Then ... Tailing Camerero has so far failed to lead Jake and Larsen to the supplier of the 'grease gun' - the murder weapon. It's time for some psychological warfare. In a ploy to rattle him Jake asks Larsen to go to Camerero's office and drop off the wartime photo they found of him with one of the murdered bus victims. (Patience, dear reader, it's a convoluted story but the location shots are great). His office is at One Embarcadero Center, also seen earlier in the movie; below, the dogged duo are on the promenade level where a Willi Gutman sculpture rises behind them.
... and Now, the sculpture is still there, partially hidden by the Landmark Theatre structure that has since been added. Partially hidden too is the iconic Transamerica pyramid in the background.
That same sculpture made an appearance in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, filmed around the same time. The One Embarcadero highrise behind it, below, is the building on the left, above.
Then ... They keep watch on his car but he doesn't take the bait.
... and Now, this is Level A of One Embarcadero Center's underground garage.
Larsen even tries to persuade Monica, the nurse he had interviewed earlier, to call Camerero pretending to be somebody else. She finds the whole idea hilariously against the law and isn't persuaded. But what and where was this quirky place? And who was MacPhee? Two readers have suggested Napper Tandy's, a little pub/entertainment place on the Plaza next to the Hyatt on Union Square. CitySleuth would like to find a contemporaneous photo that could confirm or rule this out.
Then ... Another futile day of shadowing ends at Camerero's home. The address, displayed on the side wall as 85 St. Elmo, tells us where it is ....
... and Now, over 40 years later at 85 St. Elmo Way in the upscale hillside neighborhood of Monterey Heights (map), despite the magnificent tree being taller and sturdier, the lamps flanking the entrance now gone and the address sign moved to the other side, the home still looks as it was.
Jake decides it's time to confront the suspect directly. He shows up at his Embarcadero Center office (with an east-facing view towards Yerba Buena Island) but Camerero tells his secretary to say he is not there. Clearly though, he's rattled; they are on to him.
Then ... Jake tells Larsen he knows Camerero was there so they wait for him outside the building's garage. When his Mercedes pulls out, they are about to embark on a wild car chase across the city ...
... and Now, this is the Battery Street exit of One Embarcadero's underground garage (map); there's now an added staircase over on the left.
Then ... Â The caption moves the story to its next phase where the camera looks towards the Ferry Building on the left then, slowly panning to the right, reveals the Financial District.
... and Now, the city today is even richer.  Both panoramas, facing east across San Francisco Bay, were taken from the Fairmont hotel on Nob Hill (map). (The reverse view from the bay was seen earlier in the previous post).  Note the Bay Bridge below, at upper left; the movie image above, filmed early in 1920, preceded its opening by 16 years.  Old St. Mary's Church tower in the center foreground is a common denominator in both images.
  The amputee is now an adult, known only as Blizzard (Lon Chaney), with an enormous axe to grind, intent on avenging the malpractice inflicted on him as a child.  He makes his entrance, below, a little later in the movie.  To get in character Lon Chaney doubled his legs back, strapped his ankles to his thighs then attached specially designed wooden stumps.  It was painful; he had a limited time for each scene before having to take them off.  An oversized coat hid his legs and he wore padding beneath his clothes to maintain proportion.  Quite the sacrifice, making his remarkable performance even more so.
Then ...  The city panorama is followed by views of contrasting neighborhoods that illustrate the socially opposed lives of the movie's main characters.  First we see the now successful and respected Dr. Ferris being chauffeured  from an enclave of exclusive homes.
... and Now, this is Presidio Terrace on Arguello Blvd at Washington at the edge of the Inner Richmond district (map). The gated (but it's always open) community of 36 luxury homes, most of them built between 1905 and 1920, has been home to the city's smart set ever since.
... and Now, in this aerial view the mostly Beaux Arts, Mission Revival and Tudor Revival homes flank a circular road.  When the enclave opened, its advertised policy reflected the blatant discrimination of the time ... "There is only one spot in San Francisco where only Caucasians are permitted to buy or lease real estate or where they may reside. That place is Presidio Terrace."    Many dignitaries over the years have lived here including Senator Dianne Feinstein whose former home was 30 Presidio Terrace, the English Tudor at far left above.  Typical sales prices for these homes are in the $5 - 10 million range.
Then ...  Next, a street in a shabbier neighborhood, Blizzard's stomping ground. The pagoda-like tower in the background suggests this is Chinatown, mostly rebuilt since its devastation by the 1906 earthquake and fire only 14 years earlier.
... and Now, sure enough, this is Chinatown's Grant Avenue looking south from Clay (map).  The pagoda belongs to the Sing Chong Building on the corner of California Street.  The neighborhood, because of its tradition, resistance to change and absence of trees, has maintained its look and feel for over a century.  Long may that continue!  And what if the old man crossing the street above were time-transported into the scene below?  He might be forgiven if he thought the lady on the left was nursing an earache and the man on the right was reading his own palm.
Then ...  And, at the far end of the social scale, the infamous and licentious Barbary Coast where the two sailors entering the Diana Hall saloon are oblivious to the  policeman harassing a couple of prostitutes in the street.  The bar next to it is Spider Kelly's, and next to that (with the columns) the Hippodrome, a drinking and dancing establishment which will play a part as the story unfolds.
... and Now, This is the north side of the 500 block of Pacific Avenue between Montgomery and Kearny (map) in what is today known as the Jackson Square neighborhood having traded its early 20th century pimps, prostitutes and bartenders for lawyers, interior designers and high-end office and boutique workers while still retaining its old commercial character.
  The Penalty is a very entertaining silent film starring Lon Chaney in a remarkable performance that made him famous.  Its addition to this blog takes us back to 1920 San Francisco and lets us see how the movie's location sites have changed over the passage of almost 100 years.
Â
  The  movie's opening credits roll over a background of the Ferry Building at the turn of the century as seen from the bay (map).  But this is a stylized matte painted image, the clock tower is similar to but a little different from that of the current Ferry Building which replaced an earlier wooden structure in 1898 and has remained more or less unchanged to this day.  Also, the hill to the right, perhaps meant to be Nob Hill, would not loom so large when viewed from this far out.
Then ... Had the moviemakers used the actual bay view when they filmed the movie it would have looked similar to this contemporaneous postcard photo.  The building at far right is the Fairmont Hotel, atop Nob Hill since 1906.  Left of center is the Southern Pacific Building, there since 1916.
... and Now, Â in a drastic transformation the Financial District today dwarfs the surviving Ferry Building and Southern Pacific Building.
  (Note to readers -  to streamline readability CitySleuth has taken the liberty of attaching the script from the title cards beneath the image).
  The story begins with an inexperienced doctor (Charles Clary) called upon to operate on a young accident victim.
  He decides to amputate both of the unfortunate boy's legs above the knee.  Right after the operation his senior colleague checks the boy out and tells Ferris he has made a huge mistake.
  Ferris has mangled the poor child for life but the older doctor covers for him and lies to the boy's parents.
  The boy had overheard the doctors' conversation and tries to tell his parents but they believe their explanation that he is delusional from the anesthetic... "It's the effect of the ether".
Â
  The boy now has to wear artificial stumps for the rest of his life - he will grow up with a twisted determination to wreak revenge both on the doctor and the city of San Francisco itself.
They stroll alongside a pond, their images reflected in the water (to help find the location, CitySleuth has inverted the movie image). The yellow flowers prompt Maude to declare she would like to change into a sunflower... "They're so tall and simple... what flower would you like to be?".
Then ... Harold isn't sure... as their voiceover continues they are seen, upper left, sitting amongst a sea of daisies planted row upon row... "One of these maybe... because they're all alike". (That's the lower end of those rows behind them in the reflection above).
... and Now, here's the pond, now overgrown, that captured their reflection; the daisy field was on the far slope but now lies fallow. It was filmed at the Cozzolino Nursery farm at 11881 San Mateo road (Highway 92) on the outskirts of the coastal town of Half Moon Bay (map). CitySleuth is grateful to the Cozzolinos for allowing him access to their property.
Here's a detailed south-facing aerial view of the farm today. The different parts of the property that appear during this movie scene are highlighted.
But Maude disagrees with Harold, pointing out that no two daisies are alike... "some are smaller, some are fatter, some grow to the left, some to the right, some even have lost some petals - all kinds of observable differences". It's her way of saying that, in our own way, we are all unique.
Then ... In a poignant juxtaposition the director cuts to a military cemetery, presenting a stark contrast between life and death. Unlike Maude's daisies, the headstones are identical and regimented.
... and Now, this is the northwest view from the overlook at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno (map). Another view of this cemetery is seen later in the movie.
For those wanting to visit this spot, the overlook is shown on Circle Drive on the map below.
Then ... As Maude drives down from the daisy field the farmhouse at 11881 San Mateo Road (marked on the aerial map above) is seen in the foreground. At the far left the light glints off a spillway leading down from the pond.
... and Now, an exterior closet has since been added to the farmhouse. The arrow points to where the daisy field was planted.
Then ... They continue on over a bridge (marked on the aerial map above) .
... and Now, the bridge links the farmhouse driveway over Pilarcitos Creek to the road.
Then ... She screeches onto the road, by way of the opposite lane. (Incidentally, actress Ruth Gordon could not drive so all of Maude's driving scenes used a stunt driver).
... and Now, this corner is referred to by the locals as the 'House Of Doors' corner. Read on for the reason why.
Then ... She over-corrects and barrels by on this side of the power pole past two hitchhikers who can't quite take in what they just saw.
... and Now, this spot is also pointed out on the aerial map above. On the far right across the street is the pathway entrance to 11880 San Mateo Road, a funky old house known locally as the 'House Of Doors'.
The house, seen below in an early 1980s photo, is so-named because it was literally built out of old wooden doors, reportedly by a German saloon-keeper who is said to have acquired the doors from dismantled buildings when San Francisco's 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition closed down. A more recent photo is seen in this listing when, refurbished, it sold in 2013 for $345,000.