Then … The bus carrying Scorpio and the kidnapped schoolchildren is seen at top right driving west along John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park past a small herd of bison, a species native to North America.
… and Now, this is the park’s 11-acre bison paddock; it’s been there since 1899 (map). The bison were introduced to the park in order to help save the species which at that time had been hunted close to extinction from an estimated 60 million in the wild when the European colonists first arrived. CitySleuth stopped by recently to take this matching photo from near the same spot.
Then … The bus next crosses the Golden Gate Bridge heading north to Marin County. The view looks back past the south tower towards San Francisco.
… and Now, from a macro perspective the bridge looks the same but a closer look below reveals added safety railings along the pedestrian walkways on either side and a center barrier that is moveable to accommodate the diurnal change in rush hour traffic flow.
Then … They are now in Marin County; the bridge is behind them as they climb the Waldo Grade on US highway 101 , about to enter the Waldo tunnel.
… and Now, a convenient little turnout area was the perfect spot for both the filmmakers’ and CitySleuth’s camera (map).
Then … The camera tracks the bus as it heads into the tunnel. The Waldo tunnel opened in 1937 as a single-bore (the one on the left); the second bore, completed in 1954, enabled one-way traffic in each direction. The archways were rainbow-painted in 1970, prompting an alternative name: Rainbow Tunnel.
… and Now, the tunnel was renamed in 2016 in memory of beloved Marin County comedian and actor Robin Williams following his tragic suicide.
… in 1947 … on a trivia note, here’s Lauren Bacall driving her Woodie wagon out of the original two-way bore in one of CitySleuth’s favorite SF movies: Dark Passage.
Then … Scorpio orders the bus driver to take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd Larkspur exit. The exit sign is outside the Larkspur city limit, marked by the next sign just ahead.
… and Now, what appears to be the same sign is still there but it’s now inside today’s city limit sign. One or both have been moved from where they were when the movie was filmed. A comparison of the background hills Then and Now reflects California’s seasonal brown/green change.
Then … As the bus exits, Scorpio’s jaw drops; he spots Callahan standing on a railroad trestle spanning Sir Francis Drake Blvd at the highway exit.
Boy, that Eastwood pose on the trestle sure looks familiar - remember him 6 years earlier in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly? Don’t mess with these guys, O.K.?
… and Now, the trestle, built in 1884 by the Northwest Pacific Railroad, is no longer there - it was removed in 2003 after being damaged by a passing tractor-trailer. More recently (2015) a bicycle/pedestrian bridge has been built alongside where the trestle used to be (the arrow points to extant trestle remains).
Then … Callahan gets set as the bus approaches …
… and Now, viewed from the same vantage point there’s now an unobstructed view of the 101 highway flyovers in the absence of the trestle bridge.
When he makes a daring leap onto the roof of the passing bus we fear for the schoolchildren, realizing the showdown must come…
This 1971 aerial shows Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park (map) as it was when the scenes of Dirty Harry catching up with Scorpio were filmed there. The 60,000 seat stadium opened in 1925 as a venue for a variety of sports but is perhaps best remembered as the home of the San Francisco 49ers from 1946 to 1970 (their last game there was the NFC championship game against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan 3, 1971. They lost, 17-10).
… and Now, in 1989 the stadium was demolished to make way for a downsized 10,000 seat replacement. The adjacent San Francisco Polytechnic High School on Frederick Street (above) has since been replaced (below) by the Park View Commons condominiums but the Art Deco-styled Boys and Girls Gymnasium buildings on either of it are still there.
Callahan arrives at the groundskeeper’s rooms under the grandstand where Scorpio has been staying; he’s not there but the sound of fleeing footsteps heralds the start of a frantic chase through the stadium.
Then … Callahan’s partner switches the stadium lights on to reveal Scorpio on the playing field. He raises his arms surrender style but Callahan being, well, Dirty Harry, aims and fires.
… and Now, this view looks to the south across Frederick Street. In both images the second home from the far left above the stands is the same.
Then … Callahan approaches Scorpio whose leg has sustained major damage from the gunshot. He had aimed to maim, not kill, because Ann Mary Deacon lies buried alive and only Scorpio knows where.
… and Now, here’s the north-facing view from the same spot today. The difference in seating capacity is very evident.
Using an interrogation technique not exactly in accordance with legal guidelines Callahan grinds his foot on the shattered leg and forces Scorpio, between screams, to divulge the victim’s location.
Then … A helicopter mounted camera (this was filmed before drones) pulls away for a wide shot. Callahan and Scorpio are close to the far 40 yard line; Frederick Street runs beyond and parallel to the stands off the picture to the left. (Compare it to the vintage image at the top of the post).
… and Now, the entrance tunnel in the Now image at the end of the track is gone and the arch at dead center is a replica of part of the original stadium.
Then … The deep knife wound inflicted by Callahan at the Mount Davidson Cross forces Scorpio to seek treatment. He limps into the small emergency hospital at 811 Stanyan Street close to Kezar Stadium at the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park (map).
… and Now, the building, a designated City Landmark, was built in 1902, one of four emergency hospitals in San Francisco during the early 1900s. It continued in this capacity until 1978 then as an ambulance station until 1991. It now serves as offices for the city’s Recreation and Parks District.
Its original name is still engraved in the stonework above the entrance.
The doctor who treated Scorpio calls the police to report the unusual situation. Inside the hospital Callahan desperately wants to know if he recognized the patient - Scorpio’s buried victim Ann Mary Deacon only has one hour of oxygen remaining.
Then … The doctor does indeed remember him. He takes Callahan outside the rear of the building and beckons across the parking lot to Kezar Stadium … apparently the man occasionally works for the groundskeeper who lets him stay in a room there.
… and Now, this aerial shows the matching buildings relative to the hospital. In the movie image above, the stadium stands are behind and to the left of the “NO THRU TRAFFIC’ sign; that structure was demolished in 1989 when the stadium was downsized to its current configuration. The other buildings visible above, circled in yellow below, are still there.
While looking at photos of fashion models at Jane’s studio George recognizes one of them; she was the nurse who had been on duty at his home the night Susan died. Knowing he is prime suspect number one in the police investigation and vehement in denying culpability, he realizes that finding her might help him.
Then … Jane wants to help George find the nurse. She meets her partner Larry at a photoshoot in the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park (map). The Torri Gate is behind the model posing at the top of the steps and behind that, the multi-tiered Pagoda. At left is the Temple Gate.
… and Now, CitySleuth was disappointed on arrival to find the Pagoda undergoing renovation, wrapped in plastic. A couple of notable changes are apparent: the Temple Gate is now a taller structure following a renovation in 1985 after deterioration of the original and the Torri Gate is gone, having been removed to storage in 2001, also because of deterioration.
But no worries, here’s a 2012 image showing the Pagoda without the offending shroud. The gardens were immaculately kept back then before the pandemic shutdown.
Then … Knowing that Larry had hired the nurse she asks him if he can remember her name or how to get in touch with her. From here the Pagoda is viewed across an ornamental lake; the glimpse of red at far left is part of the Temple Gate.
… and Now, 53 years later here’s that same boulder Jane was resting against. Also the leaning tree trunk next to it.
Then … Elsewhere in Golden Gate Park, Larry (French actor Jean Sobieski) recalls only that the nurse was an occasional hooker on the side.
… and Now, they were a ten minute walk away at the Conservatory of Flowers (map), a botanical garden in a vast greenhouse thought to be inspired by the one in Royal Kew Gardens in Richmond, London. The Conservatory opened in 1879 and over the decades since then has survived two serious fires, years of inadequate maintenance and a devastating wind storm in 1995 that smashed 40 percent of its glass panes, necessitating an 8 year closure. A blessing in disguise because following a $25 million restoration it reopened in 2003 in the pristine condition seen here. Compare it to its shabby state above.
Then … Jane asks Larry to hire Monica to pose for a photo layout at her studio as a ruse to find out if she knows the nurse. He makes the call from a phone booth at Fisherman’s Wharf. (Check out his cool British sports car, a late 1960s Morgan Plus 4).
… and Now, the matching shot was taken from the Red & White Fleet terminal at Pier 43 1/2 (map). The yellow Fisherman’s Wharf circular sign so recognizable to tourists is seen in both Then and Now images.
Car buffs might enjoy this fine example of a 1968 Morgan +4 on display at a concours d’elegance - compare it with Larry’s.
Jane sets Monica up for the shoot in a steamy interaction between the two to the sexy strains of composer Riz Ortolani’s score. She has already found out from inquiries around the club circuit that the nurse’s name was Elizabeth O’Neill and that she was a dancer who had in the past worked with Monica.
But the erotica suddenly ends when Jane flashes an image of Elizabeth on a screen and George appears, offering to pay for information on her whereabouts. Monica, angry, would only say that she had left town some time ago.
