Then … Doctor Talbot lived in an upscale neighborhood with splendid views of the nearby Golden Gate Bridge. This is Seacliff at the northwest corner of San Francisco. The movie doesn’t make clear which specific house is his but the center one facing us below is 55 25th Avenue; above it Baker Beach stretches towards the bridge alongside the Golden Gate strait that separates San Francisco and the Marin headlands.
… and Now, 80 years later mature trees line the street but the houses are mostly unchanged.
Then … he never tires of admiring his view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The interior house scenes were filmed on a sound stage at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California; for this shot a rear projection was used to set the location.
… and Now, here’s that view today, taken at Baker Beach a short walk from the Seacliff homes.
Talbot and his family live a privileged life including the services of a maid. They don’t know it yet but their world will soon be turned upside down.
Then … The next morning he heads to work down Jones Street in Nob Hill behind the wheel of a swanky Buick Super Eight sedan. The store on the corner is the Sutter-Jones Pharmacy at 798 Sutter Street.
… and Now, The buildings along this block of Jones haven’t changed since the movie was filmed. The corner store is now a church providing a meeting place and religious services for Christian Scientists.
Here’s a recently-for-sale vintage 1941 Buick Eight Sedan, an elegant automobile most fitting for a successful professional like Doctor Talbot. Compare it to his in the Then images above and below, the only difference being the cool art deco flares at each end of the bumpers, absent on the movie car.
Then … He turns into Sutter Street, pulling over in front of his clinic. A much larger high-rise medical building can be seen way down Sutter on the left side - the 1929 art deco beauty at 450 Sutter.
… and Now, the Marriot Hotel was built next to it in 1972 and partially blocks 450 Sutter from here but the rear section can still be seen. It continues to be a prime address for medical, surgical and dental professionals.
Then … He enters the building housing his clinic.
… and Now, this is the Belgravia Apartments at 795 Sutter on the corner of Jones - in the real world there was no clinic here. (The next time the street cleaners pass by they would do well to clean their sign).
Here’s a 2023 photo of the Belgravia in all its stately grandeur.
Then … In the clinic Talbot examines Walter Bailey, a patient with a heart condition who later will figure prominently in the doctor’s unraveling.
Then … As Stevenson flees down the street from the Embarcadero Center he runs into the path of an oncoming car. The yellowish building diagonally across the junction is the Eastman Kodak Company Building built in 1913.
… and Now, this is the junction of Battery Street (crossing) and Sacramento Street, facing west. The Eastman Kodak Company Building has since been demolished, replaced in 1989 by the Embarcadero West office high rise seen below.
Here’s a 1913 photograph of the just-built Eastman Kodak Company Building at 241 Battery Street, between Halleck Alley on the left and Sacramento Street on the right, unchanged when the movie was filmed. The building’s styling along Halleck was duplicated on the Sacramento side, as seen in the Then image above.
Then … the car strikes him, shocking the crowd of pedestrians. Note the building across Battery with the massive concrete wall in front of it …
… and Now, … that was the rear of the historic 1924 Federal Reserve Bank building (it’s front entrance is at 400 Sansome Street), fortified to facilitate safe transfer of gold and currency. In 1983 the Fed bank moved elsewhere but this building remained; today it’s called the Bently Reserve, address 301 Battery, its interior remodeled into private offices and an event space. In the mid-80s the massive wall was removed and the pillars seen below were built. They mirror the marble originals at the 400 Sansome entrance but are of look-alike faux construction.
Here’s a 1964 photo of the Federal Reserve Bank looking across Battery Street that shows the security wall seen in the Then image above.
Then … Stevenson, injured but conscious, was transported to the hospital emergency room in Building 9 at 2550 23rd Street, part of the San Francisco General Hospital complex in the Potrero district.
… and Now, … the Emergency Room at SF General has since been moved to a different location; Building 9 now houses various medical offices. Note that since it is no longer necessary to accommodate incoming patients on gurneys, the approach ramp has been replaced by steps.
This current SF General campus map shows Building 9 on 23rd Street facing Utah (arrowed) and the new location of the Emergency Room
Inside, he is stunned when a nurse tells him that an accident victim brought in under a ‘John Doe’ had died just 20 minutes earlier.
Then … Following the movie’s opening titles a camera mounted on the roof of the 9 story Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill slowly pans across the city, creating this fine establishing panorama looking out to the Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island. On the left Telegraph Hill rises towards Coit Tower (it’s just outside the frame); in the center are the Appraisers building with the old Hall of Justice in front of it, and the Russ Building - the city’s tallest back then - is at far right.
… and Now, the identical panorama taken from the same rooftop spot today would have most of the left half blocked by the 29 story Fairmont Tower added in 1961-62 but this 23rd floor view from that Tower is a good substitute. Much of Telegraph Hill over to the left is unchanged but the Financial District straight ahead is completely transformed.
Then … The Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island are again seen in the background as the Southern Pacific Railroads’ ferryboat Berkeley (it linked San Francisco with the Oakland Pier trains across the Bay) approaches the Ferry Building. On board is a defendant being brought back to face trial for murder. Long since retired from service, this historic steam ferry today resides as the centerpiece display at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
… and Now, there are now a smaller number of piers serving the Ferry Building and today’s ferryboats are faster and have much lower emissions than the old coal-fired steam ferries like the Berkeley.
The Ferry Building is flanked by Piers 1 and 14 - there used to be 10 smaller piers between them, pictured below in this 1938 image. There are now less, they have been reconfigured and Pier 14 is now a skinny version of its former self. (Click or tap the image to toggle between Then and Now).
The ferry passengers exit through the Ferry Building, here walking down from the second level to the gangway. At the front the defendant, escorted by a police guard, keeps his head down and face covered. This part of the building is completely changed, it’s now office space.
A group of reporters bombard him with questions as he passes through a waiting room. According to The IMdB Pro website the SF Chronicle’s beloved Herb Caen (he would have been 30 at the time) was one of them, if so he may have been the hatless one behind the suspect.
Here’s a photo of the young Herb Caen. Is that him in the movie shot above?
Then … Outside the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero the reporters continue to hound him until he is bundled into a waiting police car. Recognizable structures from left to right are: the Appraisers Building (even more visible in the opening panorama at the top of the post), the Ferry Station Post Office on Merchant Street, Coit Tower and the Wellman’s Coffee building.
… and Now, the Embarcadero is much changed today; the buildings lining the street above have been replaced by the Embarcadero Plaza, Sue Berman Park and the Bay Club Gateway Tennis and Swim complex (clearly shown in the Then and Now aerial above). Coit Tower is still there but partially blocked by the double-globe lamppost in the center. The office high-rise at far left is Four Embarcadero Center.
Then … The police car arrives at the imposing Hall of Justice at 750 Kearny Street where Chinatown meets the Financial District.
… and Now, The Hall of Justice moved from here to new headquarters on Bryant Street in 1960. A decade later a hotel - the Holiday Inn Hotel Downtown - was built on this site. In 2005 it was taken over by the Hilton chain, refurbished and renamed the Hilton San Francisco Financial District. Here it is today, including the so-called ‘Footbridge to Nowhere’ which spans Kearny Street to Portsmouth Square but is never used. (There are plans afoot to remove it).
The defendant is accused of murdering Richard Talbot, a respected San Francisco doctor. The defending attorney tries without success to get him to talk about it, telling him that without knowing what happened he cannot mount a defense and a guilty verdict will be certain.
The chase scenes were filmed throughout the Promenade and Lobby levels of One, Two and Three Embarcadero Center at the north end of the Financial District. In addition to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, aka Five Embarcadero Center, the office complex now includes Four Embarcadero Center and Embarcadero West, both of which were yet to be built when the movie was filmed.
Then … Having temporarily lost sight of Stevenson, Herbert is seen here climbing from the Street level to the Lobby level up the circular staircase on the west side of the Davis Street footbridge.
… and Now, the same view from the highest (Promenade) level gives us a wider perspective of the impressive staircase. Each step is now edged with a dark safety strip.
Then … Stevenson is next seen on the Promenade level of One Embarcadero Center. Left of center in the upper photo are the steps to the footbridge that spans Front Street and at far left the tall cylindrical sculpture described in the previous post is partially visible. When, alongside the sculpture, he looks down he sees Herbert outside the Design Research store on the Lobby level.
… and Now, a Landmark Theatre complex has since been built here; it wraps around the opening to the Lobby level seen above. The sculpture, on the left, rises through it and the footbridge steps referenced in the Then image above are at far right. The office building off to the left is One Maritime Plaza (originally the Alcoa Building) and Two Embarcadero Center is in the background. The Theatre closed in 2022 after 26 years of operation; now shuttered, it denied CitySleuth access to match the movie views above.
Then … From the lobby level Herbert looks up and spots Stevenson.
… and Now, today’s view shows the Landmark Theatre’s structure on the Promenade level.
This next shot is a cut back to the One Embarcadero Promenade level where Stevenson was seen two Then images above. The Front Street footbridge steps are behind him; the angular Hyatt Regency is visible in the distance.
Herbert continues to look around. The blurred background makes this location difficult to I.D.
Then … The chase continues across the one-above-the-other footbridge that spans Front Street between One Embarcadero Center on the right and Two Embarcadero Center on the left. This shot, taken from the Maritime Plaza, looks south across Clay Street down Front Street.
… and Now, trees along Clay Street now block the same view from the Maritime Plaza level. In this view from street level the brown building on the left built in 2001 now obscures the building that still houses the historic Schroeder’s German Restaurant which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2023. On the right-hand side of Front, both Then and Now, if you look closely you’ll see the neon sign of the historic Harrington’s Bar and Grill.
Then … In this great shot we see them each on one of the two bridges crossing Clay Street from Embarcadero Centers One and Two to the Maritime Plaza on the left. Note the tall cylindrical sculpture seen earlier during the chase.
… and Now, the sculpture, still there, protrudes through the since added Landmark Theater structure. On the left both Then and Now is the Alcoa Building, aka One Maritime Plaza, with its aluminum cladded exterior.
Then … Here’s Stevenson on the furthermost bridge approaching the Plaza. the Two Embarcadero Center Promenade level exit is behind him
… and Now, Note in today’s matching shot the arched tunnel leading out of the Center’s exit (see it above also). This is a rare survivor of the many such building exit tunnels throughout the Center that have been removed over the years during renovation upgrades; one of the now-gone tunnels is seen in the second Then image in this post.
Then … Herbert is on the One Embarcadero Center’s Promenade level bridge racing back to the Plaza after spotting Stevenson heading over there. Once again we see the cylindrical sculpture behind him and there’s a second Design Research store on the left.
… and Now, the same view now, the main change being the previously described Embarcadero Landmark Theatre.
Then … He pauses, looking down a set of stairs leading from the Plaza down to street level. Behind him are the Alcoa Building and One Embarcadero Center.
… and Now, apart from the electrical conduit pipe on the wall, exactly the same.
The stairs lead down to Washington Street.
