It’s the morning of George’s execution; word of the murders of Susan and Henry in Paris that same day have not reached California as he is being prepared for the gas chamber. In these remarkable images filmed inside San Quentin the guards attending him were the real guards, not actors.
He is led into the gas chamber where a guard stands ready to strap him into one of the two side-by-side chairs.
The chamber door is closed tight and the guard, poised to turn on the gas, watches the clock as the final minutes tick down to the 10 am execution time.
We learn of George’s fate from a TV reporter and the telex message that brought the news of the shocking events in Paris to the Californian authorities just minutes before execution time. (Typo trivia note - the name ‘Worsmer’ should be ‘Wormser’).
Then … Speaking from within the gas chamber, viewed from outside through an open door, the reporter explains that the telephone next to the chamber with a direct connection to the Governor’s office rang just before the deadline with a reprieve order. George’s life had been spared and he was released.
… and Now, here’s that same door in a March 2019 photo, now closed and referencing Executive Order N-09-19 which reprieved all prisoners on death row at that time from execution and banned further capital punishment during the term of the current Governor. This after the State had spent $5 billion on a death penalty system that had executed only 13 people since 1978.
Then … The movie ends with an overhead shot of San Quentin Prison. The panorama below captures the entrance area of the prison at lower right and on the left looks east across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge towards Contra Costa County in the distance.
… and Now, here’s a recent aerial view of the prison and of the bridge, the northernmost east-west road crossing of San Francisco Bay (map). Both are still there and operational.
This 1971 aerial shows Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park (map) as it was when the scenes of Dirty Harry catching up with Scorpio were filmed there. The 60,000 seat stadium opened in 1925 as a venue for a variety of sports but is perhaps best remembered as the home of the San Francisco 49ers from 1946 to 1970 (their last game there was the NFC championship game against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan 3, 1971. They lost, 17-10).
… and Now, in 1989 the stadium was demolished to make way for a downsized 10,000 seat replacement. The adjacent San Francisco Polytechnic High School on Frederick Street (above) has since been replaced (below) by the Park View Commons condominiums but the Art Deco-styled Boys and Girls Gymnasium buildings on either of it are still there.
Callahan arrives at the groundskeeper’s rooms under the grandstand where Scorpio has been staying; he’s not there but the sound of fleeing footsteps heralds the start of a frantic chase through the stadium.
Then … Callahan’s partner switches the stadium lights on to reveal Scorpio on the playing field. He raises his arms surrender style but Callahan being, well, Dirty Harry, aims and fires.
… and Now, this view looks to the south across Frederick Street. In both images the second home from the far left above the stands is the same.
Then … Callahan approaches Scorpio whose leg has sustained major damage from the gunshot. He had aimed to maim, not kill, because Ann Mary Deacon lies buried alive and only Scorpio knows where.
… and Now, here’s the north-facing view from the same spot today. The difference in seating capacity is very evident.
Using an interrogation technique not exactly in accordance with legal guidelines Callahan grinds his foot on the shattered leg and forces Scorpio, between screams, to divulge the victim’s location.
Then … A helicopter mounted camera (this was filmed before drones) pulls away for a wide shot. Callahan and Scorpio are close to the far 40 yard line; Frederick Street runs beyond and parallel to the stands off the picture to the left. (Compare it to the vintage image at the top of the post).
… and Now, the entrance tunnel in the Now image at the end of the track is gone and the arch at dead center is a replica of part of the original stadium.
Then … Henry and Susan are on their way abroad to a rendezvous while George faces his appointment with the gas chamber in San Quentin. Below, Henry exits the terminal at the airport in Paris.
This is the South terminal at Orly airport. Other than the new control tower under construction above, it was little changed from how it looked in this early 1960s postcard image.
… and Now, the terminal has been jazzed up today with a fancy mural. In 2019 it was renamed Terminal Orly 4.
Then … He enters his destination, the Vagenende restaurant at 142 Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris’s left bank (map). Originally a 19th century patisserie, it became a restaurant in 1904, an iconic art nouveau establishment still there today.
We see in this 2010 photo that the restaurant had still retained a similar look four decades later; along the way though the exterior patio’s streetside entrance had been opened up and it had gained art nouveau embellishments on the side panels.
… and Now, today however the exterior has been modernized. Fotunately, not so for the classic interior.
Then … He makes his way to his table.
… and Now, the restaurant’s art nouveau interior has survived untouched, but the stylish brass lamps spaced out on the filigreed partitions are no longer there. In this daytime matching view, Boulevard Saint-Germain is reflected in the mirrored walls.
Then … He takes his seat alongside another one of those fine lamps, checking his watch knowing his lover will soon join him. But, uh-oh, eagle-eyed viewers may recognize the man sitting in the background…
… and Now, Henry’s table was the one just past the pillar by the end of a banquette which has been added since the movie was filmed.
Then … Susan enters, anxiously looking around for Henry. The busy Boulevard Saint-Germain is seen behind her.
… and Now, here’s a recent photo of the entrance looking out through the exterior patio.
The star-crossed lovers meet…
Then … But their stars weren’t aligned after all; her obsessed client Benjamin Wormser who she had peremptorily dismissed from her life is there for revenge. The pain in his face says it all; he doesn’t want to do it but he must. He shoots them both dead, the scene carefully framed to capture the victims’ demise reflected in the mirrored column next to him.
… and Now, here’s that same column. (Tap or click on the arrows to see the mirror’s reflection step back in time).
Henry had planned the perfect murder. He had anticipated everything. Except this.
Then … The deep knife wound inflicted by Callahan at the Mount Davidson Cross forces Scorpio to seek treatment. He limps into the small emergency hospital at 811 Stanyan Street close to Kezar Stadium at the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park (map).
… and Now, the building, a designated City Landmark, was built in 1902, one of four emergency hospitals in San Francisco during the early 1900s. It continued in this capacity until 1978 then as an ambulance station until 1991. It now serves as offices for the city’s Recreation and Parks District.
Its original name is still engraved in the stonework above the entrance.
The doctor who treated Scorpio calls the police to report the unusual situation. Inside the hospital Callahan desperately wants to know if he recognized the patient - Scorpio’s buried victim Ann Mary Deacon only has one hour of oxygen remaining.
Then … The doctor does indeed remember him. He takes Callahan outside the rear of the building and beckons across the parking lot to Kezar Stadium … apparently the man occasionally works for the groundskeeper who lets him stay in a room there.
… and Now, this aerial shows the matching buildings relative to the hospital. In the movie image above, the stadium stands are behind and to the left of the “NO THRU TRAFFIC’ sign; that structure was demolished in 1989 when the stadium was downsized to its current configuration. The other buildings visible above, circled in yellow below, are still there.
