Archie takes his boys out for a day trip, starting with a ferry ride to Alcatraz.
Then ... They are at the ferry terminal at Pier 43 1/2 near Fisherman's Wharf where Archie's two sons pester him while he makes a quick call to Petulia.
... and Now, the ferry to Alcatraz still leaves from here. CitySleuth even arranged for what could be the same ferry boat to be there when he took this photo! (Just kidding, pure happenstance).
Then ... They approach Alcatraz Island, below. The bleakness of 'The Rock' as it was known gives visitors the shudders as they approach. It was a military prison site from 1861 when it housed Civil War prisoners, was extended in 1909 with the addition of the main cell block then operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963. Notorious inmates during that period were Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz.
... and Now, looking just the same today. Since 1963 it has been a museum and well worth visiting, as Archie did.
Then ... They return to shore and head over to Fort Point, a historic military fort which has stood prominently at the edge of the San Francisco Bay since 1861 (map). Inside the fort the Golden Gate Bridge looms over the fort's venerable lighthouse, in bad shape after being unused since the Golden Gate Bridge was built.
... and Now, the lighthouse tower is in better condition now after major refurbishments.
Then ... Archie and the boys run amok in the fort, having a great old time, allowing director Richard Lester to revisit his madcap moments seen earlier in the Beatles' Help!
... and Now, these visitors have no idea George C. Scott ran by them 45 years ago!
Then ... The kids rush through the officers' quarters on the 2nd tier.
... and Now, this location is a popular photo-snapping destination for today's visitors.
Then ... Dad looks like he's worn out.
... and Now, the fort offers a photo op everywhere you look.
Here's a panoramic perspective of the old fort today at the end of Marine Drive in the Presidio with the lighthouse visible above the roof line. The bridge's steel arch was a late addition to the design, added to allow the fort to avoid the wrecking ball, a commendable decision.
CitySleuth has added the last half of the exciting car chase in which the hapless felons are pursued across town by the police. Click here to follow the chase from start to finish.
Eleanor and Leggett have found out that her missing husband Frank has traded in his coat for a sailor's pea jacket and cap so they narrow their search to the Embarcadero waterfront.
Then ... They start looking near the Bay Bridge.
... and Now, this is just north of the bridge where it crosses the Embarcadero, close to Pier 24, looking away from the water.
Then ... Next they are in front of Pier 43 near Fisherman's Wharf where they spot a couple of sailors in pea jackets, but not Frank.
... and Now, Pier 43 and its headhouse, a decorated hoisting tower for loading and unloading rail cars on and off ferries, was built in 1914 to serve the Belt Railroad. Train tracks used to run the length and breadth of the entire Embarcadero; today only remnants like these remain.
... from 1967 ... CitySleuth is curious as to what that wooden structure is in front of the pier behind Eleanor and Leggett (above) - he doesn't know but he does know it was still there 17 years later, caught in the 1967 vintage photo below. Can anyone shed light on this?
Then ... Here are the sailors they are looking at ...
... and Now, but this is two miles away at the Bay Bridge, viewed from near Harrison Street.
Then ... Now back at Fisherman's Wharf, they are in front of shed A, one of the twin Pier 45 sheds.
... and Now, this pier today is the home of the Musee Mecanique, an arcade of antique coin-operated displays where you can see and hear the Laughing Sal exhibit rescued from Ocean Beach's demolished Playland-At-The-Beach fairground.
Then ... Another sailor, another strikeout. This vantage point takes in Alcatraz, Angel Island behind it and Belvedere off to the left.
... and Now, taken from alongside Pier 43 by Pier 41 1/2.
Then ... Frank likes to paint and now Eleanor is sure she's found him, at an easel. But no, it's somebody else.
... and Now, looking across the Fisherman's Wharf marina towards Alioto's and Tarantino's. In the photo below you can just see that the boardwalk extending into the marina dead-ends at far left, so the bridge extension seen above has been removed.
Then ... Leggett hangs back while Eleanor talks to the sailor, fearing Frank may recognize him as the killer. The shed behind him belongs to Genoa Boat Builders.
... and Now, This is Al Scoma Way, across the Embarcadero from Jones, along the edge of the Fisherman's Wharf marina. The shed has survived unchanged, a reminder of the wharf's boat building days.
Running scared after picking off his fifth victim, Miller makes a desperate dash home. Below, clear across town from SOMA where his dash began, he is on the flats east of Telegraph Hill. He turns from Battery Street and is seen here running west along gritty Filbert Street. Today this junction of Battery and Filbert is at the center of Levi's Plaza, home to the venerable Levi Strauss & Co (click images to enlarge).
He continues along the same block towards Sansome past the Gibraltar Warehouse, now replaced by the Levi Strauss headquarters (map).
Miller then heads up a steep set of wooden steps with the Gibraltar Warehouse visible across Sansome behind him. These are the lower Filbert Steps, still there today but replaced with sturdier steel and concrete (map).
He staggers to the top of the steps but these aren't the Filbert Steps! They are in fact private steps leading down from the end of the Green Street cul-de-sac at Montgomery to three homes perched on the east side of Telegraph Hill. The sweeping view takes in the Embarcadero, the Bay Bridge and the Financial District (map). A similar panorama was featured in the 1951 movie 'The House On Telegraph Hill'.
The recent photo below shows the entrance gate to these private steps - they lead down to 267, 269 and 271 Green Street.
Next we see him crabbing across an ugly street-wide expanse of concrete. This is Vallejo Street between Kearny and Montgomery as viewed from Montgomery (map). The same block today has been transformed into a colorful garden of trees and plants, urban beautification at its best - a silk purse from a sow's ear.
Almost there! The two views below show him at each end of Varennes Street, typical of the many narrow alleys found around Telegraph Hill. He is cutting through from Union to Filbert (map).
And finally he runs across Filbert to his rented room in the apartment building at 450 - 456 Filbert Street. His room is the upstairs one on the right.
In this classic noir fright shot, the landlady (Mabel Paige), having just heard about the sniper's burned hand on the radio, realizes who her tenant is. We fear the worst for the poor lady but he's had enough and locks himself in his room.
