Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Out of the Past (1947)

dir. Jacques Tourneur

Jeff Bailey's (Robert Mitchum) gas station – 309 Main Street, Bridgeport, California. The local fire station now stands on the site.

Marny's Cafe – 258 Main Street, Bridgeport, California. It's a Ken's Sporting Goods store now.

Jeff and Ann (Virginia Huston) at the lake – Upper Twin Lake, Bridgeport, California.

Ann's house – 32 Bridge Street, Bridgeport, California.

Except the brief establishing shot, none of the Acapulco episodes was filmed in Mexico. The cafe 'La Mar Azul' where Jeff finds Kathie (Jane Greer), the movie theater across the street, the Western Union office, and Pablo's are studio creations.

Kathie and Jeff on the beach – Sequit Point, Leo Carrillo State Park, California.

Kathie's bungalow – Still searching for this location.

Jeff goes to Los Angeles – N. Main Street at Paseo Luis Olivares, Los Angeles, California. La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (The Church of Our Lady Queen of the Angels) is seen on the right.

The cabin where Jeff arranges to meet with Kathie – Still searching for this location. According to the film, it's supposed to be in the Pyramid Creek area.

Whit Sterling's (Kirk Douglas) mansion on Lake Tahoe – Still searching for this location.

Jeff visits Meta Carson (Rhonda Fleming) – Broadway at Himmelmann Place, San Francisco, California.

The rest of San Francisco locations is all fictional and studio-bound - Leonard Eel's apartment at 114 Fulton Street, the Mason building (Eel's office), Teeter's restaurant and the Sterling Club.

The courthouse – Mono County Courthouse, 278 Main Street, Bridgeport, California. It's the state's second oldest courthouse in continuous use since 1880, and serves as the Mono County seat.

Joe (Paul Valentine) following the Kid (Dicky Moore) to Jeff's hideout – June Lake Loop (CA-158), June Lake, California.

Jeff's hideout – West Walker River Canyon, California.

See also...


Double Indemnity

Dark Passage

17 comments:

  1. I wondered if the Tahoe mansion used for a "Godfather " movie is the same mansion where Kirk Douglas' character lived in the movie "Out Of The Past". View through the windows over the lake seems the same. I think it was Fleur De Lac built by Kaiser Alum exec.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you look closely at the vegetation and the hills in the background of the 1947 movie (Out of the Past), it looks more like a typical Southern California location (typically dry with a few pine trees shown in the frame). It's supposed to be Lake Tahoe in the film, but I suspect the scenes featuring actor Robert Mitchum were shot at a location near LA, possibly at a mansion in the Hollywood hills. Godfather 2 was shot at Lake Tahoe, but Yuri is right. It doesn't quite match Fleur Du Lac. It might be Vikingsholm or another location at Emerald Bay. Two great films--and it's clear that Coppola was a fan of the earlier movie directed by Tourneur.

      Delete
  2. Out of the Past was on just the other night and I watched. Spent much time in Bridgeport area. Was so great to see it in the film, and the Walker River area, June Lake, Sierras - wonderful. Thanks so much for posting before and now shots!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great research Appreciate your,dedication.Any more?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for posting all these photos! I absolutely love this movie, have seen it eight times. You have beautifully filled in many details of how the film was shot. Seems like you like the film as well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jane Greer was so beautiful ... her face remember me the actress Madeleine Stowe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kathie's bungalow appears to be an RKO art department creation built on a studio soundstage, so you're not going to find the location in real life. Unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Whit's Tahoe mansion is Vikingsholm on Emerald Bay?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No it is not - Vikingsholm is located almost on the shore of Emerald Bay. I realize that the roof on the tower of With's mansion is also made of wood tiles, but the tower of Vikingsholm is much wider.

      Judging from the view, I have established that the villa - if it still exists - is the southernmost building on Upper Emerald Bay rd.

      Much higher up.

      I have used Google Earth to draw a line from a ravine on the slopes on Mt. Heavenly seen in the in the backdrop at 42:04 in the film - right between the shoulders of Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas - across Eagle Point peninsula at the point visible below - and the building at 6 Upper Emerald Bay road is right on the money.

      A video with drone footage from the bay on Youtube verified view - Google Earth provides little resolution in that area and there is no Streetview available on the short road. Likewise several Streetwiew images on the main road below have parts blurred out in that direction.

      All which in itself is a strong indication indication of the correctness of the location.


      I bet the present owners and the neighbours are not too happy with the idea of film location tourists flocking to the location - "Out of the Past" is a defining and iconic Noir film and the villa is a spectacular location - so they have probably asked Google to be excluded from Streetview.....which is possible, you know.

      I have no problem revealing the address - it goes with the territory. The owners probably bought the place for that very reason.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for your research. Could you please post the YouTube link to the drone footage you were referring to. Otherwise it's really hard to confirm.

      Delete
  8. I have been going to Bridgeport California nearly my entire life. I had no idea what it looked like before the 1970's which is when I started going to vacation with my family as a child. I got a kick out of seeing the movie and then sharing the pictures with my family. Thank you. Can you imagine how busy the town was in the 1940's with all the actors.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wonder what the story is behind naming the cafe Teeter's.

    ReplyDelete
  10. RE: Kathie's bungalow - The lighting, the fact that there are plants in the foreground masking the edges of the set, and the rain strongly imply this was shot on a soundstage.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful historic scenery shots , Mansion was areal piece of cool Sierra architecture for sure, Godfather mansion in Gdfg.#1 looked to be of much newer vintage. P.S. Tx.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wonderful job with this research

    ReplyDelete