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 she was discovered while horseback riding in Golden Gate Park.
Then … He barely knows how to ride but heads over there, determined to meet her. Ostentatiously decked out in white rain gear, he has a hard time mounting a horse.
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.
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.
… and Now? He searches all day but doesn’t find her. But where was this filmed? Citysleuth is yet to find it. While Golden Gate Park used to have riding stables in the 1980s, it no longer does; besides, this clearly was filmed in a rural area elsewhere. Citysleuth hopes that the several captures posted here will help one of his blog readers recognize the location. (If so, email him at citysleuth@reelsf.com).
Undeterred, he continues his search another day. His misfortune at being thrown into a lake is compensated when the Woman In Red suddenly gallops by.
He catches up with her; she is amused by his frantic efforts to both impress her and maintain balance.
In this shot the cottage with dormer windows behind them would help identify this location if it’s still there. Note too that this skyline and the one three images above are the same.
… and here, more buildings add additional clues.