Then … Director Lucio Fulci originally set his storyline in Louisiana but fortunately for us ended up filming it in San Francisco. It was his first film in the U.S. and he wore his tourist hat when it came to choosing locations. What more iconic if formulaic an intro than to rent a helicopter for the day, fly over the Golden Gate Bridge and tour the city as the opening credits roll?
… and Now, this recent wider panoramic view shows off the beauty of the city spread out before us. The large green expanse in both images is the Presidio, then a military base but since handed over to the city and now open to the public. A bridge feature seen below not there back in 1969 is the central divider which is seamlessly moved daily to add or subtract a lane as demanded by the commute traffic.
Then … Our tour of the city continues - this view across the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge shows Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill in the background on the right and Russian Hill off to the left. The Financial District clusters behind the aging piers of the waterfront.
… by 2014 … this image shows the proliferation of the Financial District since the 1960s, spreading South Of Market, an inexorable process that continues to this day. The other big change is along the Embarcadero where many of the piers have been removed, opening up and transforming the waterfront. (Photo credit Q T Luong/ terragalleria.com).
Then … the aerial tour next swings by the domed City Hall at the Civic Center. The building in the foreground right of center is the War Memorial Opera House with its vertically extended roof above the stage.
… by 2008 … this view was taken 12 years ago but is close to how it looks today (2020). An added building is visible in the bottom right corner - the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, built next to the Opera house in 1980 on the parking lot site seen above. The long narrow pool that ran down the spine of the plaza (barely visible above) has been removed.
Then … Here, our tour guide is flying directly over Russian Hill looking east across the North Beach and Telegraph Hill neighborhoods. The view looks beyond Coit Tower towards Yerba Buena Island and the Bay Bridge. Note the ugly double-decker Embarcadero Freeway at far right, destined to be torn down after being damaged in the 1989 earthquake. In the foreground the twin-spired Saints Peter and Paul church faces Washington Square Park.
… and Now, here’s the same view today, taken from a Russian Hill rooftop. Its wider perspective shows in the left distance the Bay Bridge’s multi-billion dollar eastern span tower that replaced its predecessor, again because of damage from the 1989 earthquake - the western span suspension bridges however survived relatively unscathed. These neighborhoods are little changed since mostly being rebuilt after the 1906 fire.
Then … “Hey, this is San Francisco - let’s fly over Alcatraz!” The island has been a military prison dating back to 1861 but the infamous Federal Penitentiary that we see here - it opened in 1934 - was operational for only 29 years. Nevertheless, the sight of the dramatic skyline and the sounds of the city must have been cruelly painful for the prisoners to see and hear each day.
… and Now, today the former prison is one of San Francisco’s most popular tourist attractions; 1.4 million visitors are shuttled by ferry each year to and from the island. CitySleuth recommends the audio tour!
Then … We next head over to the far west of town to the Pacific Coast - beneath us is the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 42nd Avenue and Clement Street at the former Fort Miley Military Reservation, between Lincoln Park and Point Lobos (map).
… and Now, here’s a recent Google satellite view of the hospital showing significant expansion since then.
The tour ends with the helicopter pilot skimming the surf just off the south end of the Great Highway alongside the San Francisco Zoo (map). In the distance on the left a horizontal green sliver (Golden Gate Park) bisects the Sunset and Richmond districts and Lincoln Park and the Presidio outline the horizon.
Tim persuades Brenda to go up with him for her first ever flight. Below, they are above Treasure Island (map), newly built on silt dredged from the Bay in 1936 to host the Golden Gate International Exposition, a World's Fair celebrating, in part, the opening of the Bay Area's two great bridges. The movie was filmed during the fair (1939 -1940) and the island is packed with Exposition buildings. The elevated approach from Oakland to the eastern section of the Bay Bridge is visible at far right.
Then ... Brenda is tense and white-knuckled as her relaxed guide points out the Tower of the Sun, the Exposition's 400 foot tall centerpiece.
... in 1939 ... this contemporaneous image gives us a closer look at the Tower Of The Sun. The theme of the Exposition was 'Pageant Of The Pacific' highlighting the culture and architecture of the countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean. As an example the colossal Elephant Towers flanking the approach to the Tower Of The Sun incorporated both Oriental and Mayan elements. Check out the informative newsreel footage here and chuckle at the stridently hyperbolic commentary so popular at that time.
This wider view shows the full expanse of the Exposition and the entire eastern section of the Bay Bridge can be seen, connecting to Yerba Buena Island on the right.
... and Now, the same aerial view today courtesy of Google Earth. The original cantilever bridge is partially dismantled after been replaced in September 2013 by a new causeway and single tower suspension bridge.
Then ... The sightseeing flight continues across the Bay to San Francisco. In this shot the clock tower of the Ferry Building is dead center on the Embarcadero - beyond it is the western section of the Bay Bridge.
... and Now, the bridge and Ferry Building remain the same but over 60 years of rampant development has transformed the Financial District.
Then ... They swing back across the Bay and Brenda is brought down to earth, so to speak, at the sight of Alcatraz below them. She is yet to reveal her past to Tim who doesn't know she has a husband nor that he is incarcerated on The Rock.
... and Now, the prison block itself is unchanged (other than closing down in 1963) but a close comparison of the Then and Now images does reveal some additions and subtractions on the island.
The Rock Widows, "Jennies with a Johnny on the Rock", take a ferry over to Alcatraz (map) to visit their man. Brenda joins them for the first of what she assumes will be many visits. She and Steve share small-talk and it's clear he misses her very much.
Then ... After departing from the slip alongside the large building on the right the ferry sails around the southeastern tip of the island on its return trip.
... and Now, the most striking difference in today's view is the missing and damaged staff buildings alongside the lighthouse - they were destroyed by fire during the 1969 -1971 occupation of Alcatraz by a group of tribal Indians. The large building seen at far right above is still there, behind the trees.
... a vintage image ... This photo, taken the year after the prison closed during a brief Indian protest in 1964, gives us a clearer look at those ill-fated buildings. The Indians were staking their historic claim to the ownership of the island.
... and here the buildings go up in smoke in 1970.
Then ... The rock widows look back to the side of the island that faces San Francisco. It's sobering to think that when this was filmed the prison was jammed with high-risk maximum security inmates.
... and Now, the same view today, but the dreaded penitentiary is now a tourist attraction. The water tower is not in the image above; it was built in 1940 shortly after the movie was released.
Then ... One of the women, Mary (Gladys George), notices Brenda standing alone and walks over to talk to her. A cigarette breaks the ice and pretty soon they become fast friends. Behind them Russian Hill rises above Fort Mason.
... and Now, Development on Russian Hill has changed its skyline; also downtown on the left where high-rise office buildings are pulled in close by the telephoto lens. Nearer shore, Ghirardelli Square sits just above the Art Deco Bathhouse and the adjacent Fire Department pump house at Aquatic Park. Fort Mason's Pier 2 and 3 are on the right and Pier 4, the Alcatraz Pier, is on the left in front of the pump house - it's marked by the red-roofed building at its end (click the image to enlarge).
Archie takes his boys out for a day trip, starting with a ferry ride to Alcatraz.
Then ... They are at the ferry terminal at Pier 43 1/2 near Fisherman's Wharf where Archie's two sons pester him while he makes a quick call to Petulia.
... and Now, the ferry to Alcatraz still leaves from here. CitySleuth even arranged for what could be the same ferry boat to be there when he took this photo! (Just kidding, pure happenstance).
Then ... They approach Alcatraz Island, below. The bleakness of 'The Rock' as it was known gives visitors the shudders as they approach. It was a military prison site from 1861 when it housed Civil War prisoners, was extended in 1909 with the addition of the main cell block then operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963. Notorious inmates during that period were Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz.
... and Now, looking just the same today. Since 1963 it has been a museum and well worth visiting, as Archie did.
Then ... They return to shore and head over to Fort Point, a historic military fort which has stood prominently at the edge of the San Francisco Bay since 1861 (map). Inside the fort the Golden Gate Bridge looms over the fort's venerable lighthouse, in bad shape after being unused since the Golden Gate Bridge was built.
... and Now, the lighthouse tower is in better condition now after major refurbishments.
Then ... Archie and the boys run amok in the fort, having a great old time, allowing director Richard Lester to revisit his madcap moments seen earlier in the Beatles' Help!
... and Now, these visitors have no idea George C. Scott ran by them 45 years ago!
Then ... The kids rush through the officers' quarters on the 2nd tier.
... and Now, this location is a popular photo-snapping destination for today's visitors.
Then ... Dad looks like he's worn out.
... and Now, the fort offers a photo op everywhere you look.
Here's a panoramic perspective of the old fort today at the end of Marine Drive in the Presidio with the lighthouse visible above the roof line. The bridge's steel arch was a late addition to the design, added to allow the fort to avoid the wrecking ball, a commendable decision.
