Newly married, Joe and Kirsten now have a baby daughter and have upscaled into a fine apartment with an even finer view.
Then ... Joe carries a bag of groceries to the apartment.
... and Now, he is on Pacific Avenue crossing Franklin in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. The house on the corner behind him is the historic Talbot-Dutton house at 1782 Pacific built in 1869. It was also used as a location in the 1968 movie Petulia
Then ... He enters the breezeway of his apartment, 1800 Pacific (map), opposite the Talbot-Dutton house.
... and Now, here it is today after a recent makeover.
Then ... Later in the movie a cab drops him off, drunk, in the breezeway where he picks some flowers as a peace offering for his wife.
... and Now, the large brick planter is gone after being hit by the car of a resident who might have been in a similar state as Joe at the time.
Then ... Joe staggers into the lobby and, feeling no pain, heads for the elevator.
... and Now, the mailboxes in the breezeway have been upgraded in response to unauthorized letter removals over the years.
Then ... The apartment has a clear view to the Golden Gate Bridge. Was this scene filmed in one of 1800 Pacific's apartments? CitySleuth and the building manager think not. The interior, especially the fireplace, is sufficiently different in layout to suggest that a studio set was used with a photo plate for the view.
... the window view now, in addition, the building's view of the bridge, below, though similar to the movie's, does not properly line up with the Marin headlands behind it. The movie photo was taken from a spot further west.
... a better match now , the view below, a closer match to the movie window view, was taken from near the corner of Broadway and Broderick in Pacific Heights.
Joey has persuaded Vera to fund the opening of a new supper club, Chez Joey. They find the perfect place for it in a swanky neighborhood.
Then ... This fine building is the Spreckels Mansion at 2080 Washington Street in Pacific Heights (map); the rear of the building is viewed here from the corner of Jackson and Octavia
.... and Now , there's a huge coiffured hedge around the house and the jutting curved rooms have been extended upwards by an addition.
Then ... the panning camera on a high balcony of the building next door sweeps right to left towards the mansion resulting in this fine panorama. The For Rent sign above can be seen at the bottom of the garden, below.
... and Now, the same panorama today. The house now has a roof garden which may explain the added but odd fire escape wrapping around this side of the building. Lafayette Park is just off to the left of the picture.
Then ... Joey drives Vera's 1957 yellow Ford Thunderbird convertible up a steep block alongside the side of the mansion and turns into Washington. The street is a mess, undergoing resurfacing following removal of the Washington - Jackson cable car tracks after the line was closed down in September 1956.
... and Now, viewed from Lafayette Park, the steep street is Octavia, stretching all the way down to Fort Mason at the edge of the bay.
Then ... As he turns into the driveway we get to see the front of the mansion.
... and Now, the ridiculously high hedge isolates the house not only from the street but from the raised park opposite and prevents San Franciscans from enjoying the fine French Baroque architecture. This same entrance
witnessed a murder in the 1952 movie
The Sniper.
Then ... The proud owner pulls up and watches the new club's livery going up.
Unfortunately, just before opening night, Vera pulls the plug on the financing in a jealous reaction to Joey's increasing interest in Linda. The club is doomed.
Having discovered Lester's and Irene's intention to murder her, Myra plans a pre-emptive strike. She cleverly arranges for them to meet late at night at Irene's apartment (see earlier post), each thinking the other had set up the meeting. Meanwhile Myra awaits their arrival. She has Irene's gun and apparently plans to bump Lester off and pin it on her.
But Myra is overwhelmed by emotion as she waits. Unnerved by a hot brow and cold feet, she can't see it through. She drops the gun and retreats into a closet as Lester arrives.
Then ... Lester sees the gun and a monogrammed handkerchief that Myra had dropped. Recognizing the trap he desperately scours the apartment for her but she manages to slip out. Outside, he spots her running down Hyde Street, wearing the same style white scarf favored by Irene.
... and Now, the same view looking down the entryway of the Tamalpais Building at 1201 Greenwich Street. In the distance Greenwich rises east to Telegraph Hill.
Then ... He rushes past the Tamalpais' entrance and down a flight of steps to Hyde.
Then ... His car is parked at the foot of the steps - a quick U-turn in the convertible and the chase is on.
... and Now, the awnings are gone but those houses across Hyde have changed very little.
Then ... He catches up to her in a downtown area but this isn't San Francisco - it's the corner of Cinnabar and 3rd Street in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles! The director has tried to pull a fast one on us but to no avail, CitySleuth wasn't fooled.
... and Now, today, the wonderful old hilly Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill exists only in the movies. A major civic development in the 1950s and 60s flattened the hill and transformed the area to a stretch of wide, soul-less streets and modern commercial buildings. Cinnabar Street disappeared, becoming a site
(map) now housing a Veolia Energy facility providing heating and cooling to private companies. Would that the departed denizens of Bunker Hill could enjoy such luxury.
At dinner on their first date Joe introduces Kirsten to the seductive charms of a Brandy Alexander. She hasn't drunk alcohol before but tells him he was right - it made her feel good. She doesn't know it yet but she just stepped on the slippery slope.
Then ... Their cab drops them off outside her place.
... and Now, this is Union Street atop Telegraph Hill looking east from Montgomery
(map). The piers of the Embarcadero are at the bottom of the hill and in the distance the Bay Bridge reaches out to Yerba Buena Island. Calhoun Terrace, a two-level cul-de-sac, sweeps around to the right.
Then ... When we get to see inside her apartment later in the movie the view from the window is the clue to its location ...
The exact same view (the part framed in yellow) was seen from Scottie's friend Midge's place in
Vertigo, filmed four years earlier (below) - it's a view west to Russian Hill along the houses facing Union Street. In both cases the apartment was a movie set using a background photo and the directors probably used the same background plate.
... and Now, the same view today.
... in 1970 ... Based on the view, 298 Union Street on the corner of Montgomery was the virtual location of Kirsten's (and Midge's) place. This vintage photo shows how it looked when the movie was filmed. But to get that unimpeded view west the photo for the window view must have been taken from this or a nearby rooftop.
... and Now, the house was rebuilt and expanded in 1974. It was also re-addressed as 296 Union. For more on its use in
Vertigo see
here.
Then ... Another window view, looking east, was seen from Kirsten's place. This looks down to piers on the Embarcadero but it's a view that couldn't be seen from the 296 Union location, further confirming the use of a studio set.
... and Now, the pier bulkhead seen above appears to be Pier 23; this recent photo of it was taken from Montgomery Street at Filbert, a block from 296 Union.
Vera owns a luxury yacht, eponymously named, a gift from her husband. She takes Joey to see it at the marina where it is berthed, West Harbor in the Marina District.
Then ... They drive towards the boat down a narrow roadway projecting out into the water in Vera's 1957 Lincoln Premiere Convertible.
... and Now, the roadway is an extension of Scott Street at the Marina Green
(map). The same houses on Marina Boulevard span left to right in the images above and below but note that the roadway has been truncated - it's shorter now than it was then. This photo was taken from the Golden Gate Yacht Club across the water and Vera's boat was berthed within that stretch of water. The red-roofed building (longer now than it was) alongside the water on the right is the Harbormaster's Office.
Then ... They pull up alongside the boat and we see a view of West Harbor behind it which includes the Golden Gate bridge and the Marina lighthouse, a 1931 structure still there but no longer in use. What's particularly interesting about this image is the skyline in the distance to the left dotted with highrises. Why? ... read on.
... and Now, in the same view today from the Golden Gate Yacht Club the dominant features to the left are the dome of the Palace of Fine Arts and the tree covered skyline of the Presidio. So what's with that fancy distant cityscape seen above? Those sneaky filmmakers created it by use of a matte painting to add interest to the view! (They used the
same trick with Vera's mansion).
Over drinks onboard Joey tells Vera he has ambitions to open a nightclub of his own. If anyone can make it happen it's the wealthy widow Vera - she even suggests a name ... Chez Joey.
