Dirty Harry - Ransom Run: At The Marina
Incensed with the police for trying to take him out on the roof of the Dante Building, Scorpio has kidnapped 14 year-old Ann Mary Deacon and buried her alive with just a few hours of oxygen. He demands $200,000 in cash to reveal her location.
Then … The authorities gather up the money and assign Callahan to be the bag man. He gets word to take it to the Marina Green East Harbor.
… and Now, the matching view looks east from the path along the Marina Green side of the harbor toward Fort Mason (map).
In this south facing overview of the harbor the Marina Green is at lower right, Fort Mason at upper left. The locations of the harbor scenes are indicated; the Then and Now images above were taken from location 1. (Photo by David Oppenheimer).
Then … With the yellow ransom bag at his feet Callahan waits to be contacted (location 2 in the overview above). Lit up in the distance is the Marina Safeway store, at location 4 above.
… and Now, the lampposts on the path today are at the same places as they were above. The Safeway store is still there but now hidden behind distant trees from here.
Here’s a recent nighttime shot of the Marina Safeway - note its distinctive curved roofline, clearly discernible in the Then image above.
Then … A public phone at the end of the path (location 3 in the overview above) starts to ring; Callahan sprints towards it. The gangway behind him is the same one that’s behind him in the Then image above.
… and Now, from the same spot today that gangway, still there, is hidden by shrubs, but the gangway next to the phone booth above has been removed.
Scorpio tells him he will bounce him all over town from phone booth to phone booth to make sure he’s alone. He can’t use a car; he’ll be given time to get there… but if he’s late… “the girl dies”.
… but Callahan isn’t alone - he is radio wiretapped to his partner Gonzalez who is parked nearby (that’s the Marina Safeway glowing behind him). When he overhears Scorpio say the next phone booth is at Forest Hill Station, he immediately heads over there. (San Franciscans will sympathize with Callahan - the Forest Hill Metro Muni station is 6 miles across town!).