San Francisco
Locations:
The script had originally been set in Los Angeles. Producer Philip D’Antoni was keen to get out of Los Angeles, as he felt his production would be subject to less scrutiny if filmed elsewhere.
Bank of America
In the scene at Grace Cathedral, where Chalmers is talking with Captain Bennett (Simon Oakland), there is a more completed Bank of America building in the background than the filmed scenes at the Mark Hopkins where the Bank of America structure is only a shell.
When fake Johnny Ross departs the Mark Hopkins Hotel in the taxi, the Bank of America building at 555 California Street, the second tallest building in San Francisco, is seen under construction. The building, known mostly for its use in The Towering Inferno (1974), where it was seen during the opening credits, was completed in 1969.
Bullitt meets his informant Eddie (Justin Tarr, who played Tully in TV’s The Rat Patrol) in North Beach. The restaurant Swiss Louis still exists, but it moved to Pier 39 in the 1970s.
The Condor Club
The club where exotic entertainer Carol Doda performed (seen in the photos behind McQueen) is still operating, after several incarnations over the decades.
San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital on Portrero Hill, still exists albeit as Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Although the medical center has undergone huge amounts of new construction since the film was made, parts of the original brick buildings filmed are still standing. The classic interior paint scheme of off white and institutional green was a common feature of the era.
After Bullitt breaks the glass door of the hospital basement to try to catch the killer, across from the parked ambulance, the black 1968 Dodge Charger is seen parked on the left, where (unknown to Bullitt) the killer and driver Phil are hiding.
As Bullitt interviews the hotel manager, a vintage San Francisco Muni bus, green with a pale-yellow roof and trim, can be seen passing by through the window.
When leaving the hotel, Bullitt and Cathy stop and talk by the bay, we can see in the background the silhouette of the USS Coral Sea CVA 43 in the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard (Hunters Point), where it was undergoing a massive modernization.
Safe House
The safe house scenes were shot in and around the Kennedy Hotel at 226 The Embarcadero near Howard Street. That building, and the two-level freeway behind it, was torn down as part of major development of the waterfront after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Bullitt’s Easy Eats
In addition to Swanson frozen dinners in the corner bodega, there is also a stack of Jiffy Pop popcorn in its unique package. Both items were mid-century staples for easy eats.
At the 20-minute mark in the restaurant, Mcqueen appears to break character when he jokes with the waiter who may have struck him in the head with a menu.
According to an aviation expert who worked with the film, in the famous scene where Bullitt is passed over by a Pan Am jet, the plane was actually being towed for that footage. The sound effects of screaming aircraft engines were dubbed in afterwards.
Score:
About half of the film was shot silent, with background noise, sound effects and spoken dialogue looped in post-production.
Interior Design: Posters
After Bullitt purchases his frozen TV dinners and heads up the stairs to his apartment seen on the wall a group of Concert Posters. There are posters of Wes Wilson’s “Grateful Dead” and James Cotton Blues Band poster for a Fillmore West concert on Nov 18, 1966.
One of the more familiar during 1968 is the “Zig Zag” Big Brother Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger seen on the wall.
Reel Impact
The film proved to be highly influential on cop dramas for years. Its templates for set-ups, visual style and cop characterization went on to influence future films such as Dirty Harry (1971), The French Connection (1971), and others. The Fugitive (1993) and Heat (1995) paid homage to Bullitt.
Actors:
Many of the actors, credited and uncredited, were fixtures on broadcast TV in the 60s and 70s. Among them – Suzanne Somers (Three’s Company), who has uncredited bit part.
It’s the film debut of Joanna Cassidy.
Gaffes:
San Francisco Chronicle (Same Newspaper in 2 Days?)
The copy of the San Francisco Chronicle Delgetti picks up to read from Bullitt’s armor in the morning before they drive to Chalmer’s house has the same front page (“Peace Talk Flurry”) as the copy that Bullitt takes out of the newspaper dispenser he pops open in front of the grocery store the next day, when he returns to his apartment.
When Lt. Bullitt and his sergeant go through the suspect’s luggage from the airport, he orders, “Fingerprints on this stuff.” But, clumsily and unfortunately, they’ve already touched all the evidence without gloves.
The film was released in October of 1968. But restaurant advertisements, just before a strangled woman is found in the hotel room, show Mother’s Day as May 11, which did not actually happen until 1969.
Bullitt’s gun is a Colt Diamondback .38 Special revolver with (Colt) Detective Special grips. Although it was suggested that Steve McQueen had a holster made to duplicate San Francisco Police Department Detective Dave Toschi’s “custom fast-draw shoulder holster,” Bullitt’s holster is actually a commercial Safariland Model 19 shoulder holster.
Film debut of Suzanne Somers.
The V-shaped object on the trunk lid of Chalmers’ limo was a state of the art (for the time) telecommunications antennae, indicating the vehicle had a car telephone.
During the early scenes of the car chase, a gas station is seen. Its name is Enco, presently known as Exxon. Outside of the U.S. it was known as Esso. Its mascot was a tiger, who encouraged drivers to put a tiger in their (gas) tank.
In the Hospital basement while Bullitt is chasing the Killer he comes to a security door. On the wall prior to the door is a tarnished vintage Soda-Acid Fire Extinguisher–Copper & Brass Empire Co.; most likely manufactured in the earlier part of the 20th century.
Carl Reindel, who plays the young detective with McQueen and Don Gordon, has the first name Carl as spoken by McQueen’s Bullitt. In the credits it’s only ‘Stanton’.
Airplanes of Pan Am and PSA
Airplanes of Pan Am and PSA airlines are seen in the climactic airport scene. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was a major hub for both airlines at the time of production.
Pan Am (Pan American World Airways) became the USA’s largest and most widely recognized international air carrier during its existence from 1927 to 1991. The contraction of worldwide air travel following the Gulf War forced Pan Am into bankruptcy, resulting in its routes and assets being purchased by Delta Air Lines.
PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) was the USA’s first large discount air carrier, billing itself as “The World’s Friendliest Airline.” It began operation in California in 1949, and through a series of mergers starting in 1986, it eventually became a part of American Airlines. In 1995, the PSA name was given to a subsidiary of US Airways in order to preserve the name and logos as “PSA Airlines.”
Car–Motorcycle
The license plate on the Mustang is JJZ 109.
A motorcycle skids and crashes during the car chase.
McQueen famously crashed a motorcycle a few years earlier in “The Great Escape.”
After Bullitt steals a newspaper and buys frozen dinners at the corner market, he walks across Taylor Street to his apartment. A 1939 Packard dominates the shot of him crossing the street. This is homage to earlier crime dramas set in San Francisco, i.e., The Maltese Falcon, After the Thin Man, etc.
Characters and Actors:
The real John Ross (Pat Renella) never says a word.
Last Scene:
A clergyman can be seen through the glass door, giving last rites to the security officer that was shot by Ross in the last minutes of the film.
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