Reel SF

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

Woman On The Run (1950)

The Movie

   Woman On The Run, directed by Norman Foster, is a well-paced thriller featuring a host of San Francisco locations plus two in Southern California for good measure.  It was released in 1950, the most prolific year for movies of the film noir genre.  Ann Sheridan stars and makes the most of her many acerbic, wise-cracking putdown lines.  She is ably supported by a first-rate cast, including, for a change, an homme fatale.

    The opening scene in the movie was filmed in Los Angeles and the closing scene in Santa Monica; between them all the rest, the bulk of the movie, were filmed in San Francisco.

The Story

    While out walking his dog Frank Johnson (Ross Elliot) witnesses a man being shot.  The killer sees Frank and tries but fails to shoot him too.  Frank flees the scene and goes into hiding fearing that he is a marked man.  His wife Eleanor's (Ann Sheridan) reluctant help is sought by the police to find him.  Instead, she teams up with tabloid journalist Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe) who is willing to pay well for his story, but the journalist's motive isn't quite what it seems ...

    (You can watch a good quality print of the movie here)

The Locations -

  1. Opening Credits The view from the Top O' The Mark, Mark Hopkins Hotel, One Nob Hill

  2. The Opening Location Hill Street Tunnel, Hill Street at 1st Street, Bunker Hill, Los Angeles

  3. Witness to a Murder 138 North Hill Street above the tunnel, Bunker Hill, Los Angeles

  4. Investigation View of Bunker Hill Central Police Station and South Hill Street, Los Angeles

  5. Eleanor's Apartment 5 implied locations: Top O' The Mark, Mark Hopkins Hotel--- 819 Mason Street--- South Hill Street, Los Angeles--- Clay Street near Jones--- 1801 Laguna Street

  6. Doctor's Office Alta Casa Building, 897 California at Powell

  7. Tailing Eleanor, California at Powell --- Powell between California and Pine--- Montgomery between Vallejo and Green --- Market Street by the Emporium

  8. Hart & Winston The Emporium, 845 Market between 4th and 5th

  9. Cab Ride 1 Stockton/Ellis/Market Street junction --- Union Square at Maiden Lane--- Northwest corner of Portsmouth Square

  10. Lancey's Waffle Shop Pacific Building, 817 Market Street at 4th

  11. Searching For Frank - 1 Fisherman's Wharf--- Pioneer Park--- City Hall--- St. Mary's Square

  12. Oriental Roof Gardens and Sullivan's Grotto 776 Commercial Street --- Commercial Street side entrance of Eastern Bakery at 720 Grant Avenue

  13. Searching For Frank - 2 (The Navy Stores) 110 S. Embarcadero--- 506 Market Street--- 124 S. Embarcadero--- Jackson Street at the Embarcadero

  14. Searching For Frank - 3 The Embarcadero near pier 24--- Pier 43--- The Embarcadero near Harrison--- Pier 45 Shed A--- Pier 41 1/2-- Fisherman's Wharf Marina--- Al Scoma Way

  15. Washington Square Park, Volunteer Fire Dept. Memorial, Columbus Avenue, Washington Square in North Beach

  16. Cab Ride 2 Union Street at Montgomery

  17. Coroner's Office 650 Merchant Street in the Old Hall Of Justice Building, Portsmouth Square, Chinatown

  18. Amusement Park Ocean Park Pier, Santa Monica

  19. Laffing Sal Has The Last Laugh Ocean Park Pier, Santa Monica

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