Petulia - The Mendoza Residence

  While Petulia is recovering from her beating, Archie comes across a letter she wrote addressed to a Mr. Mendoza at 4295 Morton Drive, San Francisco (a fictitious address).  The viewing audience knows from flashbacks that this is the family looking after Oliver after his accident and Petulia has been sending them food and cash.  Archie doesn't know this and he goes to the address to investigate.

  But as it turns out, the Mendoza house is not in San Francisco - it is in a housing tract in the Serramonte neighborhood of Daly City, just south of San Francisco.  Reel SF blog reader CDL deserves compliments for finding this location for CitySleuth.

Then ...  Has a housing tract ever looked so good?  Cinematographer Nicholas Roeg filmed this glowing vista of the tract in its early construction phase.  Morton Drive runs across the foreground and the three streets aligned away from the viewer are, from left to right, Callan Blvd, Wakefield Ave and Canterbury Ave.  The Mendoza house is 4295 Callan Blvd, in the left foreground, marked with an arrow (map).  Citysleuth wonders if the director's choice of this location was inspired by Pete Seeger's hit song 'Little Boxes', a satire on suburburban development.

... and Now,  The south-facing shot above was filmed from near the Hickey Boulevard ridge which runs up to Skyline Boulevard.  Extensive construction below the ridge since then and mature trees prevent an identical matching shot today but the similar view below is taken from a little higher up on Hickey close to Skyline.  The pink house in the bottom left corner was still under construction in the movie shot above - the Mendoza house opposite it is obscured by the line of newer houses along the near side of Morton Drive.

... Google Earth View ...  Below is a recent satellite photo of the housing tract and the Mendoza house (arrowed), courtesy of Google Earth.  Skyline Blvd runs along the top of the ridge at right.

Then ...  Archie descends the entrance steps of 4295 Callan Blvd after knocking on the door and getting no response.

... and Now,  just the same!

... and Now,  here's a wider view of the Mendoza house.  The junction with Morton Drive is one house down at right.

Then ...  Archie finds Mendoza who can't help him because he doesn't speak Spanish.  Behind the house (below) a couple of spaced-out hippies are no help either.  He leaves, none the wiser.

... and Now,  the fecund slope between the two lines of houses after more than 40 years of growth.

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