Then … George has a meeting with a potential investor in Reno, Nevada. Jane accompanies him on the drive there from San Luis Obispo, on the way passing a small town alongside the snow-blanketed freeway. Note the metal structure arrowed on the right, a clue to this location.
… and Now, They were driving east on Interstate 80 with a view of Truckee, California, right after passing the Truckee exit (map). Trees along the freeway’s edge now block most of the town from here but that structure (railway control lights are mounted on it) is still there; it spans the railway line that passes through Truckee.
Then … They arrive at their destination, here driving under the famous Reno Arch on the way to their hotel (map).
… and Now, The arch, on N. Virginia St. at Commercial Row, first appeared here in 1926 but has seen several changes over the years. The one seen above in the movie was a 1963 redesign, the second version. Today’s (third) version was installed in 1987 and repainted in 2018 (photo by Richard Wong). Elsewhere in this blog is the original arch, seen in the 1947 noir movie Born To Kill.
Trivia time: What happened to the old arches? They are still around - the first arch was relocated in Reno to Lake Street near the Truckee River; the second was bought by the northern California town of Willits who discarded its gaudily colored plastic panels and reconfigured it to pronounce their town ‘The Gateway To The Redwoods’.
Then … While playing the slot machines at their hotel George receives an urgent phone call from his brother Henry; Jane can see from his face that it’s not good news. George’s wife Susan has died from an asthma attack.
… circa 1960 … ‘Mapes Casino’ was visible on the slot machine above, revealing where it was filmed - in Reno’s Mapes Hotel. This vintage photo of the art deco-style building, built in 1947 at the junction of N. Virginia and the Truckee River (map), closed down in 1982 before being spectacularly demolished by implosion in 2000 (watch it here).
… and Now, the site of the grand hotel is now a city-owned plaza.
More trivia … the Mapes Hotel casino also appeared in the 1961 movie The Misfits. The Mapes served as the production center for the movie and many cast and crew stayed there, including Marilyn Monroe and then-husband Arthur Miller, pictured here in their hotel suite after a day’s shooting. They were to divorce very shortly afterwards, ending five years of marriage.
George rushes back to his San Francisco home and, with Henry and Susan’s sister Martha, gazes down on Susan for the last time in this solemn scene. Martha, still angry at George’s lack of commitment to the marriage, angrily asks him to leave.
They watch as Susan’s body is transferred into a hearse. Citysleuth is still looking for this location, described earlier in more detail. The license plate on the hearse is Q 25 416 which was the California commercial plate format (1 letter + 5 numbers) in the 1960s when the movie was filmed. So was this a California location? Maybe, maybe not. Can any reader amongst you shed light on this?
Then … As Jane’s train approaches the San Luis Obispo station, the camera zooms out from a closeup of the station name. But hold on… there’s snow on the ground… in Southern California’s San Luis Obispo? Gimme a break! A business sign on the left reveals where this was really filmed - at the Reno SP station in Northern Nevada (map). (Incidentally, this train is heading towards San Francisco!).
… c. 1930 … Reno’s SP Depot dates back to 1868 but this was the fifth building, built in 1926, following four fires that destroyed its predecessors. Smartly (duh!) constructed with brick and stucco it has survived to this day. Here’s a vintage postcard image of it.
… and Now, the depot building, at upper right, hasn’t changed (except it’s now an Amtrak station) but the train tracks surely have. In 2005 a deep trench spanning several blocks was excavated to lower the tracks to enable unimpeded bridge crossings for the city streets.
As the train grinds to a halt note the railcar with a dome and a name-plate on its side…
Jane gets off the train looking morose, as though she regrets splitting up with George. The trains pulls out, revealing the name of that coach: Silver Chalet.
This was one of the Vista Dome cars belonging to Western Pacific’s California Zephyr that regularly ran between Chicago and Oakland, each of which had a unique name - here’s a vintage photo of it. Reader CDL points out in the comments that the California Zephyr did not run through Reno; what’s more, the locomotive pulling the train (top photo) is a Southern Pacific, not Western Pacific, locomotive. Western Pacific discontinued the Zephyr in 1970; perhaps they sold some railcars to Southern Pacific prior to then.
Then … But, surprise! George’s mad dash to catch the train got him there in time.
… in 1928 … another early postcard image shows the depot from the same perspective; Lake Street crosses the tracks in the foreground.
… and Now, a recent Google Street View image taken from the same spot shows why the train tracks were lowered; no need since then for street traffic control like that seen above.
Their eyes meet, her face lights up …
Then … Reunited, they are an item again.
… in 1947 … 22 years earlier Lawrence Tierney and Claire Trevor had been filmed on the same platform in the excellent noir Born To Kill.
Then ... Helen returns to her rented room at a Reno boarding house on a well-to-do street lined with mature trees and lets her landlady know she will be returning to San Francisco the next morning.
... and Now, CitySleuth is still searching for this location and would be delighted if in the meantime a reader might recognize where it is and let him know.
Then ... But first, one last fling at the Northern Club casino where we get a glimpse of its glitzy neon awning and marquee.
... a vintage photo ... There is a Northern Club in Reno but reader HH has pointed out that the exterior above was filmed at the Northern Club at 15 E. Fremont Street in Las Vegas; the Northern closed in 1942 so 5 years later the moviemakers used stock footage for this shot. Here's a vintage photo of the club c.1940.
... another vintage photo ... and here's another photo from the same viewpoint as in the movie. It was taken in 1942, the year the club closed as the Northern. The Las Vegas club and the newly opened Pioneer are further down the block.
... and Now, when the Northern closed, the Turf club took its place. In turn that became the Monte Carlo club then the Coin Castle and in 1999 the LaBayou which is still there under the lofty metal canopy that today covers a four block stretch - the 'Fremont Street Experience' (map).
Helen is drawn to a lively craps table and joins in, betting against the shooter, Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney). An animal attraction is immediately apparent, a fateful meeting destined to doom them both.
Up walks a neighbor, Laury Palmer (Isabel Jewell) - she lives next door to Helen's boarding house - with a boyfriend, Danny (Tony Barrett). She confides to Helen that she is also dating Sam but has brought Danny along to needle him and keep him honest. As we shall find out, bad idea.
Helen Brent from San Francisco has just spent six weeks in Reno to meet the Nevada state residency requirement for a divorce.
Then ... The movie opens with a shot of Reno's iconic arch spanning Virginia Street at Commercial Row (map).
... and Now, the arch has undergone changes over the decades. Here it is today, the third version since it was originally installed in 1926.
Then ... The camera looks south down Virginia Street with casinos, cafes and bars lining the street on both sides. The Riverside Hotel faces us from the other side of the Truckee River where Virginia Street chicanes around to the left. That's the shadow of the arch in the near foreground.
... in the 1950s ... a picture postcard view taken a few years later shows the same scene in glorious color. Additional casinos have appeared by this time, undoubtedly the heyday of the Reno strip. The Riverside then was the hotel of choice by the well-heeled for their six week divorce residency.
... and Now, Harolds Club and the Nevada Club on the left are gone now, victims of the competitive success of rival Harrah's and other newer, flashier casinos. The Riverside Hotel building is still there although the hotel closed in 1987, eventually replaced by retail stores and artists' lofts.
Then ... Helen and her attorney emerge from the courthouse.
... and Now, this is the Washoe County Courthouse on Virginia Street a few blocks south of the Reno Arch (map), still there and still in use. It was built in 1911 with a neo-classical design that incorporated the original 1872 courthouse within it.
Helen (Claire Trevor) thanks the attorney for securing her divorce and bids him goodbye. Her smart outfit is the first of many that she wears with style throughout the movie. A classy dame to be sure but as we shall see, this being the dark world of noir, she too has a dark side.