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The streets of San Francisco
helped director Peter Yates revolutionize cinema with the original, the
mother of all car chases in the 1968 action film Bullitt. Highlights
are magic flip-flops between Russian Hill and Potrero Hill, as well as some
wild hills on Taylor Street and frequent appearances by the same green VW
Beetle. As played by Steve McQueen, Bullitt was a tough cop before Dirty
Harry. Assigned to protect a witness, Bullitt soon realizes things are not
as they appear in this story of political corruption also starring Robert
Vaughn, Robert Duvall, and Jacqueline Bisset. Bullitt is a stylish classic
that has held up nicely. Well, except for a scene in which five men stand
around a huge fax machine that has an acoustic coupler and carbon paper!
Nearly a full minute of screen time goes by as the cops wait in silence
for the incoming fax! Surely this was cutting edge police communications
equipment in 1968. The license number on Bullitt's green Mustang is JJZ
109. Unlike the model seen here, Bullit's was a moss green
'67 fastback. Keep your eyes peeled; there are a couple of cars matching
Bullit's around town. Det. Lt. Frank Bullitt lived at 1153
Taylor Street and used the corner market across the street at Clay
and Taylor. The Robert Vaughn character lived at 2700
Vallejo Street. Bisset and McQueen dine out at the Coffee Cantata restaurant,
2026 Union Street.
In the film's opening sequence,
the Bush Street exit of the garage in the 450 Sutter Medical Building
represents a fictional location in Chicago. The east side of the building
at 645 Bush Street along the Chelsea Street alley remains scarred from
cars hitting the wall during the filming of this scene.
Detail I
Detail II
Detail III
Detail IV: 450 Sutter Street
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