Then … the movie begins with a view of the San Francisco skyline seen from the top deck of the ferry boat Santa Clara.
… and Now, the skyline today is a huddle of modern buildings recently subserviated by the Salesforce Tower, aptly named - its 61 floors tower over everything around it.
The Santa Clara, launched in 1915, ferried passengers between San Francisco and Oakland - here’s a fun vintage image of passengers waving goodbye as it pulls out from the Ferry Building. The ferry’s tenure was not without excitement - at different times it suffered a fire in the engine room and a collision on the bay.
Then … In the wheelhouse the captain is reading out the news about famed local defense attorney Perry Mason’s closing plea to the jury in his latest murder trial. The Bay Bridge behind them is still under construction - the towers and massive central concrete caisson are approaching completion but the roadways are yet to be built.
This aerial photo taken early in 1935 pictures the bridge at about the time the movie footage, above, was filmed. ‘X’ marks where the ferry would have been. The photo also shows in the foreground the partial excavation for the tunnel through Yerba Buena Island that connects the bridge’s western and eastern spans.
… and Now, this recent photo taken near the same spot but closer to the caisson captured the bridge in similar alignment.
Then … Next, in front of a line of seafood stalls on Fishermen’s Wharf (map), newspaper vendors are trumpeting how Mason has defeated the D.A. yet again, winning his latest case. Italian immigrant fishermen started selling their daily catch at makeshift stalls here a century ago and have remained, generation after generation, ever since. Pictured here, from left to right, are stall #2 - Frank and Antonio Cresci Brothers, stall #3 - Antone Sabella (that’s Nino Sabella in front, leaning forward), and stall #4 - L. Rafello Fish Market.
… and Now, Those three stalls today are now two: The Crab Station and Sabella & LaTorre. The Sabellas sold to the LaTorre family after WW2 and they have taken over the Rafello space.
Then … The camera follows the newspaper vendors past the Rafello Fish Market - next to it is stall #5 - the name on the window is Tom, Tom & Joe’s Light House.
… and Now, #5 has retained the Light House name to this day, currently Nick’s Lighthouse.
This vintage 1950s photograph shows all of the stalls on this block. The visible signs extend from #1, the Excelsior Fish Market at far left on the corner of Jefferson Street (now Guardino’s), past Sabella-LaTorre, the Lighthouse, Alioto’s and on to #9 at the far end, Fishermen’s Grotto.
In front of the Light House the man of the moment himself, Perry Mason (Warren William) along with his good buddy city coroner Wilbur Strong (Olin Howard), points out his choice of fresh crabs for a planned evening meal with friends. With them is Mason’s man Friday Spudsy Drake (Allen Jenkins).
There’s another woman in George’s life: fashionista photographer Jane Bleeker (Italian actress Elsa Martinelli), introduced to us by way of an artistically filmed tête-à-tête accompanied by evocative music by composer Riz Ortolani. You can hear it here, between time points 2:22 - 4:44 on the movie soundtrack.
The action takes place on the mezzanine level in her studio. This, as were the other interior scenes in the movie, was filmed in Italy at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome.
It’s not hard to understand how he would be attracted to such a fashionista. But Jane then surprises him by announcing she is leaving San Francisco - even though she’s in love with him she wants … “a man on my own, I’m the selfish type”. She has already sold her business interest and bought a train ticket to San Luis Obispo.
Then … He offers to drive her to the station … they walk to his car from her place (1083 Lombard, the house at far right), near the top of Lombard Street’s famed ‘Crooked Street” block in the Russian Hill neighborhood (map). This was the setting for her spacious studio - unrealistic at such a residential property. But hey, it’s all about the views.
… and Now, new paint jobs aside, this block, a magnet for tourists, has not seen much change. In the distance Coit Tower presides over Telegraph Hill and beyond that there’s a clear view of the Bay Bridge and the hills of the east bay. (Incidentally, Jack Palance’s character’s apartment in the 1952 movie Sudden Fear was in the grey building next to Jane’s place).
Then … They drive off, pictured here between the fourth and fifth of eight hairpin bends.
… and Now, again, unchanged. The serpentine road was the city planners’ solution in 1922 to an otherwise dangerously steep slope for vehicles.
Then … Driving up Hyde Street, George looks for clarification … “Leaving me, or running away?”
… and Now, the cable car tracks head then and now down Hyde Street and across North Point (map) towards Hyde Street Pier at the bottom of the hill where our eyes are drawn to the distant Alcatraz and Angel Islands.
Then … Locationally unrealistic - now they are driving back into the city across the Golden Gate Bridge! The headlands of Marin County are in the background on the left.
… and Now, two notable safety changes have since been installed: a barrier has been added on each side of the roadway to protect pedestrians and cyclists from the dangerously close traffic whizzing by, and a central divider, repositionable to accommodate changing daily commuter flows, now protects drivers from head-ons. Suicide jumping wasn’t the only bridge hazard it seems.
Then … They arrive at the Southern Pacific depot. The Mission Revival structure was built here at 3rd and Townsend in the Mission Bay neighborhood in 1915 (map).
… and Now, the depot was demolished in 1976 after an architecturally mundane replacement was built a block south, in part to eliminate 4th Street traffic-crossing delays behind the original depot. This modern building took its place.
Then … Jane prefers that they part on the street … “I hate those tearful farewells on railway platforms”. Across 3rd Street behind George’s wistful gaze we see one of the bay area’s Doggie Diner fast food restaurants.
… 1n 1975 … here’s a vintage photo of the depot and the restaurant with its pole mounted giant dachshund head mascot sign - from the rear we see its floppy ears and chef’s hat.
… and Now, The Doggie Diner chain eventually was gobbled up by the competition and all of its San Francisco restaurants are gone; one vestige remains however - preserved by nostalgists is a transplanted lone mascot pole sign on the median near the San Francisco Zoo on Sloat Blvd at 45th Avenue (map).
Then … Jane, stylishly caped, walks along track 2 of the depot past coach SP3705. The reflection in the side of the railcar looks across King Street way over to the east bay hills. But eagle-eyed reader Notcom (see his comment) has some bad news for her - she’s catching a commute train to San Jose, some 185 miles short of her destination.
… in 1975 … rolling stock buffs will recognize the train’s Bilevel Commute Coaches, here’s coach SP3721 photographed in San Jose.
Then … George drives off past a sign advertising Rickey’s Rendezvous Room, a bar and restaurant inside the depot operated by Palo Alto-based Rickey’s Hyatt House. (Trivia time … the image also includes an interesting structure at far left) …
… and Now, the structure is the 3rd Street bridge, a type known as a Bascule drawbridge. Designed by Joseph Strauss - he later became Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge - it was built in 1933 across the Mission Creek Channel and is still operational. In 1980 it was renamed the Lefty O’Doul bridge in honor of a legendary San Francisco Seals baseball pitcher, prescient indeed because 20 years later the San Francisco Giants ballpark would be built right next to it.
… and Now, a closer look at the Lefty O’Doul Bridge shows the Giants ballpark complex on the left (check out those two massive concrete counterweights - clunky but functional).
Then … Next unfolds perhaps the most memorable of the Dirty Harry series scenes. It begins at this street junction, meant to be Battery and California. A passing California & Market Street cable car rolls by and on the left is a bank - the United Bank Of San Francisco. But this is all phony - there never was such a cable car line, nor was there such a bank; what’s more, Battery Street doesn’t terminate at California, it crosses. The entire scene was filmed on the Universal Studios back lot in Hollywood.
… and Now, Here’s an aerial photo of the back lot today showing where the scene was filmed, at one end of New York Street.
… and Now, a closer look courtesy Google Satellite View. The lot was rebuilt after a major fire in 2008 but the street layout is the same and the bank building seen in the movie has survived. The location of a corner burger joint prominently featured in the scene is also indicated here.
Callahan drives past the bank, takes a left , parks in what is today Wall Street on the back lot (it was called Factory Street before the post-fire rebuild) and takes a seat at the counter in the Burger Den for a hot dog. (The street signs behind him identifies this corner as Pine and Battery). But he’s very suspicious of the tan Ford that he drove by outside the bank with it’s engine running; his gut tells him a robbery may be in progress.
Then … The bank alarm starts to ring prompting him to draw his gun and head outside (note the Pine street sign) just as the robbers are running out of the bank ...
… in 2006 … As late as 2006, before the 2008 fire, this back lot photo reveals that this end of New York Street surprisingly hadn’t changed much.
Chaos and carnage ensue when, firing across Battery Street, he takes out the robbers one by one, including the driver of the fleeing getaway car which ends up on its side after destroying a fire hydrant. In this view along Pine Street (Wall street in today’s back lot) the crossing street is named Sansome, an actual SF city street that parallels Battery, although in the real world Pine doesn’t tee into Sansome as shown here, it crosses it. (But, for some semblance of accuracy to the San Francisco street layout that should have been Front Street, not Sansome).
Then … In this great shot looking the other way down New York Street Callahan nonchalantly strides past the shocked onlookers towards the bank. The corner burger joint is behind him but look at what’s playing on the movie theater just down the block … Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me, released a few weeks before Dirty Harry. Free advertising!
… and Now, The same view in the back lot today reveals that most of the structures have been changed except for the one facing us dead center at the end (OK, it has an added top story). The burger joint in the movie was located at the far left corner.
Callahan approaches an injured robber whose dropped shotgun is just beyond his reach (note the street signs - California and Battery). The thief glances down at it, tempted but hesitant …
… prompting Callahan to deliver the movie’s classic monologue.
The punk backs off and Callahan retrieves the weapon. But did the punk make the right call? As Callahan walks off he calls out: “I gots to know”. So Callahan aims his gun right at him and slowly squeezes the trigger. Click … the chamber was empty. He turns away with a smirk having demonstrated an equal ability for mental as well as physical abuse.
Then … Behind the opening credits two views of the Embarcadero announce to the audience that the movie is set in San Francisco. Here, we see from right to left three piers, Piers 37, 39 and 41; Alcatraz and Angel Islands are seen beyond them. A small part of Pier 35 juts in at far right.
… by 1952 … the same scene was captured in this vintage 1952 photo. It was taken from the top of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill, this wider view also showing Pier 35 on the right.
… and Now, over the years many of the Embarcadero piers have been removed. In this recent photo we see that Pier 39 has been reimagined and rebuilt as a major tourist attraction while Pier 37 on its right is now a marina and Pier 41 mostly off to the left a cruise and ferry terminal. It’s not included here, but the original Pier 35 is still there (map).
Then … As the credits continue we next see streetcars dropping off and picking up passengers on the turn-around loop in front of the Ferry Building. Note the pedestrian overpass on the left that spared them an otherwise risky walk across the Embarcadero - it will make another appearance later in the movie.
… here’s a 1930 photo of the same place. Both images were taken from the top of the Southern Pacific Building on Market Street. The movie image, above in the bottom right corner, captured the edge of that huge billboard. History buffs might be interested to learn that the pedestrian overpass was subsequently sacrificed in the 1940s as scrap iron for the war effort.
Looking down Market Street from the Ferry Building, this pristine c. 1926 image (from Shorpy.com) lets us see the front side of the billboard and, arrowed, the Southern Pacific Building rooftop vantage point for the above shots. Note too the other side of the pedestrian overpass. (The eagle-eyed amongst you may also notice a reversed-image billboard in the lower right quadrant advertising Owl Cigars. Huh?).
Citysleuth begs your indulgence for a moment while he diverts from the movie. Dwell for a moment on the 1926 image above ... now step back a mere 20 years to see how it looked right after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Truly a Phoenix recovery!
And here for comparative completeness are those same buildings pre-earthquake.