A number of times during the movie we see diesel trains plying back and forth along the Embarcadero. They belonged to the State Belt Railroad system whose purpose was to provide a link between the piers and the four railroad companies serving the city, namely the Southern Pacific, the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe, the Western Pacific and the Northwestern Pacific. The railroad ran between King Street south of Market and the Presidio via a 1500 foot long tunnel under Fort Mason. It began in 1889 using steam locomotives and was finally shut down in 1993 after the loss of most of the port traffic to Oakland. More information can be found here.
Then ... Below is engine number 20, one of a total of six, filmed in front of Shorty's Bar with pier 46 and China Basin in the background.
... and Now, pier 46 has been replaced by a marina and the same viewpoint today looks across South Beach Park towards the AT&T ballpark at China Basin.
Then ... Here we see Nick and Rica walking towards the Colchester Hotel past engine number 23 alongside the Wellman Peck building at the east end of Jackson Street.
... and Now, the corner of the Embarcadero at Jackson has completely changed, as shown below. The Wellman Peck corner building site is now part of this parking lot.
... from 1946 ... Below is an archival photograph of engine number 24 passing below the Bay Bridge.
... and Now, from the same spot we see the train was passing Pier 28, still there today. The railroad tracks have been replaced by the muni tracks of the T Third and N Judah lines.
But wait - take a look at the Bay Bridge in the 1946 photo above. Is that a train passing by on the bridge? It sure is - in the bridge's early years there was an electric train service, part of the privately owned Key System, connecting Oakland and San Francisco. Its two tracks ran along the south side of the lower deck, shared with automobiles using the north side. See the closeup below taken the day the service began, September 23, 1938.
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.
