Tag Archives: Hitchcock

Mission Dolores

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My last stop on this trip to San Francisco was Mission Dolores.  It was on our way back to the airport, and so Patrick and I met up to visit the location together.

In Vertigo, Madeleine leaves the flower shop for the mission, and Scottie follows.  She enters through a side door, goes through the chapel and into the cemetery where she stands over a grave, one which we later discover is marked as Carlotta Valdes.

Today, Mission Dolores is maintained as museum (actually, the door which Madeleine enters through is the very one visitors now enter through), and you can stroll through the chapel and the cemetery.  Although over the decades, the cemetery has changed greatly.  In Vertigo, it is much more lush, with walkways edged in neatly trimmed hedges, and other vegetation making it appear almost oasis like.  Throughout the Mission’s history, the cemetery had to be reconfigured and some graves moved.  Footsteps in the Fog notes that the Carlotta Valdes headstone, created for the film, remained as a popular tourist attraction, but has since been removed, deemed not authentic enough to remain in such a sacred place.

I love Missions and cemeteries in themselves, so I enjoyed the stroll through the area, in my grey suit of course…

View my entry on other Vertigo locations here.

Well, that wraps it up for my San Francisco trip!

In Search of Vertigo

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San Francisco has certainly changed, that’s for sure.  I thought that locating many of the filming sites would be rather simple, heck I had a book to tell me, didn’t I? Well…think again.  As I walked the streets of San Francisco on the hunt for what remained of Hitchock’s “tortured Valentine” to the city, I couldn’t help feeling like Vertigo‘s villain, Gavin Elster, when he has Scottie in his office, “Well, San Francisco’s changed.  The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast.” Yes, Gavin, yes the are.  I chose a select few locations for my short stay.  Ones that were easy for a girl on foot to get to (sorry, to Palace of the Legion of Honor or San Juan Bautista – although if I track down my photos of my last visit there, I will be sure to post them!), as well as places that had changed the least.

My visits to each location were scattered throughout my journey, and not in the order as seen in the film, however for simplicity’s sake we will go through them in the order they appear in the film.  Except for Mission Delores that is, which will be covered tomorrow.  Please note, this entry is full of spoilers for Vertigo.  However, I would assume that you would only read this if you’ve seen the film…

Ernie’s

In the Vertigo, Scottie visits Ernie’s to catch a glimpse of Madeleine, we first see an exterior shot of the restaurant.

What is so very surprising is that, although Ernie’s was an actual establishment, and Hitchcock had a very close relationship with the owners, he chose not to film at the location.  Instead, both the outside and the inside of the restaurant were recreated on a sound stage.  Hitchcock went to great lengths to recreate Ernie’s perfectly, which included art work and table settings borrowed from the actual restaurant.

The real Ernie’s closed in 1995, and was replaced by the Essex Supper Club, which apparently kept much of the original decor of Ernie’s.  However, Essex didn’t last long, and closed in 1998, the original furniture and fixtures went to auction, according to Footsteps in the Fog.

Today, the location of the real Ernie’s is now a place called Carrots, “a luxury emporium” (according to their “about” page). The page also notes that they are indeed located at where Ernie’s once was, and claim that Ernie’s closed in 1999, contrary to Footsteps. Sadly, the outside maintains none of the original glamor of Ernie’s.

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“But You Said Grey, Sir.”

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If you’ve been following me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook, then you will have fallen victim to my endless ramblings about my daunting search for The Grey Suit from Vertigo for my upcoming trip to San Francisco.  Yes, I am that much of a film geek that I feel that I simply cannot go to San Francisco without the grey suit!

I searched Portland high and low and visited many shops I don’t often go into (for reasons mentioned in my stagecoach skirt post).  Sure, I found a grey suit here or a grey jacket there, but they were not it.  I had friends posting links to Etsy and Ebay listings, and all I could respond with was “No. That’s not it.”  I felt like Scottie in the film when he is attempting to buy the suit for Judy in the salon…a model glides across the salon floor,  Scottie says, “No. That’s not it.  Nothing like it.” The shop girl says “But you said grey, sir.” and Scottie responds with my same exact feelings, “Now look, I just want an ordinary grey suit!”  I had been finding daintily accented suits with cord detailing, or adorable bows, but nothing simple and plain enough.  Just like Scottie said before the shop girl remembered the suit, “No, no.  None of them are right.”  Finally, with a mere two days left I stumbled upon the closest I’d found at Bombshell Vintage.  And while I feel like I settled a bit (don’t get me wrong, it’s a fabulous suit in itself!), I knew I may not find another suit as close as this one, or if I did it would be some horrendously high price.

Then came the blouse troubles…when Scottie follows Madeleine she is wearing the grey suit with a wrap blouse under.  I have yet to find one of these, however I did have a Dickie pattern that would work just perfectly.  So, I was off to my second home; Fabric Depot.  Cotton and ribbon in hand, I returned home to knock out the Dickie.  I’m happy with the result, and it will make good use with many 20-some odd collection of 40s and 50s blazers.

Since I feel this outfit is so iconic, I am hesitant to post images of the full suit or look prior to my trip.  For now, here’s just a peek…

And, yes, I will be doing my hair as well.  I have already mapped out all the locations I intend on visiting, thanks to the book Footsteps in the Fog, and am eager to see all that I can see while in San Fran.  I hope you all have a lovely weekend, I will be blogging with loads of photos upon my return next week!

Footsteps in the Fog

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In about a week and a half, Patrick and I will be flying to San Francisco.  He will be attending a hackathon down in Palo Alto, while I stay in the heart of San Francisco to spend a weekend visiting many Hitchcock filming locations.  Recently I picked up this book, Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco, which details the locations.

The book covers the filming locations of Hitchcock’s films that took place in the Bay area.  Including Santa Rosa for Shadow of a Doubt, San Francisco for Vertigo and The Birds, Bodega Bay for The Birds, along with various other northern California locations that were in several other films.  I have visited Bodega Bay before, including a visit to the infamous schoolhouse, as well as Mission San Juan Bautista, however I have never spent much time in San Francisco proper, mainly due to the fact my family lives in the LA area.

I plan for this book to by my guide as I spend the weekend in the city.  While I know that many locations have changed, if not been totally demolished over the years, I am still excited to walk in the footsteps of Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart.  One such location that is no longer standing is the Portman Mansion, which was the McKittrick Hotel in Vertigo, which is such a shame.  As you can see the building was quite magnificent.

One thing I found interesting while reading the book is that Hitchcock took many geographic liberties with his films.  Portraying certain places to be closer than they were, many places in The Birds were not as close as they appear in the film, and also his choice to reconstruct certain locations on a sound stage rather than film at the actual location, such as the ballroom in the Fairmont Hotel in Vertigo.  I highly recommend this book if you’re a Hitchcock fan and either live in the Bay area or plan on visiting.

I hope to take lots of pictures.  And while I despise looking like a tourist, I know I’ll have to give in and ask for my picture to be taken by a complete stranger, since Patrick will be unavailable.  Oh well.  And may visit the Walt Disney Museum located right along the Presidio, but Hitchcock is my top priority!

Another Hitchcock Flick at The Laurelhurst

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The Laurelhurst chose once again to show one of my favorite Hitchcock films on their big screen, this time…Patrick’s favorite, Rear Window.

Seeing old films on the big screen with a crowd is always a double edged sword.  On one hand, I always get excited at the chance to see some of my favorite old movies on the big screen, but as soon as the lights dim and the projector begins to flicker, sometimes parts of the audience just ruin it…when it got to the moment when the dog is found dead, and the owner cries out to the neighbors, a group behind us began to snicker, and oh how that made my blood boil. Honestly, how would you feel if you just found your dog strangled to death!? Anyways, that aside, there were still those you could tell you hadn’t seen it, and it was great hearing them hiss with tension at all the right moments, still over fifty years later, there is no doubting Hitchcock’s skill and mastery of suspense.

November is “Audience Favorites” at the Laurelhurst, and it looks like There Will Be Blood is the next film up. I’m eager to see what else the audience picks.  And next month is holiday films! I can’t wait to see what they show!  I will brave all sorts of cold Oregon weather to see many a movie…

Speaking of Oregon weather…it’s cold many months out of the year, so I find it important to have as many coats as humanly possible…Over half of our hall closet is taken up by my multitude of coats, and this one is a personal favorites for the chilly days, it’s wool, with a mink collar and originally from the Charles F. Berg store here in Portland and is extremely warm!  Seriously, these old 50s wool and fur coats can’t be beat! I have several for sale in my space right now, but if you’re not in the Portland area, they can be found at various thrift stores, antique malls and vintage clothing stores.

Outfit
Hat: Thrifted
Dress: Expo
Belt: Bohemian Vintage
Coat: Expo
Shoes: Chinese Laundry, Ross
Gloves: Brownsville Antique Show
Purse: Antique Alley

Vertigo

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As posted a few weeks ago, Patrick and I had the pleasure my favorite Hitchcock film, Rope, on the big screen, and had mentioned the same cinema would be showing Rear Window soon, however, there was a mix up, and they ended up getting Vertigo instead.  Now while I favor Rear Window to Vertigo, I wasn’t upset, since Vertigo is so stellar on the big screen.  Thanks to my cinephile father, I had already had the pleasure of seeing Vertigo on the big screen back in 1998, when it was restored and re-released.  However, you can never see some films too many times, and Patrick had yet to see it at a cinema.

Seeing old films in a cinema environment is somewhat difficult for me…sure, it’s wonderful to see those great film stars from the golden era larger than life, but seated around you are often people who just don’t get it…in fact a fair majority of last night’s audience was in that group…they laughed at inappropriate moments, among other rude comments I care not to share (the same thing happened when we saw Psycho).  But, there was a pair of girls seated next to us who had not seen Vertigo before, and ended up closing their eyes during the film’s final moments, and as the restoration credits roles, they looked up and looked to us asking “What happened?” I did find this refreshing, to know that they were frightened, and dear old Hitchcock was still doing his job, over fifty years later.

As for Vertigo itself, I feel like the film goes without saying anything.  It’s a masterful film, with stellar acting and a spectacular story, not to mention the clothing – Kim Novak wears beautiful outfit after beautiful outfit.  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (yay for more Jimmy Stewart!) is next, not sure if we’ll make it to that or not…can’t wait to see what is in store next!

Rope

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Last night Patrick and I had the glorious pleasure of seeing my favorite Hitchcock film on the big screen, Rope.

We arrived early, as per usual for me…and ordered up a couple slices of pizza to munch on prior to the film – thank goodness for the Portland trend of combining pizza, beer and movies.  At the Laurelhurst you can either eat during the film thanks to tables in some rows, or eat in one of the booths in the lobby, where the tables are covered in movie posters.

Hitchcock’s 1948 Rope combines great acting, witty writing and ingenious camera play to create what I think is an unsung masterpiece.  The film takes place entirely in one apartment and is played out in real time, and it works beautifully.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest you put in on your Netflix!

It seems I can’t go anywhere without someone asking me “Is this how you normally dress?” or fumbling over their words as they express how much they love my outfit – both occurred yesterday evening.  Sometimes the “normally dress” question gets to me no matter how many times I hear it, “Yes, yes this is how I normally dress! And just because you don’t seem to own a comb doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t look fabulous!” is what I yearn to say sometimes, however I just smile and say “Yes, it is.” Then they will either say something like “I think it’s wonderful” or something about their grandmother, or they will just raise their eyebrows and look in the other direction.

The Laurelhurst hosts themed months where they show special movies – this month was classics month, and in a week they will show my second favorite Hitchcock film, Rear Window. Can’t wait!