23 Aug Top Scenes from San Francisco’s Chinatown in Movies
The picturesque city of San Francisco has long been a favored location for Hollywood and the film industry. Many of America’s most famous movies have featured scenes from the ‘City by the Bay.’ In addition to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, the Chinatown neighborhood is one of the most popular movie backdrops.
With its striking visuals, brilliant colors, delectable scents, and distinctive sounds, Chinatown in movies is hard to miss. Below are some of the most memorable Chinatown scenes from American film.
The Dead Pool (1988)
In ‘The Dead Pool,’ the fifth installment of the Dirty Harry series movies, Detective Harry Callahan and his new partner Al Quan are tasked with stopping a secret contest to murder local celebrities.
Early in the film, Callahan and Quan are walking through Chinatown when a restaurant robbery takes place. As they stroll down Washington St. and towards the Financial District, the sound of gunfire erupts and a man comes crashing through the window of a restaurant across the street.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Following an acrimonious divorce and loss of custody of his children, father Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire (played by Robin Williams) masquerades as an elderly female housekeeper to spend time with his kids in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire.
The heartbreaking, but memorable scene where Hillard speaks with his daughter outside of her school took place at 940 Filbert St. That location is the current home of Garfield Elementary School in Chinatown.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
In the fourth installment of the Star Trek series, Admiral James Kirk takes his crew back in time to San Francisco in the mid-eighties. The reason? To find humpback whales because they are the only beings able to communicate with an alien probe threatening Earth in the future. (Yes that is really the plot)
During some humorous scenes throughout the streets of S.F., the crew attempt to locate the naval base in Alameda. One scene shot at 1232 Grant Ave. outside of “The Saloon” is often attributed to Chinatown, perhaps due to the couple arguing in Chinese on the sidewalk. However the location is in reality more likely to be considered part of North Beach than Chinatown by most San Franciscans today.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
In ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ Will Smith plays Chris Gardner, a down-on-his-luck salesman who’s recently gained custody of his son. In addition to trying to raise his boy and overcome his financial struggles, Gardner makes a risky and life-changing career change.
Early in the movie, Gardner’s character lives in a small apartment in Chinatown. During these scenes, filming took place on Ross Alley in San Francisco.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
In this eighties action film, Kurt Russell plays rough-around-the-edges trucker trying to save his friend’s fiancé. An ancient sorcerer threatens his friend’s fiancé. Subsequently, the forces of good and evil wage a supernatural battle in tunnels and caves beneath San Francisco’s Chinatown.
There is no actual underground network of tunnels, caves, and ancient sorcerers in the real Chinatown. Nonetheless, many of the San Francisco and Chinatown locations featured in the film look remarkably similar today. Parking in Chinatown remains just as difficult though, even without massive battles taking place.
