Foggy San Francisco, along with Los Angeles and New York is one of the best locations in the world for examples of the dark and mysterious genre known as film noir (black film). The following are some of the many images of film noir with San Francisco locations.
Arthur Franz, the “Sniper” runs up the rickety wooden Filbert Steps of Telegraph Hill after shooting another woman to death with his scope rifle. “This is developing into a very bad habit!!!!” This 1952 movie amazes me for its frankness of the subject matter, and its weird attempt to show understanding for this creep at the film’s ending. It’s also an extremely interesting movie; have a shot at it sometime. (Oooohhhh, Tim!) The wooden steps were replaced in the 1970’s, and the old warehouse below the steps, in the 1980’s.
A cab pulls up to Pier 5 on the Embarcadero with Tom Conway, the “Falcon” inside in the 1945 thriller ‘The Falcon in San Francisco’.
The Falcon putting the moves on a female suspect in front of Pier 5:
Stefanie Powers, nearly being run over on her way to 25th and Clement to be kidnapped by Ross Martin, in one of the last great film noir movies to be filmed in San Francisco, ‘Experiment in Terror’ from 1962.
Burritt Alley, where Sam Spade’s partner Miles Archer was “done in” by Brigid O’Shaughnessy in the Maltese Falcon, as depicted in the Humphrey Bogart film, and the actual alley. The red-brown colored building at the far left was not there when the book was written, and was the empty lot where Miles body rolled down to Stockton Street.
“Hi ya, Babe!”
“Get lost, creep!”
Not from a noir movie, but that girl in the Fred Lyon picture reminds me of Lauren Bacall. This flower stand was, and still is in front of the old I Magnin Store, now Louis Viutton across from Union Square.
I love it when I find an old Film Noir flicker with terrific San Francisco locations! Here, Glenn Ford approaches the Lefty O’Dould Bridge as the gates close in the 1949 crime thriller ‘Mr. Soft Touch’ He’s being chased by the “Mob” after robbing one of their casinos. That’s AT&T Park in the background now instead of the ship.
Ford smashes through the gate without stopping.
The drawbridge rises forcing the mobsters to give up the chase. This was another hairy stunt you couldn’t get permission for today; if that car doesn’t stop, the driver goes over the edge!
Ford makes his getaway as the drawbridge rises behind him.
Ford’s lost the gangsters chasing him, but now he has the police after him. In the next scene, he’s in North Beach turning onto Union Street from Kearny.
He then turns right into Varennes Alley; not geographically coordinated with the previous scene, but that’s Hollywood.
Ford stops halfway down Varennes Alley and drops stolen money into a garbage can, five hundred thousand dollars, right around here. Where is that garbage can? WHERE IS THAT GARBAGE CAN????
Ford exits the alley at Union Street with the cops hot on his trail.
Well, at least they didn’t get it!
San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now 