Chan Is Missing - The Other Woman
In addition to the gun, Jo also found a letter in Chan’s cab. It was from his brother, delivered to an earlier address before it was forwarded to his current address in the St Paul Hotel.
On a trivia aside, of interest perhaps only to philatelists, the stamp on the above envelope was one of a set of five released in 1978 featuring early windmills from different states. The one on the envelope is the Massachusetts 1793.
Then … Jo goes to the original address on the forwarded letter at 1385 Vallejo (map) - the entrance on the left - but nobody was there. A man who lived in the building told him Chan used to live there with his family but he moved six months ago with “the other woman”, presumably she who had removed the photographs from Chan’s apartment.
… and Now, the shot above was filmed from a top level window of the building across the street from it. This matching photo shows that the posts on either side of 1385’s entrance have since been replaced.
Here’s that building, on the corner of Larkin and Vallejo; the arrow points to where the camera looked down for the street shot. Incidentally, this 3rd floor apartment was also used for filming Jo’s place, seen earlier in the movie. (Makes sense, it was efficient and economical to maximise the utilization of the apartment given the movie’s meager budget).
The next scene , during which Jo tells us he sees the other woman, was filmed on Stockton Street in Chinatown. This photo shows Wayne Wang directing his crew there. The Kum Yuen restaurant behind them was at 1247 Stockton. Wang is talking with crew member Sara Chin while cinematographer Michael Chin takes a lightmeter reading.
Then … Here we see Jo looking towards the other woman. Note the scale on the sidewalk ahead; it’s the same one as in the location photo above at far left.
… and Now, the view ahead looks south down Stockton Street. The tall building in the distance both Then and Now is the 72 unit Mandarin Tower condominiums built in 1970. On the right the New Moon restaurant has replaced Kum Yuen.
Then … When Jo spots the other woman the store across the street, number 1248, places his cab location precisely.
… and Now, This is 1248 Stockton, so Jo is parked alongside the store opposite it, at 1251 Stockton.
Then … The camera cuts to the other woman casually brushing her hair, apparently in front of 1251 Stockton; back then that store was Kenson’s Trading Co. Gourmet Food. The movie’s storyline doesn’t make clear whether the attractive young lady is a political bedfellow of Chan or just a bedfellow. Or both. The uncredited part was played by Nancy Wong, the still photographer for the movie (some of her stills appear in this blog). CitySleuth has recently been in touch with her; she told him she still has the stylish Jeanne Marc jacket that she wore in this scene.
… and Now? 1251 Stockton currently houses the Fu Yuan Food Market. The film’s clues intimate that this is the Other Woman location and indeed, the number and location of the overhead lights match the movie shot. On the other hand the sign inside the store, above, appears to be aisle numbers 11 A and B suggesting that this was filmed at a place larger than this small store…
… and, consistent with this, Nancy Wong recalls that the scene was actually filmed a block further south at the much larger Tian Tian Market at 1117 Stockton. Below is a contemporaneous (1976) photo of that store, at that time called the Lun Wah Market, as it would have looked when the movie was made. Nancy’s recollection is that she was standing in front of the entrance on the left below the awning.
… and Now, this is how that doorway looks today at Tian Tian Market (it has been remodeled and widened since the above photo was taken).