Experiment In Terror - Kidnap at the Hangout
Red Lynch decides he's been tormenting Kelly and Toby long enough - he's now ready to execute his robbery plan.
Toby and boyfriend Dave head for The Hangout restaurant to do just that - hang out with some of their friends. It's just blocks from their school, George Washington High (we saw the school earlier here).
In the restaurant, Toby gets a terrifying phone call from Red Lynch with the news that Kelly has been shot and needs to be taken to a hospital. If she doesn't meet him at a nearby corner right away, "I'll let her die ...".
Then ... The horrified girl rushes out, pursued shortly after by Dave, below. The restaurant is alongside him and there's a gas station on each corner across the street.
... and Now, this is the corner of 25th Avenue at Geary Boulevard in the Richmond district (map), viewed looking south. There's now a Jiffylube on the left across Geary. The same house on 25th with a castellated roofline can be seen in the center of both Then and Now images.
From the 1961 street directory entries for this junction we find out what the corner eatery was called when the filming took place - The Wizard restaurant, at 6100 Geary. The gas station where the Jiffylube is today was a Wilshire Oil Co station at 6099 Geary (oddly missing in the entry below but verified elsewhere in the directory) and the one across 25th from it was Joe's Flying A service station.
... and Now, the northwest corner building where The Wizard used to be now houses a Citibank branch.
Then ... Toby runs along 25th towards Clement Street and in her haste almost ends up under a passing car. At the end of the block on the Clement corner a new apartment building is under construction (map).
... and Now, in the same view some of the houses on the block have been replaced but the completed two story apartments are still there on the corner.
Then ... Lynch picks her up next to the apartments on the corner and roars off, his victim secured, in his cool 1958 or 1959 Austin-Healey 100-6.
... and Now, a recent view of this same corner at Clement.
CitySleuth felt a pang of nostalgic excitement when he saw Lynch's car because he once owned one himself. An absolute classic, here's a stunning recent photo of the same model. Drool, guys!