Dark Passage - Madge's Apartment

  It's fascinating to see how the director filmed Madge's apartment house.  CitySleuth deduced that two different buildings on Russian Hill, several blocks apart, were used then seamlessly edited to appear as one.  Studio and location footage were intermixed and one of the scenes incorporated two concurrently running background projections.

  Based on a comment from Baker during their confrontation on the bluff, Parry suspects his jealous ex-girlfriend Madge Rapf (Agnes Morehead), who had testified against him in his wife's murder trial, was his friend George's killer.  He confronts her in her apartment where she flies into a rage and also admits she was the one who killed his wife for taking Parry away from her.  Parry was innocent after all.

Then ...  In her confused state she stumbles against the drape and falls to her death out of the apartment window.  As the stunned Parry watches her fall (below) we see the view from the window.  This was filmed from the penthouse suite of 1090 Chestnut Street, a 1927 co-op building on the corner of Chestnut and Larkin, and used as a backdrop during this studio scene.  The view is to the north - in the distance are Alcatraz and Angel Island and to Parry's right are the Cannery and Pier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf.

... and Now,  CitySleuth was able to gain entry to bring you the identical view from the same penthouse.

Then ...   This footage of the falling Madge was filmed from the roof of 1090 Chestnut.  Directorial artistic license prevails because the window she falls through (above) faces Bay Street to the north but here we see her falling down the west side of the building to Larkin Street.

... and Now,  the view today from the same rooftop vantage point.

  The juxtaposition below matches up the falling body to the west side of 1090 Chestnut.  The screaming witness was leaning out of the lobby window.

         Then ...                                                                  ... and Now

Then ...   Parry, fearful he will be accused of Madge's death, bolts to the roof of the same building, 1090 Chestnut, oblivious of the glorious view east to Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill

... and Now,  the view today, regrettably, is obscured by the ugly 1080 Chestnut, built directly against the side of this building in 1962.  No matter, it seems, that the architectural styles of the two buildings are as different as chalk and cheese.

Then ...  The next shot of Parry starting to climb down the fire escape is very cleverly done, filmed in the studio with a projected background to simulate the location.  The view looks north from the same roof down to Bay Street.  But check out the scene through the escape ladder opening - close inspection reveals that this street and these houses are the same ones as those above them on Bay Street!  In the movie the cars on these streets were moving out of sync, so two concurrently-running projected images from the same footage must have been used for the background.   That's a lot of work for just seconds of action but quite brilliant.

... and Now,  the same view of Bay Street.   Hyde Street crosses on the right.  Most of these houses are just as they were.

Then ...   He continues down the fire escape, but this is a different building, the Tamalpais Building at 1201 Greenwich Street, a few blocks away on the corner of Hyde!

... and Now,  This is the Hyde street side of the Tamalpais. 

Then ...   In this shot we fortuitously get to see both of the buildings used to represent Madge's apartment.  Filmed from across Hyde Street, Parry is climbing down 1201 Greenwich on the left and in the distance on the right is 1390 Chestnut.  What good fortune!  Sausalito and Mount Tamalpais are across the bay - note also that reservoir ...

... and Now,  see what I mean about ugly?  Just look (below) at the newer building glued like an unwanted appendage to the classy 1390 Chestnut.  The Alice Marble tennis courts at George Sterling Park have been built on top of the reservoir, still there and in use, but safely hidden.

Then ...    Finally, Parry jumps down to Hyde Street.  He pauses in the middle of the road before completing his escape on a passing cable car.  The quintessential San Francisco view behind him leads the eye east down Greenwich then up again to Telegraph Hill.

... and Now

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