San Francisco 1950?

[Leif in Calif]

Lots of pre-war cars here! I think it's about 1950 because at about the 3:15 mark, a Studebaker Commander goes by. One thing I found interesting is the complete absence of Stop Signs!

 https://www.facebook.com/daniel.swan1/videos/594105344953805

 

 

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

Thanks for posting this. I really enjoyed it.

[DrumBob]

That's got to be San Francisco. The streetcars give it away, along with the architecture and Fishermen's Grotto. The cars were cool; lots of mid to late 30's and post war. Did you notice the freight car right on the street? I wonder how that got there? They drove through the rundown areas as well as the upscale sections. It looked like a pretty dirty city all in all. 

 

There's a video very much like this on YouTube of Manhattan that was shot in the early 50's, so the cars are more modern. I watched it in amazement. What I would give to go back in time and spend lots of time with those cars. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by DrumBob (see edit history)

[Grimy]

Unquestionably SF.  The Stude (1948?) is the newest car I saw.  The (now-abandoned) tracks are still there in the Cow Hollow neighborhood (so named because there were several dairies there decades ago), a couple of blocks from, and parallel to, the semi-high-end Union Street dining/drinking/shopping area.

[58L-Y8]

During the Fishermen's Grotto footage about five minutes into the video, a 1939 Packard Twelve sedan backs out of its parking space then drives out to the left of the view into traffic.    In a couple places, it appears to be a 1930-'32 Franklin club sedan parked on the hill near the corner the camera vehicle turns through in two different sequences.  Interesting video.

[JamesR]

Fascinating footage. Thanks for posting. I've seen several of these, but I'd not this one before. San Francisco looked somewhat decrepit back in the 1940's, at least in some of the places shown in the film. I've never been there, so I don't know how it looks today by comparison.

 

Though I prefer cars that are stock, some of the most interesting cars on these film clips are the modified fenderless Model A's and '32 roadsters or coupes, such as the one at the 2:30 mark. They would be among the earliest street driven hot rods of that era, I believe. At least when you're talking about the 1940's.

[Guest]

On 4/8/2022 at 3:28 PM, JamesR said:

 I've never been there, so I don't know how it looks today by comparison.

 

Much worse.