This hit the blogosphere a few weeks ago but we’re just getting around to it now… A new map has been created that shows where movie scenes have been shot in San Francisco.
The data comes from an open source provided by the San Francisco Film Commission. Interestingly, there are a lot of movies not noted on the map like the scene from Harold & Maude that took place at the Sutro Baths ruins, but that is probably more a symptom of the Commission’s lack of data.
(If you’re curious about the full list of San Francisco films that are on the map, you can view it here.)
Newer films like Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine aren’t on the map yet; he filmed at Ocean Beach as well as at Gaspare’s Pizzeria on Geary. And let’s not forget Woody directing and starring in his 1969 film “Take The Money And Run”, which included a robbery scene at what was then a Bank of America on the corner of Clement and 9th Avenue (it’s now a Bank of the West).
Some classics are noted on the map like The Lineup, and you may find a few “no kidding?!”‘s on there like The Wedding Planner, starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey, which contained a scene at Lands End.
Too bad the map doesn’t allow for crowdsourced data – I am sure the readers of this blog know lots of spots in the ‘hood where movies have been filmed. 🙂
Sarah B.
What a treat to see the Sutro Baths. Thanks so much!
I remember going to Land’s End for the first time after moving to San Francisco, and being so excited when I realized that was where the Harold & Maude scene had been filmed. I only wish that stair were still open to the public!
The movie “What’s Up Doc?” filmed an iconic scene at 23rd and Balboa, in the valley between 22nd and 24th. The concept of two movers carrying a huge piece of glass in the middle of a chase scene has been copied many many times since. I wouldn’t be surprised if that idea came from an earlier movie, but “What’s Up Doc?” is the oldest version I can recall.
Don’t forget the movie shorts that Balboa theater employees currently film…in you guessed it…the Balboa Theater lobby and viewing rooms. These shorts frequently play before the popular movies start to roll.
Bill Wattenburg gets blown up by a r/c car, in Sea Cliff, in The Dead Pool.
@3rdGen @Tim – Thanks, I added those clips to the post. What a great chase scene on Balboa! Going backwards down a hill on a bike ain’t easy!
Sarah B.
Ant Man is currently filming in San Francisco. I know parts are being filmed downtown, but I had heard rumors that some scenes were being filmed at the Academy of Sciences, which would make sense for Ant Man.
Biking to work today, I passed a tent in the Panhandle of the park that was there yesterday, with seating for a few hundred. There were food trucks there and I asked the security guy today if this was part of a movie set and he said yes. I can only assume this is where the extras or crew eat on their breaks; I asked him if this was for Ant-Man and he said “No, this is for a movie called Bigfoot”, which is, for those of us geeks, well-known as being the code name for the Ant-Man production.
I saw a scene of “Heart and Souls” a 1993 film with Kyra Sedgewick and Robert Downey, Jr. being filmed on Collins Street, behind the Laurel Village Shopping Center!
Also the movie” Play Misty for Me,” with Clint Eastwood was shot in the then ice cream parlor on the NW corner of 25th and Geary Blvd.
And let’s add “Dying Young” to the list; Julia Roberts tied up traffic for a whole day walking in and out of the Chinese herbalist’s shop next door to Green Apple. And a little-known piece of trivia to add to this: Margaret Cho was employed at Green Apple at the time, and spent the afternoon trying to work her way into the crowd shots. Don’t think she succeeded.
Missing from the Map
Blue Jasmine
The Lady From Shanghai was filmed at Playland at the Beach.
Harold and Maude
The Lineup at Sutros
Jon- They specifically mentioned that crap movie Blue Jasmine in the article (with the circumspect director accused of molestation who married his own step daughter), along with all the others.
Pretty poor list and badly researched. Look at what it says about
Mel’s on Geary. And no mention of The Invisable Circus? D+ work at best.
Anton LaVey’s Black House at 6114 California St. and a nearby market and outdoor scenes are in “Satanis” the Devil’s Mass” (1970). The Black House location is in several other other documentaries.