San Francisco Citizen

Say what you will about that highly-rated Dirty Harry film, it ably shows you what the 415 looked like back in 1971, back before it became too expensive for Hollywood to do business in San Francisco. This movie is all 100% genuine on-location San Francisco Bay Area (with the exception of the early bank heist shots).

Now these days, the Golden Gate Park’s Buffalo Paddock doesn’t have more than a half-dozen critters. There’s just a handful left, all female (the Golden Girls let’s call them), so unless Ted Turner comes through with his offer of free bison from one of his ranches in Montana or someplace, we’re going to run out of bison.

But check out how things were back in the day. They were all over. See?

You can barely make out the school bus that psychotic hippie Scorpio just hijacked:

Click to expand

I’ll get some more screen grabs and make some more posts from this movie later on.

In the meantime, check out all the locations – there are lots and lots:

In San Francisco:

• 555 California Street
• California Hall, 625 Polk Street (until recently, the California Culinary Academy)
• San Francisco City Hall
• Hall of Justice – 850 Bryant Street
• Forest Hill Station
• Hilton San Francisco Financial District, 750 Kearny Street – rooftop swimming pool in opening scenes
• Kezar Stadium – Frederick Street, Golden Gate Park
• Dolores Park, Mission District
• Mount Davidson
• Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Washington Square, 666 Filbert Street
• Washington Square, North Beach
• Big Al’s, 556 Broadway St.
• Roaring 20’s strip club, 552 Broadway
• North Beach, San Francisco

Other locations

• Larkspur Landing — scene of Callahan and Scorpio’s showdown, known as the Hutchinson’s Rock Quarry when filmed
• Greenbrae, California
• Mill Valley, California
• Universal Studios Hollywood — San Francisco Street (Hot dog café / Bank robbery sequence)