Barbra Streisand and Madeline Kahn star in one of my all-time
favorite films, 1972's "What's Up Doc." If you haven't seen it, I
suggest you rent this classic screwball comedy in which our city of
San Francisco is not just a location, it is a character. The
historic Grand Staircase at Alta Plaza was damaged during the
making of the movie, and Peter Bogdanovich has been banned from
filming in the city ever since. This cache was placed nearby to
commemorate that famous scene.
The movie's final madcap chase sequence starts at nearby 2018
California Street, which fans might recognize as "888 Russian
Hill", the home of Mr. Larrabee. The chase involves four cars and
proceeds thru Chinatown, down Lombard Street, thru midtown, down
the steps at Alta Plaza and eventually into the bay itself. Fans
might also recognize Chelsea Place (641 Bush) as "Shangra-La
Costume shop", the Hilton Hotel (333 O'Farrell) as the "Hotel
Bristol" and Pier 70 as "459 Dirella Street." I could go on and on,
but I'll spare you any more details. Watch scene 24 at 1:14:00 for
the Alta Plaza stairs, looks like the taxicab did the worst damage
to steps 11, 12 & 13.
ENJOY!
