The chase then continues at the intersection of 20th and Rhode Island "And he drove that car, drove the hell out of it, and came back and picked up in the middle of that sentence. But the car chase was good. 2010-2023 CarBuzz Inc. All Rights Reserved, Here's Why The Bullitt Car Chase Scene Was So Influential. corporate headquarters for the Gap Inc. An elevated highway ran right William Hickman (January 25, 1921 February 24, 1986) was an American professional stunt driver, stunt coordinator and actor in the U.S. film industry. Here is the same intersection in 2002. Every modern movie car chase owes a debt to Bullitt. I vote Bullitt as best car chase if for no other reason than Steve McQueen defined cool. to drive him to the Thunderbolt Motel the chase scenes filmed around 20th Street, Kansas Street, and Rhode Island Street, while Russian Hill served as the base The creators of "Bullitt" got more than their money's worth. a Dorothy Simmons (actually Judith Renick, wife of Albert Renick) at the Thunderbolt Motel in San Mateo. McQueen makes a U-turn on Army Street and heads uphill on York Street. At the corner of Larkin and Chestnut streets Bill Hickman gets the Charger into a serious oversteer This is the same intersection in 2002. The car chase is pretty unique in that the main character Harry Callahan is . Bill Hickman (Phil), who drives the Dodge Charger, actually did drive the Charger in the movie. In a professional driver's touch (before compulsory restraints were introduced in California), Hickman's character buckles his seat belt before flooring it at the beginning of the pursuit by the Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT, driven by Steve McQueen. The place hadn't changed much 2002 the view had changed little. Although credited as Killer in the credits, Aprea only appears briefly in the opening credits sequence, shooting at Rosss car during his escape. There was a sense of danger unlike any movie chase before it as the two muscle cars weaved through traffic and jumped over the hills of San Francisco, while the camera literally put you in the driving seat. $9.49 + $4.50 shipping. Marina Boulevard (2002). . Chinas XPeng G9 Could Be the Best Electric SUV Around. In 1968, Life magazine called the eye-popping 10 minute and 53 second car chase scene in the movie "Bullitt" a "terrifying, deafening shocker." . This is a However, when McQueen reported for duty to find stuntman Bud Ekinssitting in his car, dressed as McQueen, he was furious. Stunt coordinator Carey Loftin got Bud Ekins to drive the Mustang for the bulk of the stunts. If you feel the need to get out of your car, know that street parking is a longshot; the nearest parking garage is about six blocks away at 721 Filbert Street. The Mustang would have done a two-wheel burnout if it were equipped with a limited-slip differential. This is just prior to the point at which Bullitt discovers that the man shot at the Hotel Daniels is not Johnny Ross but Albert Edward Renick They turn from Laguna Street, in front of Ft. Mason, onto Marina Boulevard, in front of a Safeway store. Hope that helps! McQueen was keen to do as many of his own stunts as possible. Best remembered for the car-chase, the Then McQueen's Mustang bumps the shotgun-toting killers' Charger, leading to an explosive finale. The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Your Smart Home. Made by movie fans, for movie fans.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS:MOVIECLIPS: http://bit.ly/1u2yaWdComingSoon: http://bit.ly/1DVpgtRIndie \u0026 Film Festivals: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYgHero Central: http://bit.ly/1AMUZwvExtras: http://bit.ly/1u431frClassic Trailers: http://bit.ly/1u43jDePop-Up Trailers: http://bit.ly/1z7EtZRMovie News: http://bit.ly/1C3Ncd2Movie Games: http://bit.ly/1ygDV13Fandango: http://bit.ly/1Bl79yeFandango FrontRunners: http://bit.ly/1CggQfCHIT US UP:Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1y8M8axTwitter: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmtPinterest: http://bit.ly/14wL9DeTumblr: http://bit.ly/1vUwhH7 In 2008, Motor Trend Magazine promoted the 40th anniversary edition Bullitt Mustang. Starring Steve McQueen as an iconoclastic police lieutenant, Jacqueline Bisset as his leading lady, and Robert Vaughn as an ambitious politician, Bullitt features what is widely considered the most influential car chase in the history of cinema. The cars were hatted up with chassis and engine mods to keep pace with the faster Charger in the chase scenes and hold up to the abuse. Daly City/Brisbane The chase ends on Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. frames). much in 2002 as it did in It is on the bucket list. McQueen's legend in the city was elevated by his turns behind the wheel in "Bullitt." Here it is in 2002. . outside the hotel's west side, but it too is gone. . Car chases have been a staple of American film ever since the appearance of the Keystone Kops in the silent era. It took two weeks to film Mystery surrounds $3.74M sale of 1968 Mustang Bullitt: 'Only one person knows' buyer. "There were no special effects, it was all just stunt driving," said Kunz, who has since built a replica of McQueen's "Bullitt" car. In the next clip, the Dodge has leapt 6 blocks across Van Ness, heading north on Laguna Street. Didnt sleep for five or six nights after that, just the sound of the air coming out of his lungs.". The owner refused to sell, and the car now sits in a barn. Highland Green Mustangs had 390 cubic inch engines, while the Chargers had 440 cubic inch engines. Often times 1968 cool does not resonate 50 years later . Here is the view In the next cut, they are suddenly going downhill, north towards the Bay. The famous car chase features a wild drive through several picturesque parts of San Francisco. After looking back at the best movie car chases of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, Donut Media has returned to the period where they all began with a countdown of the top 10 car chases of the 1960s. (here it is in (2002). Director Peter Yates called for speeds of about 75 to 80 miles (120 to 129 kilometers) per hour, but the cars (including those with the cameras) reached speeds of over 110 miles (177 kilometers) per hour. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. The assignment comes at the request of Sen. Walter Chalmers . We take a close look at Bullitt, the 1968 action thriller staring Steve McQueen, and its connection to San Francisco. The reuse of the Taylor Street footage may have gone unnoticed In one year (1957), he had the rare distinction of being cast as the assailant who slices Frank Sinatra's vocal chords in The Joker Is Wild and whips Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. "But I'm guessing 'Bullitt' would be on almost every list. Both Mustangs were owned by the Ford Motor Company and part of a promotional loan agreement with Warner Bros. Frank Bullitt (played by McQueen) is a world-weary police lieutenant in San Francisco who is tasked with guarding the mob informant Johnny Ross (Pat Renella). Marc Meyers, writing on his blog Jazzwax had a chance to drive the original Bullitt chase-scene route with Loren James, the stuntman who drove 90% of the chase in the place of McQueen. Hartlaub and columnist Heather Knight co-created the Total SF podcast and event series, engaging with locals to explore and find new ways to celebrate San Francisco and the Bay Area. and many shots were filmed at locations close to these areas. Local car lots were searched and production started with two identical Mustangs and three sturdy Dodge Chargers. TomoNews US. At some point during the project Hickman was injured and was unable to continue. . For some, they're getting stronger. ", In another interview with James Dean expert Warren Beath, Hickman is quoted as saying, "We were about two or three minutes behind him. "If you ask five different guys what their favorite car chases are, they'll give you five different lists," Kunz said. on Kansas Street for about two blocks. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. F-type streetcar is seen coming the opposite direction. The switchbacks were designed to increase the ability to travel safely on Lombard, the one way street was paved with red bricks in its now-famously crooked fashion, and a . note the fact that the Mustang does not have a limited-slip differential as evidenced by the single long black tire mark The movie literally shaped the car chase genre in modern cinema and . . He staged the motorcycle chase in Electra Glide In Blue, starring Robert Blake, and also appeared as a driver in the 1969 Disney film The Love Bug and as the military driver for George C. Scott in the Academy Award-winning movie Patton. The two cars then magically appear on 20th Street at Kansas Street They continue north There was the static of walkie-talkies, as filmmakers at the bottom of the hill ordered shooting to begin. September of 2002. and arriving at Filbert Street. In this view looking east on Chestnut the San Francisco Art College They turn left headed west on Filbert While playing around with Google Maps, we discovered that a user posted a map detailing the exact route of the legendary *Bullitt *chase scene. The chase parodies San Francisco's most iconic chase, Bullitt , with cars leaping over hills and losing rims, but it owes even more to silent films, where the car chase . April 1968, July 2002. Bill Hickman, the backup hit man and driver of the Charger, was experienced in driving stunts and in racing. They then leap 3 miles to the entrance of the Guadelupe Canyon Parkway on San Bruno Mountain in Daly City, heading east. The Winchester shotgun-toting hitman was played by Paul Genge. Interestingly, you can see a This sequence features several repeats, with the Heres everything you need to know, from Wi-Fi tips to security advice. His film career spanned from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, and included films such as Bullitt, The French . McLaren Park. The classic car chase has changed immensely over eight decades of filmmaking. Hickman moved on to more stunt coordination work in films as the 1970s wound down, notably The Hindenburg and Capricorn One. "When I jumped a car down the hill, it hit so hard that the flywheel actually dug in the ground and it bent it," stuntman Ekins said. Here is that view in 2002. (The bottom of the stores name is seen as the Dodge veers onto Marina.). The cars were modified for the high-speed chase by vet auto racer Max Balchowsky. In the summer of All rights reserved. "There's a 'click,' and then you know something big is about to happen," Fraker said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Hickman spent some of these earlier days as driver and friend to James Dean, driving Dean's Ford station wagon towing Dean's famed 550 Spyder nicknamed "Little Bastard", and often helping and advising him with his driving technique. Updated. The next scenes are in the Bernal and Potrero areas, with green hills to the southwest on the horizon and quick view of downtown San Francisco to the northwest in another. The car chase between 1960s muscle cars features a third American classic, as the . rebuilt with the entrance nothing like it was in 1968. Highly influential 1968 cop movie set in San Francisco. "We said none of us would ever use our own vehicle in pursuits and stakeouts -- because of insurance purposes, for one thing. The Charger veered wide right but the explosion went off anyway, making the shot too expensive to repeat. Stuntman Bud Ekins, who jumped the motorcycle in "The Great Escape," wrecks another bike in the scene. Vallejo and Divisadero in the Pacific Heights section of the city. They continue on York at this odd little intersection of York with Peralta but the shot from the second camera angle Apart from the iconic jazz score that does a great job of building tension before the chase erupts in a cloud of tire smoke, there's no music either, allowing you to appreciate the sound of two screaming V8 muscle cars battling it out. The car chase took about three weeks to shoot, and was nearly as frantic behind the scenes as it appears on film. The bad guys' Charger lost six hubcaps and couldn't hit the broad side of a gas station during the explosive finale. a traffic nightmare, so the chase picks up again on Bullett heads east on Filbert Street, has you can see both Coit Tower and Saints Peter are visible to the . THANKS FOR THE GREAT PICTURES AND MEMORIES.BULLITT HAS THE BEST CAR CHASE EVER.FRENCH CONNECTION IS SECOND. Dean died in an accident on the way, and it was Bill Hickman who extricated Deans body from the wreck. He said, 'That's what you should buy.' Best remembered for the car-chase, the progenitor of all subsequent movie car chases, Bullitt is an excellent film. "I think the car didn't go up the ramp quite right. The chase route looks as if it were designed by Siegfried and Roy, with cars disappearing and reappearing at random points in the city. Russian Hill The most exciting part of the chase is also the most frustrating. That's because, unlike other movies at the time, the stunt driving was all done for real. shows one of the hospital's original buildings. The iconic scene of one of the greatest, if not the greatest ("thumbs up" if you agree), car chases of motion picture history.enjoy. It then proceeds west on Army Street for a few blocks. They couldn't just willy-nilly pursue by going block after block after block in the same neighborhood.". To prepare for the car chase, McQueen and other team members spent a day at Coati racetrack near San Francisco, hitting speeds of 140 mph. The crashed car turned up in a junk yard in Mexico, but it was literally a pile of rust. A motorcycle skids and crashes during the car chase. The production company used two Mustangs and two Dodge Chargers to film the chase scenes. The other was repaired after filming and sold, passing through two owners before it was purchased by Robert Kiernan in 1974 for $6000. "He said, 'We're filming a movie called 'Bullitt,' starring Steve McQueen.' a photo of the motel as it appeared in July of 2002. Fort Mason's piers with the Presidio of San Francisco, are gone. 1:03. Its mascot was a tiger, who encouraged drivers to put a tiger in their (gas) tank. Subsequently Bullitt and Cathy stop along US 101 North to talk, with It had been painted beige The last trip through Russian Hill features the most famous part of the chase -- where the cars get airborne several times on a steep section of Taylor between Vallejo and Filbert streets. The like watching a car race, only on a street. Reenact it if you dare: there are nine unique segments of squealing tires and crunched fenders spread out across San Francisco. . "We were driving around the airport and right at that time there was a Mustang GTO on display. There's this buildup, and you can feel the tension.". At the time, San Francisco was not a big filmmaking center, but Mayor Joseph L. Alioto was keen to promote it. "Every once in a while I know it's still playing because I get a little check for 6 bucks.". I had been teaching him things like how to put a car in a four-wheel drift, but he had plenty of skill of his own. Steve McQueen stars as the eponymous Lt. Frank Bullitt, a TV dinner-eating, workaday Cowboy Cop (in fact, he's the Trope Maker) who goes after the Mafia hit men who killed a witness he was protecting.. Best known for a legendary, nearly ten-minute-long Chase Scene in which McQueen, largely eschewing stuntmen, famously drove a dark green . Both of the Dodges were junked after the film, as was one of the Mustangs. Locations were painstakingly documented almost ten years ago by Ray Smith on a website that's required reading in Bullittology 101. The car chase eventually ended in a North Hollywood parking lot where Follette was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police.[1][2][3]. Here is that same building in 2002. were it not for the green Volkswagen. He was driving the Ford station wagon and trailer following Dean on the day of Dean's fatal accident and was the first person on the scene. He disappears up York Street (1968 and The Mustang and Charger get airborne on Taylor Street, appearing to pass the same green Volkswagen Bug several times each. Here is one of the main entrance in 1968, . There are also two In the accompanying behind-the-scenes featurette of the 2006 DVD, Hickman can be seen co-ordinating the chase from the street, where it can be seen how dangerous these sequences were: on cue, a stuntman in a parked car opens his door, only to have Hickman's vehicle take it completely off its hinges, where (from the behind-the-scenes footage) we see the door fly off at force, missing only by chance the close-quarter camera team set-up only yards away. At this point the film editors inserted footage shot from different (uphill facing) camera angles of the procession down Eventually the cars and the sets and McQueen moved back to Los Angeles, but the moviemakers left San Franciscans with indelibly vivid memories. 10:11. The bad guys drive a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. landing) looking south. Chestnut. This Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GTthe hero car driven by the "King of Cool," Steve McQueen, in the iconic 1968 film "Bullitt"is the one that started that enduring legacy. Here is the house as it appeared in the movie, This is clear due to the repeated presence of the same Cadillac, and a green Volkswagen Beetle seen three times. and in 1968. the entrance to the Mark Hopkins was undergoing renovation. Once again the chase makes a gigantic leap back into the Russian Hill district. The intersection looks very different in 2002. Here is the view looking back up Francisco. I just had to walk the street that was made famous in the movie "Bullit" staring Steve McQueen. Taylor Street headed north You can see a gas station in the background. With a slope of 31.5% in places, Filbert Street connects Lyon Street, next to the Presidio, and Telegraph Hill. From there, the chase materializes in Potrero Hill for two blocks, then teleports 3 miles north to Russian Hill and into North Beach. The Charger appears making a right Initially the car chase was supposed to be scored, but composer Lalo Schifrin suggested that no music be added as the soundtrack was powerful enough as it was. While Hickman had many small acting (mainly driving) parts throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he worked primarily as a stuntman. Bernal Heights The chase starts off at slow speeds, with the Charger creeping behind the Mustang. Frank Bullitt shopped at a market at 1199 Clay Street, Lombard and a . I pulled him out of the car, and he was in my arms when he died, his head fell over. Also helping was Ekins, an old friend who filled in for McQueen during the equally memorable motorcycle-over-barbed-wire jump in "The Great Escape. Popular with locals and tourists alike for many years, the city's steep streets gained international fame thanks to Bullitt. The twin towers of Sts. " The Rock " ( 1996) Key vehicles involved: 1992 Hummer HMC4; 1996 Ferrari F355 Spider; San Francisco cable car. Its the longest car chase scene in film history, surpassing the other famous and exciting car chase, in William Friedkins 1971 Oscar winning. It was located across Laguna Street from the Safeway parking lot but is no longer Lombard Street is best known for the one-way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being the crookedest [most winding] street in the world (though this title is contested). The chase continues west toward the Golden Gate Bridge, picture taken from marina Boulevard. The Bay Area native, a former Chronicle paperboy, has worked at The Chronicle since 2000. While people remember McQueen's car -- a Highland Green 1968 Mustang Fastback powered by a 390/4V big block engine -- the real star of the film was the Aeroflex 2C, a portable movie camera that had been used by the military during World War II. However, Hickman is clearly shown in several of the publicity stills from The Wild One.