Comments on: Hitchcock Thinks the Mission is SF's 'Skid Row'

By: nightmare joey

nightmare joey — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:32:24 +0000

i just need another 40 ouncer

By: laffer

laffer — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:17:32 +0000

computers and cell phones sucked back then.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:07:43 +0000

Everything was better in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Everything.

By: John A

John A — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:42:25 +0000

In the same movie they pronounce Gough as ‘gow’. So I’m thinking Hitchcock, genius though he was, was working with non-experts on how to use/refer to locales.

Yet, I completely believe that parts of the Mission were considered pretty rough and undesireable — although ‘Skid Row’ was officially in SOMA, specifically down Third Street.

By: alex hyde

alex hyde — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:02:07 +0000

I lived at the corner of 16th and valencia in 1974 it was definitely “skid rowish” back then.

By: johnny0

johnny0 — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:16:31 +0000

Don’t forget SoMa was called “South of the Slot” at the turn of the century and I’m guessing until at least after WWI. Even though it burned to the ground it still remained industrial with warehouses.

I’m suspicious of the claim that it too was called the Mission.

Remember also that “a Mission number” would have been an old telephone exchange, e.g. MIssion 84101. Those are number that begin with “64″ today, like Shotwells – 648-4101. That exchange wouldn’t have been used in what we now call SoMa.

A quick search of Dogpatch show numerous 64/MI numbers, so the shipyard theory looks good.

My favorite though is still the 28/BU exchange, called BUtchertown.

By: thepreyingpanther

thepreyingpanther — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:41:28 +0000

At the time Vertigo was filmed, there was no such thing as “SoMa”, it was just called the “Mission”.

Thank you for being a student of San Francisco History 101.

By: Mish Chick

Mish Chick — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:13:14 +0000

It is my understanding that SoMA was actually considered to be SF’s Skid Row at the time that Vertigo was filmed. But the address Gavin Elster gives Scottie in the movie is actually on the water (not in the Mission), since he’s a ship builder. Perhaps Central Waterfront or Hunters Point. So yeah, I agree that Hitchcock was a bit confused, but maybe more so than originally thought.

By: Neo Displacer

Neo Displacer — Wed, 05 May 2010 01:11:31 +0000

I caution against the thought that Hitchcock was an expert on San Francisco neighborhoods. He probably made the stuff up while sitting in LA.

By: glenparker

glenparker — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:02:01 +0000

Yea, if it was 1958 then the Mission would have been full of blue-collar Irish. And just like today it wouldn’t have been hard to find passed out drunks and cheap hotels.

By: M.A.C.

M.A.C. — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:18:59 +0000

well the Mission used to be mainly Irish, no? There you fuckin’ go…

By: diethylether

diethylether — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:00:57 +0000

Hardly an obscure scene or quote.