San Francisco,
a sunny day on the 1st. of June 1968
San Francisco Sunday Examiner writer Frank Herbert is happy. His boss has just requested him to go out and take some pics from a movie to be produced by Solar Productions. Sounds indeed like a nice change. Steve McQueen starring and Jaqueline Bisset. Frank takes a short ride arriving soon at Powell Street.
Seems there is quite some action going on in the streets of SFO. Crowds are around the film staff, but the typical barriers are missing, only a few policemen are guiding the traffic, the producer requires authentic environments.
"Seven homicides. Seven homicides here in one week while we are shooting the investigations to get the story of a fictional homicide. Real and fiction get mixed in a very strange way." said Steve McQueen to the writer.
`"San Franciscans are more casual about film companies than New Yorkers. People understand a simple word here: Please. Even the cops play it cool and casual."
Reality was indeed a key factor for the success of BULLITT back then and today and the cops were just a part of it.
The Police department of San Francisco had sent a group of 4 men to support Solar Productions on the action spots.
Those were Frank Panacci Sr., Tony Piazza, Thomas Duncun, George Paras. In addition from the Californa Highway Patrol Milton Bowand and Gordon Muir joined the team.
Sgt. Bill McCarthy was assigned as the liaison with the production company and the police.
Fortunately one of these cops kept a nice little gadget for his son:
Frank Panacci Sr..
But read Anthony Bolognas report in his own words:
I
received an email from a Frank Panacci Jr. He was very enthusiastic about a
collection of information that he had about his dad on the set of the filming
of “Bullitt”
Frank
Panacci jr. - born and raised in San Francisco - is a member of the Daly City Fire
Department; we meet at his fire house, so that he would be able to tell his
story.
On
the table was a time capsule envelope
As
the envelope was opened, it felt like we were going back to the sixties. Where
Vietnam was a far away place, we had the Hippies…Height Ashbury was put on
the map.... gas was 24 cents a gallon.
It contained many photos, newspaper clippings and letter’s that I couldn’t
wait to get my hands on.
Here,
in front of us are photos and letters that were written personally to his dad
from Steve McQueen. Frank Jr’s mom even saved the article from the Sunday
Examiner’s dated June 2 1968.
You
can see Panacci in many scenes.
One for example is when McQueen is heading to
the Mansion in the early part of the movie to visit Robert Vaughn (Chambers).
The police officer directing traffic at the intersection is Frank Sr.
The
three wheeler that starts up, when the chase scene ends with the Charger
engulfed in flames.... fades out to the motor pool scène with McQueen asking the
motor pool for a squad car.
Frank
Panacci jr. gives an insight from his familys memory: "Being
on the set, day in day out, my Dad knew Steve McQueen more on a personal level.
Many stories were told about each others family. Steve McQueen felt at home
being with everyday people. You had nothing to prove or show to McQueen. You
were genuine in McQueen eyes. "
Jaqueline listening to Steve for the next take.
So,
my dad would invite them over to the house for a great home made Italian dinner.
I was not aware of whom or what these strange people were that are seated at the
dinner table. " Frank jr. recalls.
"But
what I recall is one gentle man that wasn’t feeling so well. He was
uncomfortable seated in his chair. He tried to be a good sportsman, as if
everything was normal enjoying Mrs. Pannacci’s cooked meal. I was curious
about this guy. He was a co-star from the movie that was being shot downtown."
He was the fall guy for Johnny Ross. The scene that was shot that day was of him
being blasted by the hit man’s shot gun and being slammed against the wall.
This scene was shot over and over, and it had its effect on his body.
The special effects crew set up the stunt as simple as can be. They had equipped
a harness on the Ross character. A cable went through the wall to a crew on the
other side of the wall. On Go, they yank the cable, which in turn pulled and
slammed Ross against the wall. Ouch! That must have hurt!
…As you can see,
nothing is visible form the camera angle. There were no computers to eliminate
any visible gear. So you had to keep it as real as can be.
Pics were shot by Frank Herbert
for the San Francisco Examiner, all items scanned by Anthony Bologna
McQueen
enjoyed his own down time on the set. He was an experienced off road dirt
rider. As you can see from Frank Herbert's shots, he would be fooling around
on the closed streets of the set of “Bullitt”.
He was known to wander
off the set with the Triumph bike to explore around the higher hills of Taylor and
Union Street... later used for the infamous chase down Taylor Street.
Steve on his Triumph riding up the Crest Hill. Might be he got the idea for a jump during one of these rides.
Robert Vaughn on left
Steve McQueen in the hospital
The article in the San Francisco Examiner shows that Frank was impressed by co-actress Jacqueline Bisset.
Thanks to Anthony Bologna for the scanning of these documents of BULLITT history.