Author: SF Film Locations

I went to the Union Square area yesterday to see how the turnout would be for “Black Friday”. Also, I wanted to update some of the pictures I took around the area in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic when most of the city was shutdown. Some of my older pictures were taken on Black Friday, 2020, which, like most of San Francisco, was still depressingly quiet. I guess somebody forgot to tell San Francisco, yesterday, that it’s a stagnant, unfriendly, dangerous city that nobody wants to visit anymore; the weather was perfect, and the crowds were back. I remember telling myself early on in the 2020 lockdown, when San Francisco was quiet, empty and lonely, that I wouldn’t mind the crowds in the city again, and I don’t. (Thumbnail images)

The cable car turnaround at Market and Powell Streets in April of 2020 and yesterday:

The top photo was at the cable car turnaround on Black Friday, 2020, Cable cars were not back running yet, but they had a festively decorate one on display for picture taking.

People heading up to Union Square on at Powell and O’Farrell Streets yesterday, and nobody heading up to Union Square on Black Friday, 2020:

Stockton Street at O’Farrell: The kittens and puppies in the Macy’s window display on the left were back yesterday.

Union Square: You don’t get a chance to see it this empty often.

Four masked people at Neiman Marcus near Stockton and Geary Streets: That was about as big as the crowd got on Black Friday, 2020. Still some masks now.

Another shot of Union Square, sans visitors. Work on the Central Subway Station entrance on the corner, which opened in November of 2022, was also temporarily halted.

Not as crowded around Westfield Centre now that it’s closing, but better than 2020.

The southwest corner of Union Square at Powell and Geary Streets:

I went back over to Chinatown Wednesday night. With the APEC Summit opening this weekend in San Francisco, Chinatown may be pretty crowded during this coming week, so I wanted to enjoy the calm before the crowds. The Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit is being compared by some as the biggest international event in San Francisco since the June of 1945 UNCIO San Francisco Conference toward the end of World War ll which led to the creation of the United Nations, so the City will be doing its best to accommodate visitors and show the world that San Francisco is still “the city that knows how’.  Yes, there was once a time when you’d have to be a soldier of fortune to walk around Chinatown at night, but it’s not as notorious as it used to be, and the alleys are peaceful and picturesque. I took some night time pictures and later found some vintage pictures taken during the daytime that closely match the pictures I took. (Thumbnail images)

‘Sneakin’ Sister Sally Through the Alley’: Spofford Alley at twilight. (Jimmie-Shein)

Ross Alley, once famous for Tong wars, opium dens and Shanghaiing: People now visit the alley to buy fortune cookies. (Arnold Genthe)

There’s a great chase scene throughout Chinatown from the 1949 film ‘Impact’. Here, Ella Raines chases the cab car Anna May Wong is riding in south on Grant Avenue from Washington Street, back when traffic went the opposite direction.

The once notorious Beckett Alley in Chinatown: In 1913 this street had 29 brothels on both sides of the street according to the National Trust Guide to San Francisco. The old photo was taken in 1878, when it was called Bartlett Alley. (opensfhistory.org)

Grant Avenue, looking south from Jackson Street in a 1960s: (opensfhistory.org)

Waverly Place, the widest and most popular alley in Chinatown, in a 1950s picture: (opensfhistory.org)

Another peaceful evening spot is St. Mary’s Square, across from Old St. Mary’s Church. I hope the two people in the 1958 photo are still together in the next life. (opensfhistory.org)

I headed home through a lonely and empty Maiden Lane. Once the most popular alley in the city,  this used to be where San Francisco traditionally opened spring every year. Now, like Lotta’s Fountain, people walk past it without a second thought. (San Francisco Public Library Archives)

But the main reason I went over there was to visit the site of the old Trafalgar Building on California Street, up from Grant Avenue, seen in the opening of Bob Hope’s 1947 film ‘My Favorite Brunette’. The movie costars Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr. with cameos from Alan Ladd and Bing Crosby, and it’s one of Bob Hope’s best movies. The scenes from a flashback near the film’s opening show people walking up California Street past the Trafalgar Building. The building was demolished and is now where the parking garage of the Ritz Carlton is. Below is a link do a post I did about the film in 2017. (YouTube)

‘My Favorite Brunette’ revisited

The weekend before Halloween, I went to the City at evening time to enjoy the Halloween weather (whatever that is) around town, and to practice taking panoramic pictures with my phone. I wandered around Nob Hill for awhile, waiting for the vampires to come out, (occasionally, people dress up like vampires during Halloween season, and do a ‘Vampire Prowl’ around Nob Hill) and then I headed down into Chinatown. These are a collection of nighttime pictures around San Francisco that I did update comparison pictures of the last week of October and the first week of November.(Thumbnail images)

Grant Avenue, looking toward California Street and the Sing Fat Building: This is as close of a comparison as I could get to the old 1930s postcard. (foundimage.com)

I was practicing taking panoramic pictures with my iPhone last Saturday night of a cable car crossing Grant Avenue on its way up California Street, so this isn’t exactly a perfect match up with the old 1960s picture at the same location. (hippostcard.com)

Powell Street at Market, it  looks like the 1950s: This might have been a good comparison picture if the old bank building at number one Powell Street wasn’t covered up with a tarp, because I’m standing in about the same spot as the 1950s photo. (San Francisco Public Library Archives)

They are getting ready to fix up Union Square for Christmas when I went back last evening to finish up my set of nighttime pictures. I didn’t get too bad of a line up with this old postcard of Union Square at night in 1912. The building on the right in the postcard was remodeled into the IMagnin Building in the 1940s, the buildings along Stockton Street, to the left of the Dewey Monument, are all still there. (UC Berkeley Library Archives)

Market Street, between 6th and 7th Streets: The Katharine Hepburn movie, ‘Summertime’ playing at the United Artists Theater on the right dates the vintage picture from during 1955. With reckless abandon, I headed into the area at night to get an updated picture. What a great Saturday spot this used to be; movie theaters all along Market Street and classy department stores like Weinstein’s; a far cry from what this area is like now. (San Francisco Chronicle)

A picture I took in January of this year, when City Hall was lit up for the 49ers who were in the Playoffs, matches up pretty good to this picture of City Hall in October of 1966. (San Francisco Public Library archives.

Now that they’ve re extended to November 16^th the October re extension of the May re extension of the April income tax deadline for 2023 here in California because of last winter’s rains, things have slowed down again where I work. So, I decided to go over to San Francisco on a rainy yesterday to update some images of older rainy SF days. (Thumbnail images)

I updated a recent picture I posted of people crossing Market Street at Stockton on a rainy day during the 1960s, because it’s better in the rain. Although, the rain did slow down a bit at this point. (San Francisco Public Library Archives)

Thomas Kinkade’s Powell Street at Union Square, one of his less imaginative pictures: He often gets a bad rap for his work as having been more of a marketer than an artist, but I like his San Francisco pictures.

Market Street in front of the Palace Hotel during the early 1960s, when it was known as the Sheraton-Palace Hotel: The clock is still there, but the Pig ‘n Whistle Restaurant on New Montgomery, one of Herb Caen’s most frequented places in San Francisco, is no longer here. (Phil Palmer)

Another one of Kinkade’s masterpiece wannabes: His paintings always make me want to run up ‘Old Glory’ somewhere when I see one, but I really like this one of Market Street before the 1906 Earthquake. The domed Call Building, on the right it the painting, survived the 1906 Earthquake, but was remodeled down in the late 1930s to nothing of its classy look nowadays. The Gothic looking Mutual Saving Bank Building on the left also survived the 1906 disaster, but kept its original look. You can see part of its red roof in my picture. (CV Art and Frame)

A California Street cable car, pulling up to or leaving from, Market Street on a rainy 1940s day: Cable cars don’t pull all of the way up to Market Street anymore, so I couldn’t get much of the Southern Pacific Building, on the right, in my picture.

They put a lot of work into the opening scenes of a 1974 episode from the television show, The Streets of San Francisco called ‘License to Kill’. The scene was filmed at the intersection of Hyde and Beach Streets, one of the busiest intersections in San Francisco. You have the old Del Monte Cannery on the northeast corner of the intersection, cable cars cross through Beach and Hyde arriving to and departing from Aquatic Park on the northwest corner, and the Buena Vista Cafe, one of San Francisco’s best loved an famous watering holes, is on the southwest corner of the cross streets. (Thumbnail images.)

I took the Hyde Street/Powell cable car to Aquatic Park yesterday to do update pictures of the scenes. Cable cars still let passengers off arriving at Aquatic Park at the same spot in the middle of Hyde as these 1970s people in the show.

One of the passengers on the cable car in the overcoat, walking toward the southeast corner of Beach and Hyde Street, is up to no good.

It’s actor Murray Hamilton, Mr. Robinson in the film ‘The Graduate’ and the Mayor of Amity Island, one year after the filming of this episode, in the blockbuster ‘Jaws’. Here, he plays an ex cop named Barney Lujack responsible for a series of vigilante killings.

His target this time is the fellow in the plaid sport coat holding a newspaper heading into the Buena Vista Cafe. He’s a hit man for the Mob, Johnny Waco, and one of his victims was Lujack’s son.

Waco dispatches his assigned victim in the cafe with a silencer hidden in his newspaper.

Waco heads back across Beach Street to a car driven by an accomplice. However, Lujack has him dialed in.

Lujack shoots and wounds Waco on the northwest corner of Beach and Hyde. During the 1982, 1983, 1984 restoration of the cable car system, this portion of the tracks were rerouted into Aquatic Park here at the corner where Waco was wounded.

The accomplice drives up Hyde Street to pick up the injured Waco past where the cable car tracks originally entered Aquatic Park, about where the white van and service truck are in my picture.

Police squad cars are quick to respond. That’s a great look at the Hyde Street Pier in 1974.

After picking up Waco, the car speeds west on Beach Street toward Ghirardelli Square and the Maritime Museum, followed by the police.

A police officer races up past the Cannery to the northeast corner of Hyde and Beach Streets, but Lujack gets away.

Lt. Mike Stone, (Karl Malden) and Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) pull up to the Buena Vista Café in the tan color car on the right.

They enter the Buena Vista to investigate the shooting by Waco.

As Stone and Keller leave the café and cross over to Aquatic Park, they get an eyewitness account of the second shooting committed by Lujack.

Stone and Keller cross back over Beach Street to their car, trying to sort out the details.

“The way I see it, it’s a clear case of two accidental shootings.”

“No, I don’t think so, buddy boy. We have eyewitnesses in the cafe who say a man with a silencer shot the man at the table, and then we have eyewitnesses outside who say that the man who shot the man in the café was shot by another unknown suspect when he left the café. No, no, this doesn’t look like accidental shootings to me, but I could be wrong. How about an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista before we leave?”

“Sounds good!”

Actually, they were two much brighter cops than that in the television show.

I stopped by for the Block Party on Ellis Street yesterday, in honor of the 115^th birthday of John’s Grill Restaurant. The restaurant’s most famous claim to fame is that it was mentioned in the novel ‘The Maltese Falcon’. {Sam (Spade) went to John’s Grill and asked the waiter to hurry his order of chops, baked potato, and sliced tomatoes.} To celebrate the occasion John’s set out tables all along the block and served free meals to everybody who stopped by. I more interested in getting another Brigid glass. (Thumbnail images)

Ellis Street, looking toward Market Street, around the time that John’s Grill opened: (San Francisco Public Library Archives)

This is the stretch of Ellis Street, between Powell and Stockton Streets, where the block party was held. The vintage picture is from the 1920s. (opensfhistory.org)

I did an update a few years back of a 1970s picture by Peter Stratmoen of this stretch of Ellis Street, but I don’t think anybody paid much attention to John’s Grill in my picture because of the pretty girl with the Victoria’s Secret bag.

They were still setting up tables when I got there. This is the view from Stockton Street in the 1950s, and yesterday. Truth be told, I’ve spent more time in Tad’s Steakhouse than I have in John’s Grill. (opensfhistory.org)

Mayor London Breed took time out from her tribute to Dianne Feinstein to congratulate the current owners of the restaurant.

There was plenty of stage entertainment.

The line of visitors stretched around Ellis Street down Powell to Market Street, so they had to keep putting out more tables to accommodate the crowd.

Of course, you can’t go to John’s Grill without going upstairs to see the Maltese Falcon or taking home a Brigid Glass, named in honor of the femme fatale from the Maltese Falcon. Awhile back, I did a post about the Maltese Falcon that features John’s Grill.  It’s become my most often viewed post, so in closing, I’ll include the link to it.

Sam Spade’s San Francisco

Actually, they weren’t she creatures; they were a couple of cute society girls named Claire Zwieg and Marjorie Wilson, and they probably didn’t have any trouble getting the nice fishermen to take their pictures all around the Fisherman’s Wharf Boat Lagoon in March of 1938. The vintage photos are from the UC Berkeley Library Archives. (Thumbnail images)

“Hey, Cappy, does your wittle boat go fast?”
“Lady, you talk like that when you get onboard, and I’ll throw your ass off my boat!”
Looking back toward where the Alioto’s and Fishermen’s Grotto Buildings would eventually be. You can see Coit Tower on the right in both images. I love the fisherman’s cap on the one girl.

“I wonder if I’ll get in trouble if I ring this bell.”
“Honey, I don’t think they’ll mind much what we do!”
The building behind them was demolished in the 1960s, and the chapel in the background is there now.

“I like this boat better!”
“No, we’re on the same one. Tim just switched boats.”

“Hey, look! I can see Applebee’s!”
“Yeah, maybe in about 75 years!”

Speaking of Applebee’s, it was nice of the girls there to let me go out on their glass terrace to get my update of this 1939 view of Jefferson and Taylor Streets.

Looking southwest from walkway in the middle of the lagoon in 1938: You can’t see Ghirardelli Square from here anymore.

I ended up in Aquatic Park last Saturday morning after taking some pictures, and decided to hop on a cable car up Hyde Street back to Market Street. Because it was a weekend morning, most people were heading into the area, rather than away, so the lines to board the cars weren’t that long. I got on an outside step on the front left side of the car, and took pictures along the way back to Market Street. On Sunday I searched through internet archives looking for vintage pictures that closely matched the ones I took. Now and thens are more challenging than then and nows because you have no control over the line up, but they’re still fun to try. Now, I’ve been hanging on the outside of cable cars since I was 15, but coming down Nob Hill toward the end of the ride, a pretty girl in her late teens or early twenties coming uphill on a passing cable car reached across for a fist bump as we passed, which I obliged her with, and watched the car she was on head up the hill. It doesn’t seem like much in describing, but it made my day. Anyway, back to the pictures. (Thumbnail images)

Heading up Hyde Street on Russian Hill from Bay Street, on the car and from the intersection in 1979: The line ups get a little better along the way. (San Francisco Pictures Blog)

The view down Lombard Street at sunset in 1960: Being one of the most photographed locations in San Francisco history, it wasn’t hard to find a near match here, (opensfhistory.org)

Passing Greenwich Street: I’ll let Bogie take this one from the 1947 film ‘Dark Passage’.

Turning left off Hyde Street, we’re heading down Washington Street: The Cable Car Barn and Museum is on the left in my picture and the one from the 1950s (San Francisco Pictures Blog)

Looking down Clay Street from Powell as fire caused by the 1906 Earthquake approaches: This picture of Arnold Genthe’s is overshadowed by his more famous photo taken one block over at Powell and Sacramento Streets, but I thinks it’s almost as classic.

Crossing California Street along Powell, and another one of the most photographed spots in San Francisco:

Heading down Powell Street from California: It’s difficult to find a good match up here because most pictures taken from here are looking down California Street, so this 1957 shot is about the closest that I could find. Also, the cable car coming up toward us is carrying the girl I bonded with over a fist bump, although I didn’t know it at the time I took the picture. I can’t make her out when I look at a close up of the photo, we were just “two ships passing in the night” during the day, but I got a kick out of it. (opensfhistory.org)

Passing Post Street at Union Square: I think this one from the 1980s is the one I got the best line up on. (San Francisco Pictures Blog)

Looking down Geary Street from Powell toward the old Palace Hotel just after the 1906 Earthquake: The fire would eventually gut the whole area, including the Palace Hotel. (opensfhistory.org)

Passing O’Farrell Street, looks like the early 1910s:   I didn’t want to leave out the one with the jerk crossing the street that’s posing for us; it doesn’t have the class of a fist bump. (San Francisco Public Library Archives)

I’ve taken the new Central Subway north to Chinatown a number of times, but today is the first time I rode it south to Oracle Stadium. It’s easily the best way to get to the ballpark using public transportation. I wandered around the area for awhile updating some vintage pictures from the San Francisco Public Library Archive and opensfhistory.org. (Thumbnail images)

Looking northeast across China Basin (McCovey Cove now) from the Third Street Bridge (Lefty O’Doul Bridge now) in 1922: The Giants aren’t at home this weekend, so the area was quiet today. (opensfhistory.org)

Looking toward the Lefty O’Doul Bridge in 1933: The was major damage to the bridge from a barge that broke away during the storms earlier this year, so the area near the water is fenced off right now. (opensfhistory.org)

I wandered up Third Street past where the old Southern Pacific Railroad Station used to be. The vintage picture was taken from in front of the train station in 1940. The Gallenkamp’s Building is still around. (opensfhistory.org)

Looking down Third Street from Brannan in 1931: Yeah, I can imagine the luck I’d have today holding up a Metro Streetcar while I posed for a picture. (opensfhistory.org)

People crossing the intersection of Townsend and Third Streets during the 1950s: The vintage picture may have been taken during the Korean War. I moved down Brannan Street to the Fourth and Brannan Central Subway stop, and headed back to Market Street to round out the Labor Day Weekend. The blood advertisement sign reminds me that tax season isn’t over yet in California; I’m worried that I’m going to have an invasion of last minute income tax filers trying to beat the October 16^th deadline that will make the zombies from ‘Night of the Living Dead’ look like trick-or-treaters. (The San Francisco Public Library Archives)

BART will be implementing a realignment of its system next month, running trains less often on some lines, and more often on others. They’ll also be replacing all of those old 1972 trains with the newer models that are easier to clean, but far less comfortable. I’m not reading anything about BART addressing its biggest problem, stopping the staggering amount fare evaders, even though the overwhelming majority of problems while riding on the trains are caused by riders who sneak in without paying. Still, I use BART on a regular basis, and it’s still the most practical way for me to get in and out of San Francisco. Last Sunday’s SF Chronicle had an article by Peter Hartlaub about a mysterious cabinet found on the streets of San Francisco containing hundreds and hundreds of old Kodachrome slides taken around San Francisco during the 1960s. The article refers to a website at sfmemory.org that has a link to a collection of some of those slides showing construction work on BART in 1967 and 1968. So I took BART over to SF Thursday to update some of the slides taken along Market Street. (Thumbnail images)

Market Street near Montgomery, looking past to Palace Hotel toward the Ferry Building in October of 1967: (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10038)

Market Street at Powell, where the cable car turnaround is, in March of 1968: On the left is the Flood Building; on the right are the old Emporium Department Store, and the Humboldt and Call Buildings. (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10127)

People crossing Market Street over to the Emporium in October of 1967: (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10248)

Stockton Street at Market in October of 1967: A classy looking lady and a classy looking T-Bird. (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10042)

Market Street at Montgomery, looking west past the Palace Hotel and Call Building in October of 1967: (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10034)

Market Street near 2^nd in March of 1968: All of those little stores are gone now. I remember going to Stacey’s Books on Market Street during the 1990s. I’m not sure if that’s the same toy store that is now Jeffry’s Toys on Kearny St. at Maiden Lane. (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10182)

The demolishing of old buildings, where Hallidie Plaza is now, in November of 1967: Among the building being torn down are the old Telenews and Esquire Movie Theaters. (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10072)

Market Street between 8^th and 9^th Streets, Looking toward the Orpheum Theater on the left, in October of 1967: From here it looks like there’s almost as much construction on Market Street now as there was back then! (SFMemory.org / sfm005-10004)