San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now

I can’t believe I’ve never visited Duboce Park. I ride past there many times on the N Line Metro, but I’ve never stopped to walk around. It’s a really nice little dog friendly park. It rhymes with those and not with cozy, and Wikipedia says it’s “one of the few parks in the city without a roadway or walkway separating the park land from buildings.^” I found some vintage pictures of Duboce Park and went over there last Thursday to do some then and nows. (Thumbnail images)

The difficulty with updating vintage pictures of Duboce Park is that I couldn’t find a lot of old photographs of the actual park; most vintage photos are looking toward the Sunset (or Duboce) Tunnel on the south side of the park. I wasn’t able to match up the location of this old photograph of Duboce Park from the San Francisco Public Library Archives. It was probably taken looking east toward Steiner or south toward Duboce, the only views that could have street traffic in the background, but the buildings don’t match up. My picture is looking northeast across the park.

Addendum: That’s the Mint Building in the upper right of the vintage picture. The view is northeast across Steiner, just to the right of my picture.

I may have gotten a match up with this circa 1910 photo of the park with my picture looking southeast; the four houses in the upper right do match up with the houses behind the trees in my photo. Check out those interesting rock formations in the vintage photo; one person’s artistic landscape, another person’s liable for injury lawsuit. (San Francisco Public Library Archives)

Looking west toward the Sunset Tunnel in 1935: The Muni Metro N Line runs through here now. (opensfhistory.org)

Another view looking west toward the streetcar tunnel in 1963: (opensfhistory.org)

Looking southwest toward the tunnel in 1964: Duboce Avenue is on the left. Buena Vista Park is in the background of all of the streetcar tunnel pictures.

Film scenes of San Francisco, once relatively mundane in themselves, often become nostalgic, at least to me. This clip from Vivid History of absolutely normal day-in-the-life scenes around San Francisco is listed as San Francisco Street Scenes 1940s, but most of the film was shot in the early 1950s, with a little odd editing of Market Street during the 1930s in the middle. The scenes are at Market, Mason and Turk Streets, the Powell at Market Street cable car turnaround, California at Powell, and Mason Street up on Nob Hill, the Post Street side of Union Square, and a few locations I haven’t identified yet. They would be more authentic if left in black and white, but to me it’s always a pleasure to update parts in these type of films with the locations today. I got a pretty close video redo of people crossing Market Street at Mason that I’ll include at the end of this post, along with the YouTube link to the film. (Thumbnail images)

 

The film opens up with a group of well dressed people crossing Market Street from where Turk Street comes into Mason. The Mark Hopkins Hotel up on Nob Hill can be seen in the far background. There’s no longer a crosswalk at the spot they’re heading across Market Street.

 

As the camera follows them across the walk, you can see the Mechanic’s Savings Bank Building, built in 1907, and the Garfield Building where the dentist’s office is, built in 1908. Both buildings are still there. The Empire and Telenews Theaters, both long gone, and the Flood Building can be seen.

This portion of the film ends with the people arriving safely across Market Street, not always an easy thing as you’ll see in my video updates. Some of the buildings seen behind them in the old photo are the Flood, Phelan, and Hobart Buildings on the left of Market Street, and the Call and Humboldt Buildings on the right. It’s the most interesting piece of film now, but I can imagine someone at the time viewing it and saying, “Yeah, but what’s the point?”

The scene switches to the cable car turnaround at Market and Powell Streets. Hale’s, Grayson’s, Leed’s and Zukor’s Department Stores, (that’s a lot of apostrophes) are in the background. Nordstrom San Francisco Centre occupies the building now, but they’re closing tomorrow, July 1^st.

 

The film moves to the Post Street entrance of the Union Square Parking Garage. The Hobart Building in the background can no longer be seen from here. Many of the buildings in the old shot are still around, but the parking rates back then are long gone.

 

I’ll close my still updates with the scene of a van driving down Mason Street on Nob Hill past the Mark Hopkins Hotel, out of the scene on the left. I can also imagine another long ago person saying, “Hey, what do think of this part of my film? Are you asleep?”

Last Monday, I went over to update the scene of the people crossing Market Street at Mason. Check out the three people in my video running past the F Line streetcar in the same crosswalk as the sailor running past the bus and the cop in the old clip. Hey, what do you think of my video? Are you asleep? Also, below is the link to the YouTube film clip.

A friend of mine named Cindy, who works in a library, occasionally sets aside discarded books about vintage San Francisco for me. Sometimes, they’re a real treasure, at least to me anyway. This cavalcade of a long ago San Francisco, written by Charles Keeler and published in 1902, should probably have been kept in the historical studies section of the library for review, but not for checking out. However, I’m not giving it back….. unless they really want it. I did a few updates of some of the photographs in the book, you know, in case some things are different after 121 years. I’ve also included passages with descriptions from the book that relate to each of the vintage pictures.  (Thumbnail images)

It was autographed from Mr. and Mrs. Hall to Mr. and Mrs. Bird on Christmas Day of 1903. Mr. Keeler gives a review of his work in one of the chapters. Contrary to what Mr. Keeler wrote, there was one good reason why the civic institutions that he mentioned here may not grow; less than four years after this book was published most of them were all gone, and maybe Mr. & Mrs. Hall and Mr. and Mrs. Bird, as well.

A view of the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building from the Bay:

Montgomery Street, looking toward Telegraph Hill, from Market Street: The author jumps on a cable car at the Ferry Building, and rides along Market Street.

Mr. Keeler gets off the cable car at Market, 3^rd, and Kearny Streets, along with, apparently, most of the other passengers. The prominent buildings, from left to right, are the Chronicle Building behind the Fed Ex truck in the modern photo, the Palace Hotel, William Randolph Hearst’s Examiner Building, and the Call Building. The Palace Hotel and the Examiner Building were destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire of 1906 and completely rebuilt, The Chronicle and Call Building survived the disaster. The Ferry Building, back then and under scaffolding right now, is in the background on the left.

The author wanders along Kearny Street. The domed Call Building, seen from Post and Kearny Streets, is in the background. In the late 1930s, the Call Building was remodeled and the dome was removed. It’s behind the Gothic looking Mutual Savings Bank Building, under renovation, that was built after the vintage photo was taken. Maiden Lane is seen behind the TOYS sign in the modern photo, but is also seen in the vintage picture. However, when the earlier picture was taken the alley was called Morton Street. Morton Street used to be a prominent customer area for ladies with questionable income earnings. I’ll give you a hint, the question was usually, “How much?”

The author writes about an electric light show on Market Street that extended from the Ferry Building to the City Hall Building. That City Hall collapsed within seconds after the 1906 Earthquake struck.

The view of Downtown San Francisco at the beginning of the Twentieth Century and nowadays: The Call Building, on the right in the old photo, is the brown and white striped building directly below it in my picture. The author’s “ignorance is bliss” view of earthquakes is both fascinating and poignant.

Charles Keeler takes in Golden Gate Park, as well, including the Japanese Tea Garden and the Moon Bridge.

I’ll close with a contemporary, for the times, map of the Bay at the end of the book, and Charles Keeler’s curtain-call description of San Francisco.

I started this blog on June 15^th 2013 as therapy for a broken heart. I had grown tired of it by September of 2013, and picked it up again in November of 2014. I’ve posted every month, to date, since then. To me, the blog has been an adventure, an education, and detective work that have kept me busy for ten years now. I started out with only posts concerning movies filmed in San Francisco, and transitioned to television shows, books, and eventually any photos or stories concerning vintage San Francisco history. This anniversary post will be with pingback links to movies filmed in San Francisco that I’ve covered; a few of them films that I had never heard of when I started this website.

‘Race Street’ – 1948: I took a lot of these updates on a rainy December night in 2019.

‘Race Street’ – Who were the Dons?

‘Impact’ – 1949: This movie has one of the best film scenes shot in Chinatown.

The Chinatown chase scene in the 1949 movie ‘Impact’

‘No Escape’ – 1953: Far from the greatest movie ever made, but well worth watching for the San Francisco film locations.

‘No Escape’

‘Crossings’ – 1986: I watched them film some of the scenes in this TV Mini Series.

‘Crossings’

‘Hell on Frisco Bay’ – 1956: Ah, East Vallejo Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Eddy G.!

‘Hell on Frisco Bay’

‘Good Neighbor Sam’ – 1964: Another one of those movies I loved when I was a kid.

‘Good Neighbor Sam’; “The movie that dares to use the Lansing Street, Guy Place curve around for a setting!”

‘Noir Sunday’ – Various dates: Sometimes the movie marquee pictures are better than the films.

Noir Sunday (Thumbnail images)

‘My Favorite Brunette’ – 1947: I remember watching the California Street scene on television when I was a teenager, and thinking that it was cool that an old movie had a scene filmed in San Francisco! I learned later that there were others.

‘My Favorite Brunette’ revisited

‘The Lady from Shanghai’ – 1947: The scene where Orson Welles breaks out of the old Hall of Justice Building and crosses Kearny Street to Portsmouth Square started my interest in updating San Francisco film locations.

The Lady from Shanghai

‘Nash Bridges’ – 2021: I’m not particularly a fan of the television show, but this made for TV movie has some cool scenes aboard the World War Two Liberty Ship, the Jeremiah O’Brien, and the Muse Mechanique.

Nash Bridges visits Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf

‘San Francisco Film Noir’ – Various dates: Just name dropping collection of crime films shot in San Francisco.

San Francisco Film Noir

‘Experiment in Terror – 1962: A great movie for crime film and baseball fans.

‘Experiment in Terror’ revisited (For Keith and Janet)

‘A Trip Down Market Street’ – 1906: A cable ride along Market Street from 8^th Street to the Ferry Building just before the 1906 Earthquake and Fire; it doesn’t get any better than this.

‘A Trip Down Market Street’

 

‘Dark Passage’ – 1947: Bogie and Bacall, terrific San Francisco locations, and some of the weirdest scenes from any Humphrey Bogart movie.

‘Dark Passage’

‘I remember Mama’ – 1948: The endearing movie that makes almost everybody miss or want to hug their mom.

‘I Remember Mama’

‘Vertigo’ – 1958: Probably the most popular San Francisco film, made back when stalking was considered romantic.

“Nice guy” stalking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Tuesday morning at 11:00 AM events to commemorate the 150 anniversary of the cable car system kick off at California and Drumm Streets. Mayor London Breed on board the oldest cable car in system, and even Andrew Hallidie himself will be on hand to join in the celebration. Yesterday, I took a ride on the California Street Line from Drumm Street to Van Ness and back to update some vintage photos along the way from the San Francisco Public Library Archives. I got a back seat window track center heading west and a front seat window track center heading east to get the best updates. (Thumbnail images)

Drumm Street at California, the beginning and the end of the journey:

Sansome Street:

 

Kearny Street:

Heading up Nob Hill, past Grant Avenue and Chinatown:

California Street flattens out a bit at the intersection with Powell Street.

Chugging on past the Fairmont Hotel:

 

Reaching the crest of Nob Hill at Mason Street, with the Fairmont Hotel on the left, the Stanford Court and Mark Hopkins Hotels on the right:

Approaching Jones Street, with the Pacific Union Club on the left, and the Huntington Hotel on the right:

Heading down the western side of Nob Hill now, at Hyde Street: See the cable car tracks on the left in the modern picture? Those run from California Street to Washington Street, and aren’t open to the public.

Polk Street:

Van Ness Avenue, again the end of the ride or the beginning of the ride:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These 1970s updates are all from around Embarcadero Plaza, formerly known as Justin Herman Plaza. Most of the vintage pictures are from the San Francisco Public Library Archives. (Thumbnail images)

I headed north on Front Street from California Street to Maritime Plaza. I wanted to try to get a picture of a cable car passing the intersection of California and Front Streets like in the vintage picture, but my main interest was the Harrington’s Bar and Grill sign that was blocked by the crane from the spot in the older photo, so I had to get closer. The road work in both pictures was a nice touch though. Harrington’s closed in 2020 after 85 years in business.

 

Ladies leaving One Maritime Plaza, formerly known as the Alcoa Building: Everything is “formerly known as” around here.

 

The archway to the old Colombo Building at Sydney Walton Square, formerly known as the Produce District: Truck drivers would bring their vegetables and other products to this building, built in 1874, to be sold on the streets in this area. You can get a great look at the building and this district in the 1949 film ‘Thieves Highway’.

 

“The Streets of San Francisco, the television show that dares to use the Vaillancourt Fountain for a backdrop.” Vaillancourt Fountain was considered by many to be one of the ugliest public works in SF when it was completed in 1971, but I’ve always liked it.

The dedication of Vaillancourt Fountain with the Embarcadero Freeway in the background:

Boy, if you think the fountain is ugly from the front, you ought to see it from the back!

A 1970s gathering in Justin Herman Plaza: Poor girl, a simple operation to turn her head around would have given her a whole new outlook on life!

The Washington Street entrance and exit to the Embarcadero Freeway from the street ramp from One Maritime Plaza to Golden Gateway Center and Sydney Walton Square, all formerly known as….. Oh, never mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll finish up my updating of vintage pictures from the 1960s, some of them poor quality, that I found recently on the internet. I’ve been taking advantage of the most overcast May that I can remember. “May Gray”, or is it “May Grey”? Well anyway, gloomy weather can often make for better picture taking; cloudy days don’t throw unwanted shadows on your pictures.(Thumbnail images)

During the first week of May I took the Treasure Island Ferryboat from behind the Ferry Building out to the Island for the ride. This day was a lot sunnier than most of the days in May have been. When I got back to the office, I found a picture of the San Francisco skyline from 1963 that matches up almost perfectly with my 2023 photo here. The two buildings on the right in the old picture and, no longer visible, are the Shell Building and the Russ Building. A dark and sinister looking Ferry Building, wrapped in scaffolding for renovations right now, is at photo center. (opensfhistory.org)

On the 23^rd I took BART to the Mission District, often an interesting experience, and took this update of the old Armory Building, built during World War I to house munitions for the war effort. (Vintage Everyday)

 

This 1960s photo of Mission Dolores makes a reasonable match up with a picture I took of the church awhile back. I don’t know if tour busses still go there in droves anymore since Junipero Serra has been under fire a lot for his treatment of Native Americans. Like Columbus, I also don’t know if the evidence against him is indisputable or not, but every historical figure gets villainized in San Francisco eventually, so enjoy the building for its architectural history. (Vintage Everyday)

On the 25^th I took Muni #1 up to Nob Hill and headed down California Street to Chinatown. The cars and the monstrous Bank of America Building are about the only differences from this view. (Vintage Everyday)

 

I walked down to Old St. Mary’s Church at California Street and Grant Avenue. I’m not sure what the Flag was commemorating then, but it’s possible it may have been on a long-ago Memorial Day. (Vintage Everyday)

 

I like the color scheme of this vintage picture of the Conservatory Building in Golden Gate Park, which is probably known as ‘3D schéma de couleur’.

 

To start out the Memorial Day weekend, I headed back up to the top of Telegraph Hill on Saturday to update this picture of the Columbus Statue in front of Coit Tower, removed in 2020 before vandals tore it down. If you want to get mad about something, get mad about the fact that there is almost no view from here anymore because they won’t cut down the trees blocking the scenery. (Vintage Everyday)

At the bottom of Telegraph Hill, I took the F Line streetcar back along the Embarcadero to Market Street, just in time for the sun to come out. This photo from where California and Drumm Streets come in to Market, although poor quality, shows what looks to be scaffolding around the Ferry Building then, as well; although it may just be a double exposure.

Recently, there was an interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle by John King about various Flatiron Buildings around San Francisco. The three cornered buildings got their name because they resemble a clothes iron face down from above, and the most famous Flatiron is the Fuller Building on 5^th Avenue in New York. The article had me looking back over my posts to see how many of the Flatirons mentioned in Mr. King’s article appear in some of the updates I’ve posted in the past. I’ll include the link to John King’s article at the end of my pictures. (Thumbnail images)

 

First is the Phelan Building at 760 Market Street in an update of a 1910 photo I did in September of 2016. The Phelan Building was built in 1908.

800 Market Street, built in 1908 as well, in an update of a 1942 photo I posted in February of 2022.

548 Market Street in an update I did in August of 2021 of a Minor White photograph. Like the Fuller Building in New York, this one, built in 1913, is called the Flatiron Building too.

 

This one on the corner of Columbus Avenue and Kearny Street wasn’t in John King’s article but it could have been. I couldn’t get a date on when it was built. You can see the old Finocchio’s in the vintage picture.

The last two are of probably the most popular Flatiron in San Francisco, the Sentinel Building, also known as Columbus Tower, opened in 1907. The top photo is from 1910, the bottom one from the early 1960s, is from the Cushman Collection. Below is the link to John King’s article in the Chronicle.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2023/sf-flatiron-buildings/

Well, maybe not out of focus, but the clarity of these vintage pictures from the Sixties could be a little sharper, They’re still interesting to look at though. (Thumbnail images)

The Hyde Street Pier: Love those sun glasses. “We mean no harm to your planet!” (Vintage Everyday)

The cable car turnaround at Bay and Taylor Streets: Cost Plus is gone now, (I loved that store) but the 76 Gas Station is still there. (blogspot.com)

The intersection of Jefferson and Taylor Streets at Fisherman’s Wharf sure has changed now. Parking 75 cents for 4 hours: What a rip off! (Vintage Everyday)

A Hyde Street cable car coming into Aquatic Park passed the old Cannery Building: Cable car tracks were realigned during the 1982 shutdown of the system and now enter and leave Aquatic Park from the corner of Beach and Hyde Streets. (Vintage Everyday)

 

Grant Avenue and Jackson Street: A “bug” following a “bug” in the vintage picture; sounds like all of the viruses that are appearing nowadays.

Looking down Washington Street between Stockton Street and Grant Avenue: The old Hall of Justice Building is in the background of the vintage picture. Also, on the left is the Golden Dragon Restaurant, the location of one of San Francisco’s worst massacres. On September 4^th 1977, gang members stormed into the restaurant and opened fire with automatic weapons and rifles, killing five people and wounding eight others. The shootings stunned San Francisco, and restaurant reservations in Chinatown were cancelled “en masse”. All of the gang members who did the shootings have been released from prison now.

A street preacher at the Powell and Market Street turnaround: No meat, tea or coffee, among other things. How about adding NO STREET FENTANYL OR SMASH AND GRABS nowadays? Even the nuns seem to be getting a kick out of this guy. (Vintage Everyday)

 

In 2020, I was accepted as a member of the Institute for Historical Study. In February of this year, I was proud to be elected as one of its Directors. Yesterday, IHS was part of ‘Open House Day’ at the Merced Branch Library. I’m glad our table was where the New Books are, rather than being under the Yesterday’s Classics sign. (Thumbnail images)

I found a few pictures from the San Francisco Public Library Archives of the inside of the Merced Branch Library before I went, looks like the 1960s. The library has been remodeled considerably since it opened in 1957.

 

This is the opposite view of the previous vintage picture. The girl with the blond hair behind the info counter got a kick out of the old pictures, and helped me get my line ups.

The library is on the corner of Winston Drive and 19^th Avenue, across from the Stonestown Shopping Mall, seen in the vintage picture from the 1950s before the library was built. (opensfhistory.org)

 

This view is looking back across 19^th Avenue to where the library is today from Stonestown in 1953, a year after the shopping center opened. (opensfhistory.org)

 

Looking northeast across 19^th Avenue in 1945 before the Merced Branch Library was built: San Francisco State University is behind where I’m standing. The M Line still runs along here. (opensfhistory.org)