The Midnight Story - Colpo Di Fulmine
Then … Malatesta drives Joe to his home at the end of a cul-de-sac in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood.
… and Now, This is the section of Montgomery Street that is punctuated by the Montgomery Steps (map), a drastic but effective solution to what would otherwise have been a dangerously steep block. Comparing Then and Now, Telegraph Hill has remained relatively unscathed compared to the Financial District straight ahead.
Then … Malatesta’s house is at 1227 Montgomery at the top of the Montgomery Steps.
… in 1951 … here’s another look at the house, in the background 6 years earlier in a scene from The House On Telegraph Hill.
… and Now, the home has since gained a garage in front plus an added third story. (On a trivia note, the same house was extensively featured inside and out as Donald Sutherland’s character’s place in the 1978 movie Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: see it here).
Then … They enter the property through a side gate at the top of the steps.
… and Now, the front of 1227 Montgomery has since been enclosed, replacing the gate with a more substantial entrance.
Tony Curtis was captured in this candid shot at the top of the steps during a relaxing cigarette break during the shooting of this scene.
Incidentally, the 1952 movie The Sniper showed a victim, viewed here from the lower level, being stalked down the Montgomery Steps.
Inside the home Malatesta introduces Joe to his cousin Anna (Marisa Pavan). She abruptly stops mid-sentence and it’s clear from her expression that she’s been hit by what Italians call Colpo Di Fulmine, ‘The Thunderbolt’, aka love at first sight. (Hmm, it’s also clear that the Production Code censors overlooked the no-bra look).
Then … The interior scenes in the Malatesta home were filmed on a studio set but for this garden shot a photo backdrop showing San Francisco Bay in the distance off to the left was included to imply its location.
… a vintage photo … but that photo wasn’t taken from 1227 Montgomery … instead, it’s from the Mark Hopkins Hotel in Nob Hill. Here’s the same view in a 1961 photograph, this one taken from the Top O’ The Mark whereas parallax differences indicate that that the movie photo was taken from a lower level in the hotel. The dominant white building is the U.S. Appraisers building at 630 Sansome Street and above that are Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island and the cities and hills of the East Bay. (Image by Getty Images)
… and Now, this recent photo taken from the Top O’ The Mark again shows just how much the Financial District has grown over the last half century. The U.S. Appraisers building is still there, hidden by the newer buildings. (Image by Carol M. Highsmith)