Dirty Harry - School Bus Hijack (continued)
Then … The bus carrying Scorpio and the kidnapped schoolchildren is seen at top right driving west along John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park past a small herd of bison, a species native to North America.
… and Now, this is the park’s 11-acre bison paddock; it’s been there since 1899 (map). The bison were introduced to the park in order to help save the species which at that time had been hunted close to extinction from an estimated 60 million in the wild when the European colonists first arrived. CitySleuth stopped by recently to take this matching photo from near the same spot.
Then … The bus next crosses the Golden Gate Bridge heading north to Marin County. The view looks back past the south tower towards San Francisco.
… and Now, from a macro perspective the bridge looks the same but a closer look below reveals added safety railings along the pedestrian walkways on either side and a center barrier that is moveable to accommodate the diurnal change in rush hour traffic flow.
Then … They are now in Marin County; the bridge is behind them as they climb the Waldo Grade on US highway 101 , about to enter the Waldo tunnel.
… and Now, a convenient little turnout area was the perfect spot for both the filmmakers’ and CitySleuth’s camera (map).
Then … The camera tracks the bus as it heads into the tunnel. The Waldo tunnel opened in 1937 as a single-bore (the one on the left); the second bore, completed in 1954, enabled one-way traffic in each direction. The archways were rainbow-painted in 1970, prompting an alternative name: Rainbow Tunnel.
… and Now, the tunnel was renamed in 2016 in memory of beloved Marin County comedian and actor Robin Williams following his tragic suicide.
… in 1947 … on a trivia note, here’s Lauren Bacall driving her Woodie wagon out of the original two-way bore in one of CitySleuth’s favorite SF movies: Dark Passage.
Then … Scorpio orders the bus driver to take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd Larkspur exit. The exit sign is outside the Larkspur city limit, marked by the next sign just ahead.
… and Now, what appears to be the same sign is still there but it’s now inside today’s city limit sign. One or both have been moved from where they were when the movie was filmed. A comparison of the background hills Then and Now reflects California’s seasonal brown/green change.
Then … As the bus exits, Scorpio’s jaw drops; he spots Callahan standing on a railroad trestle spanning Sir Francis Drake Blvd at the highway exit.
Boy, that Eastwood pose on the trestle sure looks familiar - remember him 6 years earlier in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly? Don’t mess with these guys, O.K.?
… and Now, the trestle, built in 1884 by the Northwest Pacific Railroad, is no longer there - it was removed in 2003 after being damaged by a passing tractor-trailer. More recently (2015) a bicycle/pedestrian bridge has been built alongside where the trestle used to be (the arrow points to extant trestle remains).
Then … Callahan gets set as the bus approaches …
… and Now, viewed from the same vantage point there’s now an unobstructed view of the 101 highway flyovers in the absence of the trestle bridge.
When he makes a daring leap onto the roof of the passing bus we fear for the schoolchildren, realizing the showdown must come…