San Francisco in the Vertigo Era

[Ivan Kipling]

Originally Posted by richstyle

That is one fine looking suit. I like it so much I'd even wear it. But the thing is, don't you think a suit on Kim in that movie would not have matched her down-at-the-heels character?

Rich . . . Kim DID wear a gray suit, in that film . . . when she was supposed to be, whoever she was impersonating. And it was a 'couture' suit, because Edith Head made it for Kim Novak. That's why I drew the contrast between Edith Head's suit, which to my eye looks confused and unharmonious, and the YSL couture suit, which to my eye . . . comes very close to perfection.

 

[Parker]

Great photos. Vertigo is one of my top 20 movies. Except for the clothing and automobiles, San Francisco still looks very much like this. Wow, I'd never seen that house (picture 79) on Washington and Maple in Laurel Heights. I don't think it's there anymore. Spectacular. San Francisco is a city of extremes. It can be one moment light-filled and hopeful and the next dreary and foreboding. Probably why Hitchcock liked Northern California so much. Thanks for finding and sharing these.

 

[itsstillmatt]

I was at a party in that house perhaps 20 years ago. It was the residence of Madeleine Haas Russel and is by far the most architecturally significant house in San Francisco. It is a really beautiful place.

 

[richstyle]

Originally Posted by Manton

It's the original rotunda from the old City of Paris department store. As late as the 70s, Union Square was still ringed by native SF institutions, including CofP and I. Magnin. When CofP closed in (I believe) '75, Neiman's wanted to replace the whole building, but preservationists forced them to retain the rotunda. The rest of the facade is new, or was new to Neiman's. (BTW, it is a couple of blocks from the Palace, which is actually on the south side of Market.)

Back then, even a few private houses remained on the square. I dimly recall visiting a house on Stockton, at the east side of the square, where the mother of one of my father's law partners lived alone. Or, really, not one of his partners because at the time he was not a partner. Anyway, she was an intimidating old dowager. I could have the location wrong, but I don't think so, because he and I have spoken about it in more recent years.


It's in there. There are also great shots of the "McKitrick Hotel," a/k/a Carlotta Valdez's house, at Eddy & Gough. The movie was filmed shortly before the house was torn down. The pictures were taken just after the film, and right before demolition. Today, the lot is a soccer field.


That water is unbelievably dangerous. If the tide sucks you out even a little bit, you are going to have a problem. Sailing out the gate, while a hell of a lot of fun, has a delightful element of danger, in that if you pitch into the drink between the towers, over the channel, you are probably not coming out. The water is like 300 feet deep in the channel, and the sides are steep as hell, and that narrow gauge combined with the tides means that the water zips in and out of there at incredibly high speeds.


There is a guy who is convinced that he lives in Dashiell Hammet's Tenderloin apartment, where he wrote The Maltese Falcon. He can't prove it, but he makes a good circumstantial case.

Fascinating.

Now New York City of course would have countless sites from countless movies filmed there, but you might know this. 650 Madison Avenue, now the location where Ralph Lauren is headquartered, is the office building Cary Grant walks out of in the opening scene of North by Northwest. Correct? I've seen the onset stills and it's as clear as day, but as with all of these things, it's good to get further confirmation and agreement because you can easily miss something.

 

[richstyle]

Originally Posted by Ivan Kipling

Rich . . . Kim DID wear a gray suit, in that film . . . when she was supposed to be, whoever she was impersonating. And it was a 'couture' suit, because Edith Head made it for Kim Novak. That's why I drew the contrast between Edith Head's suit, which to my eye looks confused and unharmonious, and the YSL couture suit, which to my eye . . . comes very close to perfection.

Right you are, Cool Guy Kipling. I was wrong. She was supposed to be high fashion at that point in the film because she was being paid by the rich guy, so it would follow she would be in something couture-y. Your criticisms are astute and your points well taken.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by richstyle

650 Madison Avenue, now the location where Ralph Lauren is headquartered, is the office building Cary Grant walks out of in the opening scene of North by Northwest. Correct?

I don't know, I would have to look again. The current 650 (above 59th) is a glass box from the 80s. It's possible that one of my architecture books has a photo of what it replaced. It's also possible that I might be able to recognize the intersection from other landmarks. Off the top of my head, I do recall that scene as being clearly shot on Madison. You also see the bus, with its route designation. And then, of course, the bad guys (and Ms. Saint) refer to him as being "of Madison Avenue." They were not refering to his residence.

 

[Manton]

BTW, another great "on location" SF movie is The Conversation. Aside from being a terrific film, the opening montage gives a great and detailed look at the old Union Square, before it was transformed into the silly monstrosity it is now. The hedge pattern was beautiful.

richstyle, it was shot in '73, in between Coppola's work on the two Godfathers. (Can you imagine being able to crank out Godfather I, The Conversation, and Godfather II in rapid succession like that?) You can see the square as it was, including the old City of Paris building before Neiman's went up.

 

[itsstillmatt]

The irony of San Francisco having a conquering warrior (no idea who it is) on a pedestal in Union Square is just too rich. I am surprised that they do not protest him retroactively.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by iammatt

The irony of San Francisco having a conquering warrior (no idea who it is) on a pedestal in Union Square is just too rich. I am surprised that they do not protest him retroactively.
Admiral George Dewey, victor of the Battle of Manila Bay. An imperialist war, no less!

The town square in Arcata has a statue of William McKinley, and they have had a long, anguished debate about taking it down, and maybe replacing it with an enviormentalist like John Muir. But he's still a white male, so even that gets people upset. Plus, Humbolt County still has a lot of conservative interests (loggers, biker gangs) that don't have a single PC bone in their bodies, and they want Bill to stay.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Originally Posted by Manton

BTW, another great "on location" SF movie is The Conversation. Aside from being a terrific film, the opening montage gives a great and detailed look at the old Union Square, before it was transformed into the silly monstrosity it is now. The hedge pattern was beautiful.
i was going to post the very same thing-----beat me to it. both these films are favorites of mine