At the Movies

‘Bullitt’ wasn’t the only movie filmed in San Francisco to include a chase scene. In the upper left side of this movie collage is a chase scene from Buster Keaton’s 1922 film, ‘Daydreams’. In a Keystone Cop-like scene, San Francisco police chase Buster north on Powell Street across Washington on the edge of Chinatown. This spot looks, remarkably, the same ninety six years later! In the upper right hand corner, Jack Lemmon squeaks his Thunderbird past a cable car at the Taylor and Bay turntable in the 1964 movie, ‘Good Neighbor Sam’. The view is blocked now, but a 76 gas station is still on the right side corner, and it you look close, you can see the Cost Plus Imports sign, still in business here, behind the gas station. At lower left is a chase scene down the Alta Plaza steps from the 1972 movie ‘What’s up, Doc?’ with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. This scene was filmed without the permission of the City of San Francisco, and caused damage to the steps, still visible today. At lower right, probably, my favorite scene from a Clint Eastwood movie. Clint runs into the old Fort Mason train tunnel carrying ransom money in the 1971 movie ‘Dirty Harry’ and encounters three hoods who try to rob him. Big mistake! “You don’t listen, do you, ass++++!” The old train tunnel is now closed off.