San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now

Well, they’re soon to change the Bay Bridge to the ‘Willie Brown’ Bridge, and, maybe, this will, one day, be called to the ‘Ray Harryhausen’ Bridge. Incidentally, the special effects artist that created great 1950’s monsters like this one from ‘It Came From Beneath the Sea’ just died earlier this year. Click on the link here for a colorized clip of this scene.

Pretty Lee Remick parks at Fisherman’s Wharf to await instructions on where to deliver ransom money to free her kidnapped sister, Stephanie Powers in ‘Experiment in Terror’.. She’s told by kidnapper Ross Martin to attend a Giants – Dodgers baseball game at Candlestick Park. where the film ends in a climactic shootout with Martin being shot dead on the pitcher’s mound. Candlestick closes at the end of the 49ers football season this year, and like Lee Remick, will also be just a pretty memory to me now.

Nick and Nora Charles driving to the front of their hilltop home, (which was never shown because it’s Coit Tower) in ‘After the Thin Man’ (1936). This is the parking lot of the tower, and a statue of Columbus now occupies the turnaround in the middle. The urn balustrade from the film shot was considered unsightly, and was eventually removed.

After circling the parking lot, Nick and Nora’s chauffeured car stops at, presumably, the front of their home. The bottom of the staircase that leads to Coit Tower is on the left in both pictures.

Lotta’s erection! Built in 1875, an extension had been added to the famous Lotta’s Fountain at Kearny and Market by the time of this scene from ‘Mr Wong in Chinatown’ (1939). Boris Karloff playing the Chinese detective was about as convincing as Jackie Chan playing Sherlock Holmes, and the series did poorly. The fountain was restored to it’s initial height, and moved back to it’s original location in 1999.

“Blackie” Norton (Clark Gable) watches Downtown San Francisco burning in the 1936 film ‘San Francisco’. Don’t worry Clark, they’ll fix it up again.

“Maybe, I’ll live long enough to forget her.” So laments Orson Welles as he leaves a dying Rita Hayworth in the Playland-at-the-Beach Funhouse, and heads toward Ocean Beach in ‘The Lady From Shanghai’ (1948)

Barbara Lawrence gazes back at the Ferry Building with the Southern Pacific Building behind her in ‘Thieves Highway’ (1949).

That’s the Montgomery St. BART Station entrance under construction from the 1971 film ‘The Organization’ with Sidney Poitier. The Crown Zellerbach Building can be seen in the background of both shots.

Valentina Cortese lovingly greets her pretend son across her back yard in ‘House on Telegraph Hill’ (1951). As with ‘After the Thin Man’, the filmmakers have used Coit Tower’s Pioneer Park for the setting.

Here, Harold chases Maude down steps left behind from the ruins of Sutro’s Baths in ‘Harold & Maude’ (1972). Although the steps are still there, they are closed off to the public for safety reasons.