Reel SF

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

The House Across The Bay - Bittersweet Revenge

    Once Slant finally realizes that Brenda won't string along with him he carries out his threat and tells Larwitt that it was she who tipped off the IRS and caused his arrest.  Driven by  a fit of vengeful rage Larwitt escapes from the penitentiary and tracks her down.  Just in time, Tim Nolan intercedes and explains the real truth - Brenda has stuck by her husband all along and it was Slant's deliberately botched defense that sent him to prison.

 

    Now Larwitt directs his fury towards Slant, catching up with him at his hotel.  Slant's expression speaks volumes - he knows his number is up.  Sure enough, a couple of bullets seal his fate.

 

    Larwitt has no intention of serving out the rest of his life in prison.  He arranges to meet Brenda at Union Square then returns to the bay where the police are still out in boats searching for him following the breakout.  Purposefully, he swims towards them  - two more bullets are fired, this time sealing his fate.  Still waiting for him, Brenda hears the news from the cries of a passing street vendor.

 

Then ...  She decides to leave San Francisco and we see her taking off in an American Airlines Flagship Skysleeper DC-3.  But this isn't San Francisco, it's Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, one of Southern California's two busiest commercial airports at that time (Burbank being the other).

... a vintage photo ...  CitySleuth was able to identify the airport from this contemporaneous photo taken at Grand Central Air Terminal of another Skysleeper, the Flagship New York, showing the same mountain range in the background.

... and Now,  the airport, long since shut down, has become a business park. (The 1929 terminal building has survived however; it is owned by the Disney Corporation).  The runway became Grand Central Avenue, in Glendale (map) - this recent photo was taken from there, looking southwest down Grandview Avenue to the same skyline.

 

Then ...  Brenda glimpses Alcatraz from the air and we can only begin to imagine what conflicting thoughts must be running through her mind.

... and Now,  it's no longer a prison but the extant buildings are an imposing reminder of its grim past.

 

    In true Hollywood "All's Well That Ends Well' fashion who should be sitting right behind her but the determined Tim Nolan.  When she rests her hand on his the movie fades out to our collective nods of approval.  Awwwhh!

 

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