The Midnight Story - Alibi
Then … Malatesta sits with Joe on the wall outside his house (described in the previous post). He has taken to Joe and generously suggests that he move in with his family. He also tells Joe that on the night Father Tomasino was murdered he was playing cards with friends at the Vallejo Social Club.
… and Now, the concrete wall at the end of the Montgomery Street cul-de-sac has been there since the Montgomery Steps were built in 1928.
Then … If Joe can confirm the alibi it would mean Malatesta was innocent and that he could stop agonizing over it. He moves into his house and settles into his job at Malatesta’s waterfront restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf, (previously described here). Below, he hauls a crate of fish along the side of the restaurant (which is just off the picture on the right).
… and Now, Scoma’s replaced that restaurant in 1965; in the matching shot today we see its dining room extension occupying the space of the shed and storage boxes (map).
… and Now, Scoma’s today. The original building was the gabled section at far right.
Then … He also lends a hand with the cooking. The original diner back then was called Andy’s Look Out.
… and Now, that modest space became Scoma’s kitchen.
Joe and Anna’s budding romance blossoms when he takes her to a local dance at the Vallejo Social Club, the same place where Malatesta claimed he played cards on the night of the murder. This building’s exterior style is typical of many in North Beach but CitySleuth cannot find this location, including on the North Beach blocks of Vallejo Street. Either the building has been replaced or it was a studio creation.
Then … At the club Joe talks to the card-playing group and learns that Malatesta had left during the evening of the murder to meet a friend, Charlie Cuneo. Later Joe calls his old precinct sergeant for help in finding Cuneo.
… and Now, the above scene was most likely filmed in a studio using a rear projection to set the location. Below is that location, at Fisherman’s Wharf in front of Pier 45 (map). Comparing Then and Now, the Fisherman’s Grotto building exterior on the left is the same but Alioto’s has since added an upper dining floor.
The same location, with another phone booth, appeared 5 years later in Experiment In Terror by which time the Alioto’s upper dining room had already been added.