With all roads out of the city blocked off by the police Cullen decides their best option is to hide out at Fort Point until they can sneak out after dark. The sequence that follows plays out to the lonely sound of the moaning wind but has suspense aplenty. Even better for location buffs it's a record of the old Fort as it was over 60 years ago.
Fort Point (map) was constructed between 1853 and 1861; its armaments were initially designed to defend against possible Confederate attack during the Civil War. The fort never was fired upon throughout its 150 year existence but dodged a significant bullet when the original plan to demolish it in the 1930s to make way for the Golden Gate Bridge was reversed by the bridge's chief engineer Joseph Strauss. Instead, he designed a steel span to arch over the fort.
Then ... Dust swirls as they approach the sallyport, the only way into and out of the fort. It's on the south side, known as the gorge, considered the front of the structure. The post and platform structure at right appears to be bringing in temporary electrical power.
... and Now, one might expect a National Historic site not to show many changes over the mere half-century of our Then and Now comparison and this indeed turns out to be the case. Those openings in the gorge wall were originally narrow rifle slits but were later widened.
Then ... When Cullen's 1950 Nash Ambassador pulls up in the interior courtyard the shot of the sleek fastback with its skirted wheels could double as a car advertisement (click image to enlarge).
... and Now, the courtyard used to be the parade ground. The gorge on the left housed military quarters and magazines; it was accessed via balconies supported by fluted cast iron columns. In the corner (the west end of the fort) is the tower enclosing stairs #1, one of three circular masonry staircases connecting all levels, topped by a wooden penthouse (click image to enlarge).
Then ... Cullen finds a concealed spot for his vehicle and they consider where to hide out. The sound of an approaching car sends them scurrying to the lighthouse on the roof.
... and Now, visitors are not allowed into the lighthouse for safety reasons but here, taken from the rooftop, is a recent photo of its view.
Then ... It's Cullen's brother Andy in the car (a 1950 Nash Rambler convertible). He recalls they played at Fort Point as kids and decides on a hunch that it might be their refuge. This is his first case and he is determined to see justice done. He pulls into the courtyard, also viewed from the rooftop of the fort.
... and Now, the fort is open two days a week for visitors; as a result safety railings have been added or repaired. Back then, above, it was soldier beware! Note that the arches at center rear have been un-bricked.
Then ... As he stands in the courtyard wondering where they could be we see the hiding place on the roof in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge's arched span.
... and Now, this lighthouse dates back to 1863. It was deactivated in 1934 when the new bridge towers, a more effective beacon for mariners, were built. But the lighthouse structure - it sits atop stairs #2 - has survived thanks to major restorations in 1973 and 1992.
Andy disregards a note left by his brother implying the two miscreants had abandoned their car and fled. Instead he methodically searches the fort one tier at a time, in a way taking us on an extensive tour of the historic structure.
Then ... He walks the length of the officer's quarters on the 2nd tier where the corridor splits each room via central receding doorways. Not much privacy for the officers!
... and Now, the shouts and footfalls of the officers have now been replaced by the sound of visitor's camera shutters.
Then ... Still on the second tier he is next to the doorway leading to stairs #3. Note the absence of safety railings.
... and Now, the same spot today, with railings. Can't have today's visitors falling over the edge can we?
Then ... At the other end of the second tier he walks the length of the brick casemates that originally housed a battery of cannons arrayed along the left (north) side with their muzzles facing out through reinforced embrasure openings. There are 30 casemates on each of the first three tiers.
... and Now, another photographer's opportunity.
Then ... On the roof, viewed from inside the wooden penthouse that covers stairs #1, Andy runs to the lighthouse. Will he find the crouching couple?
... and Now, the roof, known as the barbette tier, wraps around the perimeter of the fort. Its deck, concrete now but grass when it was first built, was originally designed with cannons mounted on exposed pedestals to augment those in enclosed casements on the lower tiers. The lighthouse, despite periodic maintenance, is again showing signs of rust.
Then ... Andy climbs the spiral staircase into the lighthouse but they are not there, having crept out ahead of him onto the balcony. He appears to give up and returns to his car but not before a moment of suspense when Lois's scarf is whipped away by the wind and wafts slowly down tantalizingly close to him as he heads to the sallyport exit. But it goes unnoticed and he drives off.
... and Now, in this matching courtyard photo CitySleuth was fortunate to catch Civil War re-enacters performing drill. The gorge's balconied tiers behind them each have a stairway at far left, known as stairs #4. Unlike the other three they are metal and straight, not masonry and circular.
When darkness falls Cullen and Lois sneak out of the fort straight into the arms and handcuffs of the waiting police. Andy's hunch had paid off. In a brief final scene their paths cross while they await trial and Cullen offers her a cigarette. He had tried to cheat the law but ended up cheating himself. No words are spoken as they part but their expressions say it all - she acknowledging his sacrifice and he accepting his fate but with no regrets.
Then ... After checking into a hotel in San Francisco Sam makes an unannounced visit to Helen's home, a very swanky mansion.
... and Now, this was filmed not in San Francisco but in Southern California at the Villa Arden at 1145 Arden Road, Pasadena (map). A great favorite with movie-makers over the decades, this residence has appeared in over 200 TV and movie productions including Dynasty, Remington Steele and Knight Rider. More shots of the home will be seen later in the movie.
 Surprised to see Sam, Helen introduces him to her fiancé Fred (Phillip Terry) and her foster sister Georgia (Audrey Long). Since they were about to go out dancing at a night club they feel obliged to invite him along.
Then ... At the club the window view looks east down California Street and across the Financial District to the Bay Bridge and Ferry Building at upper left, revealing where this is - the popular Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill (map).
... in the 1950s ... here's a vintage photo snapped at the Top of the Mark not long after the movie was made. It shows the same view in the left window pane but the different windows suggest that the movie scene was shot in a studio using a projected window view to set the location. What's more, as we shall see in a later post, the same studio soundstage using those plants and flowers, above, will be used again to represent the Fairmont Hotel.
... and Now, high-rise congestion in the Financial District offers visitors to the famous bar a different vista. The tall building left of center is the formerly named Bank of America Building at 555 California Street.
 At the club Sam's blatant focus on Helen is rebuffed. When the conversation turns to money he learns that Georgia is a rich woman having inherited her father's newspaper business and the palatial family home. The schemer switches his attention to her and quickly senses that his macho swagger is drawing her in like a fish to a lure.
(A Bunker Hill movie in a San Francisco blog? CitySleuth explains why).
At the Ritz bar Homer's well-oiled buddies Tommy and Cliff pick up friends Claudine and Mary. They hop into Cliff's car.
Then ... they pull out and head north on Main Street. 3rd Street crosses ahead of them. and the floodlit City Hall peaks (pun intended) over the building at upper left.
... and Now, the area has been completely rebuilt but City Hall is still there.
With the top down and wind in their hair they whoop and holler at high speed west through the 3rd Street tunnel. Tommy has a bottle and cigarette in hand and is feeling no pain.
Then ... They exit the tunnel on the 700 block of 3rd Street. On the far right is the narrow Cinnabar Street and further down the block we can see the lighted sign of Jack's Cafe at 731 W. 3rd.
... and Now, again, unrecognizable. A major civic redevelopment in the 1950s and 60s transformed the vibrant if dilapidated area into a stretch of wide, soul-less streets and modern commercial buildings. Cinnabar Street disappeared altogether, becoming a site housing a Veolia Energy facility (map) providing heating and cooling to private companies (on the right, below).
... in 1952 ... a few years earlier in the movie Sudden Fear Jack Palance prowled past this same Cinnabar Street junction looking for Joan Crawford, intent on killing her. Compare it with the Then image above.
Some 3 miles on they pull into Hane's Magnum service station at 3510 W. Sunset Boulevard (map) and stop so suddenly that Tommy nearly tips into the front seat. He speaks in voiceover, talking of how he likes to get high on drink ... "That's what drinks are for" ... and couldn't care less that it sends him in and out of jail.
The freeloaders hang back when the attendant asks for the gas money, leaving Mary to pay it. Then while she is in the restroom and after they pocket her change they impatiently take off, leaving her stranded. What jerks!
Then ... As they leave we can't help but think that those gas prices were a better deal than today. Sure enough, allowing for inflation, $0.28 then would be around $2.40 now, a price we haven't seen in California in years. The cinematography effectively utilizes the symmetry of the gas pumps, lined up as they are in regimental ranks.
... and Now, this location has become a strip mall in which a restaurant, Alegria On Sunset, now owns the service station's 3510 W. Sunset Boulevard street address.
Ed Cullen's younger brother Andy has figured out that Lois Frazer was responsible for the murder of her husband and that Ed had covered it up. Putting aside family loyalties he informs the authorities and an all-points bulletin is put out for their arrest. The lovers hear it over the radio as they try to flee the city.
Then ... They make a quick U-turn and head for the nearest city exit, the Golden Gate Bridge, seen in the distance. (Click the image to enlarge it).
... and Now, hardly changed in over 60 years, this is in the upscale Sea Cliff neighborhood on El Camino Del Mar near Sea Cliff Avenue (map). (Click the image to enlarge it).
Then ... Now on Doyle Drive, aka highway 101, they are approaching the bridge toll booths.
... and Now, the bridge is way busier than it was in 1950. The toll booths are just off the picture on the left.
Then ... Uh - oh, the cops have beaten them to it and have the bridge closed off.
... and Now, some changes have taken place at the toll booths since then the biggest of which is the absence of toll-collectors, displaced in 2013 by Fastrak sensors and license plate cameras. But there's still a clock mounted in the center.
... a vintage photo ... here's a contemporaneous c. 1950 photo that adds color to the same location. Note the black-and-whites at far right.
Then ... The last San Francisco exit, into the Presidio, is right before the toll booths and Cullen takes it to avoid the roadblock. They decide to hide out at Fort Point and he is next seen heading there, turning into Long Avenue from Lincoln Boulevard (map). A sweeping vista of the Marina district and the City beyond catches our eye.
... and Now, one of those piers has been removed otherwise the marina looks as inviting as it always has. The city skyline of course has seen many changes and the tall white tower in the upper left quadrant is the new Eastern Bay Bridge structure.
... in 1947 ... coincidentally, or not, the same location was filmed three years earlier when Lauren Bacall drove Humphrey Bogart to her apartment in the movie Dark Passage.
Then ... Long Avenue runs into Marine Drive which in turn dead-ends at Fort Point. The camera pans from left to right, following them along Marine Drive. (Click the image to enlarge it).
... and Now, the same panorama today from the same vantage point. The camera was set up in front of Fort Point (map). (Click the image to enlarge it).
... in 1957 ... Alfred Hitchcock must have seen this movie. When Scottie follows Madeleine in Vertigo in the fall of 1957 the director used the identical panorama. Note that the old lighthouse keepers' houses on the right seen in the Then image above and the Vertigo image below are no longer there.
Then ... Cullen reaches his destination, old Fort Point, an army garrison once a proud lonely sentinel but now dwarfed by the towering Golden Gate Bridge.
... and Now, it seems time has stood still here in the 60-plus years since the movie was made.