The Sniper - Amusement Park
Miller is next seen at an amusement park. One might expect director Dmytryck would pick San Francisco's Playland At The Beach for these scenes but no, he chose The Pike at Long Beach in southern California. The reason soon becomes apparent ...
Then ... Miller can't resist the shooting gallery. The Double Wheel ride towers over him in the background.
... a vintage postcard image ... the Pike, open since 1902, was closed down in 1979 but this image shows the Double Wheel ride during its heyday.
Then ... The Cyclone Racer rollercoaster is behind him as he passes the Laff In The Dark ride, a main attraction at The Pike.
... from the 1950s ... a vintage photo of the ride in full color.
Below, Miller can't resist this one - an opportunity to vent his misogynistic feelings (click image to enlarge).
Then (1964) ... The Pike amusement park, in yellow on the 1964 map below, extended along Seaside Blvd between Magnolia Pier and Rainbow Pier (click image to enlarge).
... and Now, land reclamation and redevelopment has swallowed up both of these old piers. The Rainbow Pier is now the site of the Long Beach Convention Center. The site of the original Pike is overlayed on this ma (click image to enlarge).
... and Now, today there is a new Pike at Rainbow Harbor, a development completed in 2004 (map). A shadow of its former self, it is primarily a retail/dining/cinema complex. In a nod to the past it has a Ferris Wheel, a Carousel and a footbridge with a design that invokes the original Cyclone Racer roller coaster.