new supper club, Chez Joey. They find the perfect place for it in a swanky neighborhood.

Then ... This fine building is the Spreckels Mansion at 2080 Washington Street in Pacific Heights (map); the rear of the building is viewed here from the corner of Jackson and Octavia

.... and Now , there's a huge coiffured hedge around the house and the jutting curved rooms have been extended upwards by an addition.

Then ... the panning camera on a high balcony of the building next door sweeps right to left towards the mansion resulting in this fine panorama. The For Rent sign above can be seen at the bottom of the garden, below.

... and Now, the same panorama today. The house now has a roof garden which may explain the added but odd fire escape wrapping around this side of the building. Lafayette Park is just off to the left of the picture.

Then ... Joey drives Vera's 1957 yellow Ford Thunderbird convertible up a steep block alongside the side of the mansion and turns into Washington. The street is a mess, undergoing resurfacing following removal of the Washington - Jackson cable car tracks after the line was closed down in September 1956.

... and Now, viewed from Lafayette Park, the steep street is Octavia, stretching all the way down to Fort Mason at the edge of the bay.

Then ... As he turns into the driveway we get to see the front of the mansion.

... and Now, the ridiculously high hedge isolates the house not only from the street but from the raised park opposite and prevents San Franciscans from enjoying the fine French Baroque architecture. This same entrance witnessed a murder in the 1952 movie The Sniper.

Then ... The proud owner pulls up and watches the new club's livery going up.

... and Now

Unfortunately, just before opening night, Vera pulls the plug on the financing in a jealous reaction to Joey's increasing interest in Linda. The club is doomed.

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Sudden Fear - Run, Myra, Run!

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:08:00 -0800

Having discovered Lester's and Irene's intention to murder her, Myra plans a pre-emptive strike. She cleverly arranges for them to meet late at night at Irene's apartment (see earlier post), each thinking the other had set up the meeting. Meanwhile Myra awaits their arrival. She has Irene's gun and apparently plans to bump Lester off and pin it on her.

But Myra is overwhelmed by emotion as she waits. Unnerved by a hot brow and cold feet, she can't see it through. She drops the gun and retreats into a closet as Lester arrives.

Then ... Lester sees the gun and a monogrammed handkerchief that Myra had dropped. Recognizing the trap he desperately scours the apartment for her but she manages to slip out. Outside, he spots her running down Hyde Street, wearing the same style white scarf favored by Irene.

... and Now, the same view looking down the entryway of the Tamalpais Building at 1201 Greenwich Street. In the distance Greenwich rises east to Telegraph Hill.

Then ... He rushes past the Tamalpais' entrance and down a flight of steps to Hyde.

... and Now

Then ... His car is parked at the foot of the steps - a quick U-turn in the convertible and the chase is on.

... and Now, the awnings are gone but those houses across Hyde have changed very little.

Then ... He catches up to her in a downtown area but this isn't San Francisco - it's the corner of Cinnabar and 3rd Street in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles! The director has tried to pull a fast one on us but to no avail, CitySleuth wasn't fooled.

... and Now, today, the wonderful old hilly Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill exists only in the movies. A major civic development in the 1950s and 60s flattened the hill and transformed the area to a stretch of wide, soul-less streets and modern commercial buildings. Cinnabar Street disappeared, becoming a site (map) now housing a Veolia Energy facility providing heating and cooling to private companies. Would that the departed denizens of Bunker Hill could enjoy such luxury.

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Days of Wine and Roses - Kirsten's Place

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 00:18:00 -0800

At dinner on their first date Joe introduces Kirsten to the seductive charms of a Brandy Alexander. She hasn't drunk alcohol before but tells him he was right - it made her feel good. She doesn't know it yet but she just stepped on the slippery slope.

Then ... Their cab drops them off outside her place.

... and Now, this is Union Street atop Telegraph Hill looking east from Montgomery (map). The piers of the Embarcadero are at the bottom of the hill and in the distance the Bay Bridge reaches out to Yerba Buena Island. Calhoun Terrace, a two-level cul-de-sac, sweeps around to the right.

Then ... When we get to see inside her apartment later in the movie the view from the window is the clue to its location ...

The exact same view (the part framed in yellow) was seen from Scottie's friend Midge's place in Vertigo, filmed four years earlier (below) - it's a view west to Russian Hill along the houses facing Union Street. In both cases the apartment was a movie set using a background photo and the directors probably used the same background plate.

... and Now, the same view today.

... in 1970 ... Based on the view, 298 Union Street on the corner of Montgomery was the virtual location of Kirsten's (and Midge's) place. This vintage photo shows how it looked when the movie was filmed. But to get that unimpeded view west the photo for the window view must have been taken from this or a nearby rooftop.

... and Now, the house was rebuilt and expanded in 1974. It was also re-addressed as 296 Union. For more on its use in Vertigo see here.

Then ... Another window view, looking east, was seen from Kirsten's place. This looks down to piers on the Embarcadero but it's a view that couldn't be seen from the 296 Union location, further confirming the use of a studio set.

... and Now, the pier bulkhead seen above appears to be Pier 23; this recent photo of it was taken from Montgomery Street at Filbert, a block from 296 Union.

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Pal Joey - Vera's Yacht Vera

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 20:56:00 -0800

Vera owns a luxury yacht, eponymously named, a gift from her husband. She takes Joey to see it at the marina where it is berthed, West Harbor in the Marina District.

Then ... They drive towards the boat down a narrow roadway projecting out into the water in Vera's 1957 Lincoln Premiere Convertible.

... and Now, the roadway is an extension of Scott Street at the Marina Green (map). The same houses on Marina Boulevard span left to right in the images above and below but note that the roadway has been truncated - it's shorter now than it was then. This photo was taken from the Golden Gate Yacht Club across the water and Vera's boat was berthed within that stretch of water. The red-roofed building (longer now than it was) alongside the water on the right is the Harbormaster's Office.

Then ... They pull up alongside the boat and we see a view of West Harbor behind it which includes the Golden Gate bridge and the Marina lighthouse, a 1931 structure still there but no longer in use. What's particularly interesting about this image is the skyline in the distance to the left dotted with highrises. Why? ... read on.

... and Now, in the same view today from the Golden Gate Yacht Club the dominant features to the left are the dome of the Palace of Fine Arts and the tree covered skyline of the Presidio. So what's with that fancy distant cityscape seen above? Those sneaky filmmakers created it by use of a matte painting to add interest to the view! (They used the same trick with Vera's mansion).

Over drinks onboard Joey tells Vera he has ambitions to open a nightclub of his own. If anyone can make it happen it's the wealthy widow Vera - she even suggests a name ... Chez Joey.

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Sudden Fear - Irene's Apartment

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:39:00 -0800

Myra's new-found happiness comes crashing down when she overhears Lester and Irene scheming to kill her for her money - captured by her dictating machine that had been inadvertently left on.

Then ... After she gets over the shock her playwriting skills kick in and she begins to formulate a plan to beat them to it, requiring her to gain entry into Irene's apartment. Below, she makes her way there.

... and Now, the Tamalpais Apartments building at 1201 Greenwich Street really does exist on the corner of Hyde Street on Russian Hill (map). The signs are no longer there but there are still traces of the mounting screws.

... and Now, if you go up those steps, above, you will see the building name displayed alongside the main entrance, below. On a trivia note, this building appeared in the 1947 movie Dark Passage when Humphrey Bogart climbs down its fire escape.

Then ... Myra walks up from Hyde Street and heads for Irene's door at the rear of the apartment building. In the distance Greenwich Street climbs up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower.

... and Now, the hedge has been extended up the slope from the street and a wrought iron fence has been added at far right to create a secure parking area for the tenants.

Then ... She uses a copy of Irene's door key to gain entry. This doorway was most likely part of the studio set used for the apartment interior scenes.

... and Now, the real rear door is used for deliveries.

Inside the apartment Myra finds some monogrammed note pads and a gun, soon to be used in her punitive strike.

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Days of Wine and Roses - Kirsten's Office

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:17:00 -0800

Kirsten Arnesen works as a secretary (that of course would be Personal Assistant today) in the Pacific Gas and Electric building at 245 Market Street (map). Here's a recent photo of the building, built in 1924 then subsequently strengthened and renovated following the 1989 earthquake.

Then ... After his embarrassing first meeting with Kirsten Joe visits her office to make amends. He is seen below approaching the entrance lobby from the left. The address 245 is on the door.

... and Now, the lobby's inside set of glass doors (on the right, above) have been taken out, a muni bus stop has been added outside and across the street the whole block has been replaced by an office highrise.

Then ... Joe puffs away as he waits for an elevator inside the lobby. Note that elegant brass lampstand ...

... and Now, societal security neurosis, sad to say, has led to the inclusion of subway-like turnstiles. Even the lampstand, still there over 50 years later, can't make up for the loss of the clean, uncluttered look. On the plus side the elevator doors have had a classy upgrade.

Then ... Joe tries his best to make up but Kirsten plays hard-to-get and they end up awkwardly waiting for the elevator outside her office.

... and Now, this typical floor at the PG&E building by the elevators shows some similarities to the movie view above - renovation changes may have been made over the years - but CitySleuth thinks, based on several differences spotted during this scene, that the office interior was filmed elsewhere.

Then ... Joe leaves the building but Kirsten chases after him - she relents and accepts his offer of dinner. That's the Ferry Building standing guard at the end of Market Street as best it can given the intrusively ugly two-level Embarcadero Freeway standing in its way.

... and Now, thankfully, those stylish lamps flanking the entrance are still there. As, just visible, is the Ferry Building. The trees block the view from here but, hallelujah, the freeway is gone.

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Pal Joey - Vera Simpson's Mansion - 2

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:52:00 -0800

An earlier post described how Vera Simpson's mansion was a virtual building located where Coit Tower stands on Telegraph Hill (map). When Joey visits her again we see further evidence of the subterfuge.

Then ... As the scene opens the camera follows the butler out of the home to an exterior patio.

... and Now, this is one of the south facing doors of Coit Tower's mural rotunda which leads out to a lawn.

... and Now, here's the door, looking back from the lawn. Coit tower, built in 1933, rises 210 feet vertically above it.

Then ... The butler announces Joey's arrival to Vera who is enjoying lunch on the patio, built for the movie on the Coit Tower lawn. The sweeping city view behind her may well have dictated this choice of location.

... and Now, the lawn as it now looks. Most of the downtown skyline is obscured by trees and newer highrises abound but at far left the Ferry Building and one of the Bay Bridge towers still match up then and now.

Then ... When Joey leaves he exits to the right of the patio and heads down a narrow path, again with a great view past downtown to Potrero Hill in the distance.

... and Now, the path has been extended and upgraded with steps but the view, sadly, is blocked.

Then ... Later in the movie Linda visits Vera and we see her leaving the home by way of the 'front' steps. Some steps!

... and Now, not surprisingly these are the steps leading down from Coit Tower's north entrance at the car park. Trees now hide Alcatraz Island from here but you can still see Belvedere Island across the bay at top center.

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Sudden Fear - The Good Life

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:16:00 -0800

A series of vignettes depict Myra and Lester settling down into the social whirl of 1950s San Francisco.

Then ... First, celebrating the 30th season at the opera.

... and Now, the drawing on the brochure cover above is San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House, a grand Beaux-Arts building opened in time for the 1932/33 season. (From 1923 - 1931, the newly-formed opera company had performed at the Civic Auditorium). Below, the opera house today, at 301 Van Ness Avenue (map).

Then ... We are shown a glimpse inside the theater ...

... but this isn't the War Memorial Opera House - it's convenient archival footage filmed on stage 28 of the Universal Studios lot in Universal City, California. Originally built for the 1925 movie Phantom of the Opera (see below), the theater set has been featured in many movies over the years. Citysleuth thanks reader Paul Penna for pointing this out.

... and Now, the War Memorial Opera House interior is very different.

Then ... Next up, a day at the races at Tanforan, the racetrack of choice for city high-rollers from 1899 until it burned down in 1964. It was located on El Camino Real in San Bruno, near the international airport (map).

... and Now, there's no trace of the racetrack, but visitors to the shopping mall that now occupies the site, The Shops At Tanforan, can find a statue there of the famous thoroughbred Seabiscuit.

Then ... This double exposure shows the newlyweds swept up by the action down the home stretch.

... in 1950 ... But again, the movie used different footage - this was not filmed at Tanforan. Below is the home stretch at Tanforan as filmed two years earlier in the movie Riding High. San Bruno Mountain is in the near background whereas the mountains in the movie background above are way off in the far distance. Note the huge hillside sign 'South San Francisco, The Industrial City' which is still there today, at far left in the Tanforan Shops photo above.

... in 1950 ... Another scene from Riding High shows this clear view of the Tanforan grandstand. There's a white post at the corner edge of the roof overhang at far right, unlike in the Sudden Fear 'Then' image above where the roof cantilevers out with no corner post.

Then ... and finally they go dancing at the Cirque Room, a popular dance spot in the Fairmont Hotel (map) ...

Then ... where they party the night away.

... from the 1950s ... Here's a postcard photo image taken in the Fairmont's Cirque Room at about that same time.

... and Now, the Cirque Room is still there but available only for private parties. This recent photo from such an event captured its art deco bar and original circus-themed murals.

Lester hears back from his shady lady friend Irene Neves. She has been working on her lawyer boyfriend and found out -"It took five martinis" - that Myra is about to donate the bulk of her fortune to a charity, news that doesn't sit well with the scheming pair.

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Pal Joey - Pet Shop

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:42:00 -0800

Then ... Joey is enjoying a bright sunny day in the international Settlement when he sees Linda, the dancer from his club, cooing at a cute terrier through a pet shop window. (A pet shop in a red light district? Why not? ... "Get your hooch and pooch here!"). He craftily tries to score points with her, claiming he once owned and loved a dog called Snuffy.

... and Now, this is Pacific Avenue, with Montgomery crossing at left. The pet shop was at 517 Pacific (map). The pet shop frontage, above, must have been built for the movie because street directories show that this property was vacant in the years leading up to the movie. The tubular metal pillar on the corner of Montgomery that supported the 'International Settlement' sign is still there, partially visible below behind the tree at far left.

Then ... Later we see Joey and Linda return, approaching the shop from across Pacific. Across the street we can just make out (click on the image for an enlarged view) some of the hot night spots - the Moulin Rouge, Bella Pacific, Hippodrome and Gay 'N Frisky.

... and Now, all the clubs are gone.

Then ... Linda spots the dog, still for sale, as they pass the archway entrance to Jerome Alley.

... and Now, that archway has been taken down and admittance to the alley is now blocked by an iron gate. The current tenant at the pet shop site is Thomas E Cara, purveyor of espresso coffee machines.

Inside the store she persuades Joey to buy the cuddly canine as a replacement for Snuffy. He's not too happy but how can he refuse? This interior was obviously filmed on a studio set because in the real world there was an open parking lot opposite this location, not the Hippodrome club seen here which did exist but was further down the block at 574 Pacific.

... from the 1950s ... here's a vintage photo taken from Montgomery that shows the pet shop location (arrowed) and the archway next to it, partially obscured by the street sign. You can just see the parking lot opposite.

... and Now, the Thomas E Cara shop is shown arrowed but Jerome Alley is hidden behind the tree and the trimming debris. It's interesting that the tubular pillars have survived here but those at the other (Kearny Street) end of the block have not.

... a vintage photo ... the photo below, circa 1970, looks across the parking lot to the pet shop building (arrowed), next to Jerome Alley. Facing us at right is the muraled gable of the Barbary Coast at 533 Pacific, the club where Joey performed, which by this time had become the Little Fox Theater.

... and Now, a recent view of the Thomas E Cara store and Jerome Alley.

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Sudden Fear - An Old Flame Shows Up

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 23:20:00 -0800

At a party at Myra's house who should show up but Irene Neves (the sultry shady lady of noir Gloria Grahame), an old flame of Lester's. She is accompanying Myra's attorney's partner Junior Kearney (Mike Connors, in his first movie). Lester, surprised, is not amused but goes through the introduction pleasantries as though it were the first time they had met.

Then ... Lester catches up with her at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor fine arts museum in Lincoln Park (map). This shot also captures the statue of the 11th century Spanish warrior El Cid in the foreground. In 1958 the Palace became best known in the movies as a Vertigo location.

... and Now, trees have grown but nothing else has changed. Interesting that the copper stains on the plinth are virtually identical, having stabilised after the early staining for at least 60 years. The city authorities might take note of this and clean the plinth!

Then ... Inside, Irene (wearing the hat) is listening to an organ recital. (On a trivia note, the organist was playing J S Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring). Lester enters and drags her outside.

... and Now, the organ console, of finest walnut, is still there and organ recitals are still held every weekend. The 4500 pipe organ was commisioned by the Spreckels family and built by the Ernest M Skinner Organ Company of Boston for the opening of the Palace in 1924. And that's the same statue over on the right!

Then ... Against one of the exterior pillars and with El Cid in the background, Lester asks Irene to work on Junior Kearney to find out the details of a major transfer of her wealth that he's heard Myra is planning. Irene agrees ... "I'll turn him inside out!"

... and Now, from the same spot, the same view looks to the Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate.

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Days of Wine and Roses - A Rocky Start

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:04:00 -0800

Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) works at a public relations agency. One of his unofficial duties is to provide escorts for his clients. The movie begins with Joe working the phone, rounding up girls for a party being held on a yacht on the bay.

Then ... A cab pulls up alongside the bay and a young woman gets out.

... and Now, this is the St Francis Yacht Club car park at the West Harbor in the Marina district (map). The bridge needs no introduction.

Then ... She makes her way towards a small boat berthed at the yacht club - in the background is a domed structure very familiar to San Franciscans.

... and Now, it's the Palace of Fine Arts fronting Baker Street at the eastern edge of the Presidio, built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition (map). Fans of Vertigo may remember that Scottie and Judy were once there.

Then ... Joe and the girls are waiting for her in the boat - she climbs aboard to a sharp dressing-down from Joe for not dressing up ...

"You're dressed wrong, it's supposed to be a cocktail dress ... something peek-a-boo!"

... and Now, as they head out Fort Mason is straight ahead with Marina Boulevard alongside the harbor off to the right.

Then ... Their tender pulls alongside the party yacht.

... and Now, but where was this shot filmed? Below is Citysleuth's best guess - looking towards Sausalito's Kappas Marina from close to where the 101 causeway crosses over Richardson Bay (the arrow on this map would have been the likely camera location). Mist could have obscured the distant skyline in the movie but differences in the shoreline at left create some doubt. Can any reader confirm or correct this location?

On the yacht Joe realizes that the underdressed woman isn't one of the escorts after all, she's Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick), the secretary of the client hosting the party. He tries to make amends but she plays it cool. They couldn't have gotten off to a rockier start.

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Pal Joey - Joey Finds A Room

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:56:00 -0800

After the society party at Vera Simpson's mansion Joey and Ned, the bandleader, take Linda home.

Then ... They take the cable car to Nob Hill, seen here coming down Washington Street towards Taylor Street. (San Franciscans would never take this highly circuitous route from Telegraph Hill). Reader CDL has pointed out that this section of track was closed down in 1957 awaiting a new turntable at Hyde and Beach Street. Not a problem for the moviemakers from Hollywood - they used a motorized car with a bumper and fenders to hide the wheels.

... and Now, the cable car still runs down this street although the day Citysleuth was there it had broken down, foiling the perfect matching shot.

Then ... They hop off at the junction and walk along Taylor to the building at far right where Linda has a room. As the cable car heads over the incline we see a rear tire outside of the track, confirming that it is indeed a motorized version. Note too that this car is the 'double-ender' style, displaying 'Presidio Ave, California and Market Streets' front and back, unlike the Powell Street 'single-ender' that ran (and still does) down Washington (compare them here).

... and Now, the corner houses are mostly unchanged but several high rise buildings now block the view down Washington of the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge except for part of its massive central caisson.

Ned opens the door of Linda's rooming house and the two men bid her goodnight. The building's address is 1250 Taylor Street (map) which, by the way, is just one block from Frank Bullitt's apartment in the movie Bullitt. A wider view of it is seen from across the street in the next image, a composite of several shots that gives an unobstructed view of the location.

Then ... Ned's place is one of the two up the stairs in the foreground below (1239 or 1241 Taylor) and after he retires, refusing to let Joey stay with him, Joey returns across the street to 1250 Taylor and rents a room there, conveniently as it turns out right next to Linda's.

... and Now, from the same spot. But Citysleuth wonders if this scene was filmed on a studio set modelled closely on the real location below. It has that 'slightly phony' look in the movie and the stair bannister, though similar, doesn't match exactly.

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