The Woman In Red - Horseback Riding In The Park
Teddy attends a meeting where the newly-hired face of the Cable Car Re-opening Campaign is being discussed. It’s the mystery Woman In Red! He still doesn’t know who she is but he’s told that she regularly goes horseback riding in Golden Gate Park.
Then … He barely knows how to ride but heads over there, determined to meet her. Hard to miss in white rain gear, he struggles to mount a horse.
… and Now, Golden Gate Park used to have horseback riding stables in the 1970s but they have since been closed down. Instead these scenes were filmed at Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, near Santa Clarita north of Los Angeles. A recent photo at the same spot shows the biggest change today is the stalls seen across across the paddock above, now gone.
Then … In a hilarious scene he tries his best to convince the barn manager of his equine expertise until she slaps the horse’s rump, sending him charging off on a precarious ride.
… and Now, the 10-stall stable structure is still there today.
The stables are adjacent to location 3 on this map of the ranch.
It takes skill to act out-of-control on a moving horse but Gene Wilder was a skilled rider. He rode extensively in 1974’s Blazing Saddles and again in 1979’s The Frisco Kid. Here’s a 1979 photo of him looking totally comfortable.
But he cuts a forlorn figure after searching all day without coming across her.
Then … Undeterred, he returns another day. His misfortune at being thrown into a lake next to a covered bridge is forgotten when the mystery woman suddenly gallops by (center background).
… and Now, the bridge, location 13 on the ranch map above, is still there but ongoing maintenance has changed its appearance since then.
… and Now, here it is from above, with ‘X” marking the spot where Teddy got wet.
He catches up with her; she is amused by his frenetic efforts to both impress her and maintain balance.
Then … In this shot (it’s the same skyline as the one seen five images above) note the house behind them with dormer windows and a brick chimney stack at one end.
… in 1982… here’s a vintage photo that captured the covered bridge just as it looked a year later in the movie (X marks where Teddy got wet); in the background is that same house, viewed from its other side. The Disney ranch usually preserves the various structures built for movies but this one is no longer there.