Then … Teddy’s buddies drive him to link up with Charlotte at a photoshoot on the waterfront. Here they are heading north on Taylor approaching Broadway.
… and Now, take the trees away and you see a totally unchanged street over 40 year later - other than the mailbox on the right, that is.
Then … they make a downhill right turn into a very steep block of Broadway, this junction obviously chosen for the view. At left bright lights illuminate the stretch of Broadway that is North Beach’s red light district. Over to the right the TransAmerica high-rise office pyramid pierces the sky.
… and Now, it’s still a great view but even better at night.
Then … they drop him off at the corner of Market and Steuart in front of the Ferry Building (map). Market Street runs straight as an arrow as far the eye can see.
… and Now … note the streetcar tracks, not there in 1984, above. Market Street used to have as many as 4 sets of tracks beginning in 1906 until they were removed when the underground Muni Metro service began in the early 1980s. The tracks seen here today were installed for an historic streetcar service from the Castro to Fisherman's Wharf in 1995.
Here are two of the wonderful vintage streetcars on Market Street at the 1995 opening of the F Market service. They continue to invoke nostalgic delight today.
Then … Charlotte’s photoshoot is set up on the Embarcadero Plaza (formerly named Justin Herman Plaza) between the Ferry Building and the Embarcadero Center seen in the background. Note the giant illuminated tulip flower sculpture up top.
… and Now … a temporary padel racquet court currently occupies the space on the plaza where Charlotte’s photoshoot took place. The concrete tulip sculpture, by neofuturistic architect John Calvin Portman Jr., is still there.
Then … Teddy is expected - he is ushered in by a crew member whose hat shamelessly advertises the Hollywood company, Mole-Richardson, who provided the lighting for the shoot. Note the clock face behind Charlotte, brought in close by the telephoto lens.
… and Now … the clock, looking back across the plaza, is that on the Ferry Building tower.
In the early morning light the shoot is over and Charlotte’s limo whisks them back to her apartment. Hmmm. (Heading down Market Street they have just passed the same spot where Teddy was dropped off, three ‘Then’ images above).
Then … Armed with Stevenson’s address Herbert exits the chartered Bank of London at 465 California Street; he watches a woman hailing a cab then mimics her. The large building facing us at the end of California is the 1917 Southern Pacific Building at One Embarcadero.
… and Now, in today’s view the e-biker deliverymen arrayed outside a takeout restaurant out of the frame next to the bank is a common sight today across the city.
Then … The cabbie, asked to drive as fast as possible, complies by roaring through the city streets at breakneck speed. Here he crests California Street at Powell (incidentally, four blocks down the hill he will pass the bank where he picked up Herbert). Note the quaint signal booth on the corner at far right.
… and Now, it’s still there today. This junction is the only place where two cable car lines cross; the manned booth controls each passing car while the gripman drops the underground cable in order to coast over the one that crosses.
… in 1968 … the booth and the crossing cable car lines were filmed from above in the movie Petulia.
In 1935 the booth was knocked over by a reckless driver; It came to rest a short way down the hill in front of the Alta Casa Apartments entrance at 897 California, the corner building seen above (a newer building has since replaced the Alta Casa).
Then … They barrel down California, here approaching Grant Avenue (there’s the Southern Pacific Building again where California ends, with the Bay Bridge visible beyond). Chinatown’s iconic pagoda-styled Sing Fat building on the right and Sing Chong building on the left at Grant were built shortly after the 1906 earthquake in a style meant to look classically oriental to occidental eyes.
… and Now, this view hasn’t changed but ownership of the building at far right has - it’s now the Ritz-Carlton Hotel whereas when the movie was filmed, above, it was the home of Cogswell College.
Then … the cab reaches the end of California at the cable car terminus. Unlike the Powell Street Lines there is no turntable here because the California Line cable cars are double-ended.
… and Now, today’s tourists waiting to board the cars outnumber those in the 1970s.
Then … The cab arrives at the Hyatt Regency California Street entrance.
… and Now, that entrance is still used by those on foot but guests arriving by car are now dropped off around the corner on Drumm Street in the covered porte-cochère seen on the left. Note how it has been opened up by removing some of its original concrete posts.
Then … Our first view of the inside is the spectacular atrium enclosed within the balconies surrounding the hotel’s 17 stories. Opened in 1973 the brutalist-styled hotel immediately made an impact. The centerpiece sculpture, Eclipse, is by Charles O. Perry and behind it are pod-shaped glassed elevators that treat guests to breathtaking views.
… and Now, the floor layout has changed over time but the sculpture and the elevators have not.
Then … Herbert gazes up in awe as he enters the atrium from street level. (That’s one of the elevators on the right next to the escalator).
… and Now, this is the only escalator serving the atrium - here it is now.
Stevenson can’t believe that Herbert has tracked him down through time.
Then … While driving with Teddy through town Buddy offers to be his chauffeur if he finally gets a date with Charlotte. They are driving east along Bush Street on the south edge of Chinatown; ahead, Stockton crosses and the concrete Stockton-Sutter Garage is seen on the right. On the left is the Victoria Hotel at 590 Bush and the Bush Garden Japanese restaurant at 580 Bush.
… and Now, the unsightly, bordering on the ugly, garage structure is still there.
Then … True to his word, he does exactly that in a fancy limo but first he makes a detour so Teddy can quickly drop off a gift at his grandmother’s place since he’s been told that she’s there alone on her birthday.
… and Now, once again Los Angeles was chosen for this scene - it was filmed at the Sheraton-Town House Hotel at 639 S. Commonwealth Avenue and Wilshire Blvd in the Westlake district. The hotel closed in 1993 and now operates as low income housing, its awning not nearly as swanky as it used to be. Note too the added metal security fencing.
They take the elevator up to the 8th floor and make their way to Room 801 at the end of the corridor. CitySleuth thinks this was filmed in the Sheraton hotel but has yet to confirm it.
But … “Surprise!!” … his whole family were waiting there to sing Happy Birthday to him - they had tricked him into thinking it was also grandmother’s birthday when in fact it was just his. In the nick of time Buddy arrives to introduce Charlotte to everybody as his friend, saving Teddy from a disastrous exposé and embarrassment.
Here’s a fine overview photo of the late Beaux-Arts style hotel building taken in 2008.
Buddy and Charlotte make a quick exit - so much for Teddy’s date. At evening’s end the family leaves via the lobby; note the room key slots behind the receptionist - this was the Sheraton’s reception lobby.
Then … Teddy’s buddies are waiting outside when they leave, creating a loud commotion. Apparently Joey’s wife has left again and he’s going berserk; it takes all of them to bundle him into the car. But it’s a ruse to get Teddy to come with them … Charlotte wants him to join her. (Watch out for the continuity goof in this scene as Didi disappears and reappears across the street between cuts).
… and Now, this recent photo from the same angle shows a wider view of the repurposed building.
Herbet is at his wit’s end after visiting bank after bank (15, no less) in the Financial District in an unsuccessful search for Stevenson. But suddenly across the street he spots something that warms the cockles of his heart and snaps him to attention (click the image to see his reaction - there’s more to acting than saying lines).
Then … The sight of the Chartered Bank Of London nostalgically adorned with the Union Jack gives him hope that surely Stevenson had been there. It occupied the first floor of the Merchants Exchange Building at 465 California Street.
Then … Herbert cheerily doffs his cap as he walks through the entrance lobby.
… and Now, there’s little change here; the lobby has retained its marbled grandeur but the center doorway ahead has a little more glass and all three doors have newer handles.
Then … The doors open into the bank hall. Herbert meets Amy Robbins (Mary Steenburgen), the bank’s Foreign Currency manager. He is very interested to encounter a woman in that position; she is very interested in him, period. Note the mural to the left on the back wall…
… and Now, that mural, depicting a merchant ship in rough seas, is still there, one of five in the room that were commissioned by young architect Julia Morgan who helped redesign the space after significant earthquake damage in 1906. The hall is now empty, used by the Clint Reilly Organization as a high-end social and entertainment space; they own the Merchant’s Exchange Building and are headquartered there.
For Amy, it’s love at first sight. Perhaps because of this she doesn’t hesitate telling him that Stevenson was indeed there and that she had recommended the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Drumm Street to him as a place to stay. She also gives Herbert her card and offers to show him around town. (As an aside, the real H.G. Wells wrote about Women’s Lib; now he’s experiencing it first hand). Herbert leaves, happy to have hit the jackpot twice. (That’s a photo of Queen Elizabeth on the right).
