Dirty Harry - Showdown At The Quarry
Then … Scorpio takes over the wheel of the school bus, veering sharply from side to side on East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in an attempt to dislodge Callahan. The railroad trestle from which Callahan jumped onto the bus crosses behind them near the highway flyover.
… and Now, the removal of the trestle (described in more detail in the previous post) cleared the way for the road to be widened and for the newer bicycle/pedestrian bridge seen here to be built. Mount Tamalpais punctuates the skyline in both images.
Then … Right ahead is Larkspur’s Hutchinson Co. crushed rock quarry. Callahan’s dangling head and gun drives Scorpio nuts; he continues the violent swerving. (Note the small cottage at far right - more on that in the next post).
… and Now, the quarry site was cleared and redeveloped in the mid-to-late 1970s, becoming the Marin Country Mart shopping center, a hotel, offices, apartments and the Larkspur Landing Ferry Terminal. The matching view below on East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard looks towards the shopping center. Note the same electric pylon on the horizon in the center of both images.
The bus slides to a halt in a cloud of dust in front of the giant dilapidated Hutchinson building; Scorpio leaps out and runs off, pursued by Callahan.
… in 1972 … This photo of the building with its warped curvilinear roof was taken a year after Dirty Harry was filmed there.
… and Now, the red outline shows where that building used to be within today’s Marin Country Mart. For a frame of reference, the Farmer’s Market roadside banner in the foreground is the same one as in the ‘and Now’ aerial photo three images above.
The adversaries trade bullets during a hectic chase through the quarry buildings and conveyors.
When Scorpio spots a young boy fishing on a platform at the water-filled quarry pit out back he grabs him, maniacally screaming at Callahan to drop his gun. More than any other this frame captures the amazing job Andy Robinson did inhabiting the role. Rage personified.
Callahan faces Scorpio for the final showdown. He’s in a quandary … now what?
Then … He slowly lowers his gun, then … BANG!! … he lets fly a shot inches from the boy’s head, hitting Scorpio in the shoulder, allowing the boy to escape. What else would we expect from Dirty Harry?
… and Now, the Serenity At Larkspur (previously called Larkspur Shores) apartment complex covers this site today. Were Dirty Harry to fast forward on that same spot this is what he would see.
… and Now, the arrow shows where the final showdown took place. A small ornamental lake is the only reminder of the water-filled gravel pit that preceded it.
CitySleuth zeroed in on where the building and the showdown platform used to be by overlaying a 1968 aerial photo on a map of the area today. (Click or tap the image to toggle between them). (You can also clearly see the railroad trestle crossing East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in the 1968 image, at bottom left).
When Scorpio reaches for his gun Callahan, for the second time in the movie, delivers his iconic ‘Well, do you, punk?...’ monologue. (The first time the punk didn’t feel lucky. He made the wrong decision).
This time the punk did feel lucky. He made the wrong decision.
Having finally got his man, Callahan calls it quits - he hurls his inspector’s badge into the water and walks away. As the end credits begin to roll a reverse view of the quarry complex shows Highway 101 in the background with the platform where Scorpio met his demise in the center foreground.