Then … The San Franciscan Chinese-American community were not confined solely to Chinatown. The urban diaspora included the Richmond district, where Jo has arranged to meet Steve. As he arrives in his cab we can see Gordon’s Sporting Goods at right on the corner at 554 Clement Street.
… and Now, This view looks north along 7th Avenue across Clement Street to the Presidio in the background (map). The corner store at right where Gordon’s was is now the home of a Tinker Preschool. Check out those two power poles; 43 years later they are exactly the same, the furthest even leaning at the same angle.
Then … Steve is waiting in front of 325/327 7th Ave; the front steps of 321/323 are seen on the left. Jo pulls in as Chan Hung’s daughter Jenny (Emily Yamasaki) approaches with a friend.
… and Now, today we see that the entrance to 321/323 7th Ave over on the left has been remodeled.
Then … across the street is the former Lick Super Market at 350 7th Ave, at that time housing Louie’s Delicatessen and Petrini’s Fish, Poultry, Meat and Super Markets.
… and Now, that store is currently occupied by Smart & Final, a warehouse grocery. For reference in comparing the images, that’s the same power pole both Then and Now.
Then … Steve introduces himself, trying to impress them but falling flat with his best Richard Pryor imitation (a popular comedian back then). Jenny tells him that when her parents came to the U.S. her mother quickly assimilated but Chan did not. Her mom chastised him for not being successful like their sponsor, Mr Lee - she thinks her Dad went to see him just a week ago. Now Steve has another lead to follow in his search for Chan. The building stretching out behind them was the Lloyd’s Bank branch at 601 Clement.
… and Now, that building is now the Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy.
Matthew takes Elizabeth to meet his psychiatrist friend, Dr. David Kibner, who is signing his new book at a crowded bookstore. They bump into a friend, Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum), an intense young writer unimpressed with the book.
Then ... The exterior view of the colorful bookstore reveals the location - it was Bookplace Inc. at 50 Clement Street on the corner of 2nd Avenue in the Inner Richmond district (map). Note the small restaurant along the block, Eats, at 40 Clement Street...
... and Now, not long after this scene was filmed the bookstore closed and Eats took over the corner location; it's still there today. Its former space is currently occupied by Shi's Hair Studio.
In the bookstore a distraught woman is overheard confronting her husband for not being her husband - he has changed; she thinks he's an impostor. Kibner (Leonard Nimoy) quickly goes to her and plays down her fears ... "He's still your husband" ... "Will you trust me?".
Then ... As she leaves, Elizabeth stops her ... " I understand what you are trying to say" ... and asks her to call her at her office. She tells Matthew "That man is not her husband ... he is one of them".
... and Now, there are two pillars just visible amongst the crowd, at top center and top left center, above. They are seen in Eats restaurant in the matching shot, below.
Then ... At Matthew's urging, they leave the bookstore. Outside an antiques store across the street Kibner debunks Elizabeth's assertion that her boyfriend has been replaced by somebody else and suggests she is looking for an excuse to get out. Confused, she reluctantly agrees to think about it.
... and Now, back then the store was Golden Era Antiques at 15 Clement Street. The current tenant is the high-end leather goods boutique April In Paris.
Then ... 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.