In the amusement park Eleanor and Leggett notice that police Inspector Ferris has followed them.
Then ... Behind them are two attractions, The Whip and The Skooter.
... from a vintage video ... the amusement park is long gone now but the same attractions are seen here from a short vintage home movie taken at Ocean Park Pier in 1954.
Leggett suggests they split up to help avoid the police. He sends Eleanor off on the rollercoaster while he looks for her husband Frank but as she pulls away he carelessly mentions something only the killer would have known - the police had shared it with Eleanor so she suddenly realizes with horror that Leggett is the killer and that because Frank had witnessed the crime his life is now in great jeopardy.
Below is a vintage photo of the rollercoaster at Ocean Park Pier and, in the movie, Eleanor, beside herself with fear and helpless to warn her husband, is tossed about on the hair-raising ride.
Leggett finds Frank - he knows of his weak heart and so attacks him hoping to provoke a heart attack. Eleanor hears a shot as she rushes over to them and fears the worst.
... but, phew!, it was Inspector Ferris who got there just in time and shot Leggett, bringing his investigation to a fitting end and leaving the way clear for Frank and Eleanor to be reunited.
Then ... The movie fades out with a shot of the amusement park's Laffing Sal cackling away (below) at Legget's fate.
... from a vintage video ... The home movie mentioned above also showed the same Laffing Sal (below). There's a change of clothing but the display, with mirrors, a beach ball and a dangling parrot, is the same.
... and Now, but a different one ... San Francisco's Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park also had a Laffing Sal. There were in fact many Laffing Sals at funhouses across the country at that time, all built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co. of Germantown, Pennsylvania in the 1930s. Playland has disappeared but its Laffing Sal display still cackles away today at the Musee Mecanique at Pier 45 in San Francisco.
... and Now, yet another one ... Over the years Playland had more than one Laffing Sal. Here's another of them, on display at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. They claim it's the original Playland display but CitySleuth is staying neutral on that.
After the car crash Victoria is convinced her new husband tampered with the brakes hoping she and her son Chris would die, leaving aunt Sophie's estate to him. She and friend Marc Bennett take the car to a garage where the mechanic finds a broken hydraulic line - it could have been a deliberate act, but they can't be sure.
Then ... They are at Larry's Garage on Verdi Place, off Montgomery between Broadway and Pacific (map). The view towards Nob Hill includes the Mark Hopkins hotel just left of the 'Brakes/Alignment' sign and the Sentinel Building (aka the Columbus Tower) on Columbus Avenue, with its distinctive dome. The gabled building with the mural, just above the gas pump, is on Pacific Avenue.
But Larry’s Garage was not listed anywhere in the 1953 city directory ; there was however a parking lot listed at Verdi Place. Larry’s appears to have been created by the moviemakers on this lot for this scene as posited by reader Morgan in the comments below. This directory entry is for Montgomery Street; the parking lot was the only business on the east side of the 900 block.
Then ... In this shot as they are about to exit onto Montgomery there's a wider angle view. The Columbus Tower is at far left and on the left horizon are the Mark Hopkins and Fairmont hotels as well as the Brocklebank Apartments (featured in 'Vertigo'). The two high-rise apartments spaced out to their right are 1250 and 1360 Jones Street (also visible from George's House in 'Dark Passage').
... and Now, it’s still a parking lot. From the same spot on Verdi Place today we see an added upper-level parking structure and the views are blocked by several newer buildings surrounding it. 1250 Jones is seen between the buildings in today's view.
Here's a recent Google Earth view of the garage site with an arrow pointing to the parking structure. Broadway runs vertically right of center with Montgomery crossing it at bottom. The Columbus Tower is at upper left. The former site-with-a-view is now completely hemmed in.
Nick is horrified to hear of his partner Ed's terrible death. To make matters worse, he finds out Figlia had sent somebody out to retrieve Ed's scattered apples from the crash site. That does it - Nick pursues Figlia and catches up with him at a roadside cafe.
Then ... The cafe, Bob's Roadside Cafe, is seen here with a truck loaded with Ed's apples parked out in front.
... and Now
CitySleuth is still seaching for this location site and would welcome any reader who may recognize it to contact him.
Justice is served, vigilante style, when Nick gives Figlia a merciless beating in a scene unusually graphic for those days. (CitySleuth wonders if it was coincidence that the cafe walls were lined with photos of professional pugilists).
The movie ends happily, as befits Hollywood's fascination with the tart-with-a-heart stereotype, when Nick interrupts Rica's card game back in Shorty's bar and asks her to come away with him. She joyously flings her cards into the air and they head off in search of a wedding preacher.
They drive from the redwoods to the coast where Madeleine recalls dream-like recollections of visions of her death while Scottie desperately tries to make sense of it all. The coastal scenes were filmed at Cypress Point on the 17 mile Drive near Pebble Beach and Carmel (map).
The scene was put together using location footage interspersed with studio closeups using a projected background (for optimum lighting and dialog). The closeups included a moveable tree (below, behind Scottie in a studio shot) which was also used at the location site to create seamless continuity.
Then ... The same tree is seen below in this location shot.
... and Now, in the the same view today there's an unsightly fence to keep the multitude off the rocks.
Then ... Madeleine and Scottie however are not so constrained, but stunt doubles were used for this risky scramble down the rocks.
... and Now, The panorama below of this cove can only hint at the pristine beauty of this special part of the world when experienced in real life.
... On location ... Here's a photo taken during setup for the movie shoot. Note the 'moveable' tree and also the giant fan which tossed Madeleine's scarf around for added drama during the scene.
