Signal Hill/Blackhead Point - Now and Then

I took a side trip up to Signal Hill in Tsim Sha Tsui the other day because I remembered that Ryan O'Neal shot a brief scene here for Oliver's Story back in 1978. I was able to capture some reasonable comparisons on my phone and you can see them below compared to the film captures.

As you can see below, the pavilion is still there but the red tiles have been removed from the columns (I think that's a recent thing because I'm sure they were still there when I was last here a few years ago) and the balustrade finials have also been removed and just replaced with a pyramid style point.

Looking east from the battery. In the distance you can see Yau Tong/Lei Yue Mun area. The block behind Ryan O'Neal's feet is actually a granite boundary stone that has the letters W.D.L 54 etched into it. I think W.D.L should stand for War Department Lot. I think the railings are still the same ones.

This is looking towards the east side of the battery. I actually had to climb on a wall/fence for this shot because as you can see in the modern images, the battery is now fenced off for being "dangerous". I have no idea what danger it poses other than someone could potentially slip and sprain an ankle (hey, that's why the Govt have concreted miles of hiking trails in the hills).

The next angle shows the west side of the gun battery. Not much of a view today though, is there?

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Central Waterfront, Hong Kong

The final shot from this film comes at the denouement of Oliver's relationship with his heiress girlfriend/ It all takes place along the old Central waterfront. We can see Jardine House (Connaught Centre) and the post office in the background which shows that this particular area of seafront is now part of the IFC development - in fact probably slap bang where the centrepiece IFC2 now stands.

To Candice Bergen's left is the City Hall block, followed by the Furama Hotel and then Hutchinson House etc. But interestingly, in the lower picture you can see the under-construction Prince of Wales building that still forms part of the former HMS Tamar (now the PLA HQ).

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Shek Kip Mei Estate, Kowloon

Oliver heads out on a car tour to visit one of the factories his girlfriend owns. Secretly he's hoping it's a sweatshop so he has an excuse to dump her (because he's a bit miserable and pitiful) but in reality it turns outo be a modern facility that treats its workers fairly. On the way the car he is in passes through the Shek Kip Mei estate. How do I know this one is Shek Kip Mei? There is a street sign on one of the buildings that says "Woh Chai Street".

In fact, I could be mistaken but I believe the junction seen here (in the top two pictures) is the intersection between Woh Chai Street and Nam Cheong Street. I'm only guessing but on the second picture you can see another building further up the road (under the street sign) that looks like the old St Francis of Assissi school building.

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Signal Hill Garden, Tsim Sha Tsui

O'Neal goes off on a bit of a downer and goes for a wander around the garden at Signal Hill (Blackhead Point). You don't see it in the film but this is where the signal tower still stands and is actually a great little escape in the middle of busy Tsim Sha Tsui. I recommend a walk up if you get the chance. The concrete structure the old fella is practising his Taichi on in the top picture is the old gun battery - although these days it's fenced off.

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - The Repulse Bay Hotel, Repulse Bay

The photoshoot that Bergen's character is running takes place on the front garden of the old Repulse Bay Hotel. I think the garden wall is the only original part of the hotel left.

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen

You may recall that when I was looking at locations for the Spiderman film a couple of years ago I noted that the Jumbo was docked at the quayside in Aberdeen. Well, it was made the same year as Oliver's Story and we can see that the restaurant was indeed docked at the waterfront in this film too. I'm not surprised considering the number of restaurants that appear to be in the harbour. If you look at the top picture you can see the Tai pak, and two more to its right (perhaps the Yue Lei Tai and another?). From the other grabs we can also see the Sea palace was there as well. So maybe the Jumbo was at the quayside simply due to lack of space?

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Tin Hau Temple, Repulse Bay

A quick romantic moment is had by the pair at the waterside next to the Tin Hau Temple. This looks as though it was before all the other structures were added to the site (the pavilion, longevity bridge etc).

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - The Peninsula Hotel, Kowloon

The pair are staying at the famous Peninsula Hotel. As they enter, Bergen's character rmarks that they are staying in the Marco Polo Suite and it certainly looks as though the interior shots were filmed there. You can see the arched window in the lower screen grabs.

Although the decor has been updated, the layout is still very similar when you look at the floorplan that is on the hotel website. I can't seem to spot any information about which side of the hotel the suite is on though (east/west) so if anyone can enlighten me it would be appreciated.

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Kai Tak Airport Terminal, Kowloon

Some more nostalgia for Kai Tak lovers as the pair arrive at the airport terminal.

Oliver's Story - Ryan O'Neal (1978) - Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

It's time for a new movie I think and Oliver's Story arrived in the post the other day. This one was filmed in 1978 and stars Ryan O'Neal in a sequel to the earlier Love Story (which co-starred Ali MacGraw). In this follow-up, his wife (MacGraw) has already died of leukemia and he basically spends most of the film moping around and feeling sorry for himself. The film is mainly set in New York but towards the end he and his new rich girlfriend (Candice Bergen) head to Hong Kong so she can check out her garment factories and supervise a fashion shoot.

Cue a rather interesting angle of their plane coming into land at Kai Tak from the harbour end (as opposed to the white knuckle ride from the other direction we usually see). Check out the vehicular ferry at the bottom of the screen as well - possibly heading towards the ferry pier in Kwun Tong