Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Johnston Road junction with Fleming Road, Wanchai

A little after we saw Bud outside the Lung Moon, he hops on a pedicab and gives the poor driver a hard time by the mere fact that he is a fat bastard and weighs more than the poor dude can handle. Anyway, we next see the struggling pedicab still heading down Johnston Road but this time at the large intersection with Fleming Road. One thing I only just noticed is that you can partially see the sign for the old Ying King restaurant on the far right of the top image.

These shots are great because I can see that just in this small stretch of road there are still a lot of surrounding buildings that still stand. The first is from the top two shots and it stands on the corner of Johnston and Wanchai Road.

See, still there and being looked after, although the view to the mountains at the end of Wanchai Road is no longer clear and we now just get the side of a high rise rather than the green foliage that was there in 1975. As the camera pans left we can see a few buildings at the other side of the street (Johnston Road turns south here and these buildings are actually on part of Wanchai Road still). Here is the 2009 Streetview.

Well, you can see the square-windowed place (the Ming Tak Building) was still around in 2009 but I can confirm that not long after I originally made this post, it was demolished and redeveloped. Sometimes I feel this blog has a nasty knack of alerting developers to their next victim :-(.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Johnston Road, Wanchai

As Rizzo walks around looking for clues we see him head into Wanchai and a very famous landmark that disappeared around 2009. It's the Lung Moon restaurant along Johnston Road just opposite Southorn Playground. You can see its red/white vertical sign in the background.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - The Cenotaph, Hong Kong

Just a brief shot here as Rizzo walks across the Cenotaph garden. Of course these days it's off-limits to the public but at least we get a nice view of the previously mentioned HSBC building and Standard Chartered Bank HQ and the current version of Prince's Building (and just a glimpse of the corner of the Supreme Court/ex-LegCo building peeking out behind the Cenotaph).

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong

Some scene setting takes place - as it does in any film that wants to show its viewers that they really did go to HK - and we get a few shots of a 1975 Central including the following view down the tramlines along Des Voeux Road Central.

The spire-like construction was the old Bank of East Asia building - sadly demolished in 1980 to make way for their current HQ. Sadly, we can't blame the current HK Govt for the loss of so many great buildings in Central because most of them disappeared under the Colonial Administration - however, the current Govt seems to be increasingly willing in continuing that short-sighted policy.

As the camera pulls back we can see some old favourites - including rather oblique views of the old Chartered Bank Building and of course the previous incarnation of the HSBC HQ - both now gone. On the right you can see the current version of Prince's Building, and at extreme right in the lower shot we can see the edge of the former Supreme Court/former LegCo building - also still around.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

I have a big thank you to say to Dan who writes the excellent Hong Kong On Film blog and actually sent me a copy of this film.

A quick summary: Bud Spencer (real name Carlo Pedersoli, who sadly died in June 2016) plays a surly and burly Napoli cop, Rizzo, who has a penchant for smacking people on the top of their heads with his fist in order to subdue them. He is framed by a cop traitor and has to chase various bad guys around the world (in this case Italy, obviously, Bangkok and Hong Kong and Macau) to prove his innocence and catch the bad guy. Obviously we shall focus on the Hong Kong and Macau scenes for this blog but if anyone is interested in Bangkok in 1975 then it's probably also well worth a look.

Anyway, the opening Hong Kong scene (when Rizzo first arrives in HK from Thailand) is a panning helicopter shot high above the harbour. The scene lasts for quite sometime and takes in an almost 360 degree view so we get a good look at the whole area.

The Protector - Jackie Chan (1985) - Nathan Road, Kowloon

It took the sharp eyes of my friend and regular contributor, Thomas, to spot the exact location of these grabs taken along Nathan Road for The Protector.

It's from the part of the film when the two heroes, JC and Danny Aiello, are fresh off the plane from NYC and hop in a cab to go to their hotel.

It was really the top photo which helped because hidden behind all that neon on the right hand side is a large vertical advert for the NanYang Commercial Bank (that's it with the red outline on the right) - more commonly known these days as just the N.C.B. The second grab was actually just taken a bit further up by about 100 metres and if you look carefully on the upper shot you will see that cluster of yellow signs in the background that feature much closer on the second grab.

Anyway, many thanks to Thomas and he kindly provided the current day location, from which I have made the following Streetview grabs. The top shot above corresponds to the top shot below and you can see that although the neon has gone and the buildings have changed a bit, the bus stop on the left remains.

And here is the same junction we see on the film shot where Nathan Rd intersects with Dundas Street.

Soldier of Fortune - Clark Gable (1955) - Jordan Road Vehicular Ferry Pier

Also known as Jordan Road Ferry Pier because it was located at the westernmost end of Jordan Road in Kwun Chung - when it was still part of the waterfront (obviously...).

Of course, the ferry pier became a victim of the "Kowloon West" mass reclamation and was demolished in 1996. The West Kowloon reclamation has put paid to the aforementioned waterfront.

Soldier of Fortune was filmed in 1955, a few years before the Ferry Point Estate was constructed just to the immediate north of the ferry pier.

Soldier of Fortune - Clark Gable (1955) - Kennedy Town Praya, Hong Kong

Originally I though this was where Connaught Road turns inland into Des Voeux Road in Sheung Wan, however, given that at one point we can see what can only be the northern slope of Mount Davis in the background has led me to believe that this is the part of the tram line where Des Voeux Road West leads into Kennedy Town Praya around Shek Tong Tsui.

It's the location of Hank Lee's Godown. Here is what was a nice open view over to the Kowloon mountains in the background.

The upper shot shows the view to the immediate left of the lower one as the camera pans to the right. In Soldier of Fortune Hank Lee runs his business from the Pedder Industrial Co. Godown. Pedder is a name synonymous with Hong Kong because it was the name of the new colony's first harbour master and went on to be used for several sites around what is now Central. Pedder Street bears his name as does the nice old Pedder Building (built in 1924) along it which housed.

Perhaps this was a real building, or perhaps the filmmakers just thought it was an authentic sounding Hongkong-style name that would fit the film's setting. Who knows? Here's what the same strip of land looks like nowadays. At least this is the closest Streetview I can get without the view being blocked by a tram car.

Here is another shot from the film - looking west, which shows in the background the slope of Mount Davis. You can see how close to the water's edge the tram line used to run. No, the tram line hasn't moved at all since it was first built in 1904, but the water's edge now stands a further 100 metres to the north thanks to reclamation.

Here is another modern Streetview grab that shows the same approximate angle.

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Ferry Street, Kowloon

Well, to finish off this series of Suzie Wong locations we have the final scene from the film which involves Suzie and her friends burning offerings to her baby's spirit at a temple. They exit the temple and turn right to walk away from camera and we see a bustling but I guess rather grotty harbour side.

For this location we have HK Man to thank. HK Man (a pseudonym obviously) spends his time taking "Then and Now" pictures all over HK. You can catch his excellent FLICKR stream here. But the snap we are interested in is this one.

Ferry Street was a small road in Yau Ma Tei that terminated at the harbour side we see above, and it wasn't until this area was later reclaimed that Ferry Street was able to grow a bit more into the modern version we know today which terminates at the junction with Argyle Street in Mongkok.

The road we can see to the right of the modern comparison is Kansu St, which means that Holden and Kwan would have exited the temple somewhere around where today's Saigon Street Playground now stands. Now, I do have access to a 1964 map of this area and there is no temple marked here so I can only think that some other antiquated building was used in lieu of a real temple - it wouldn't be hard for the filmmakers to make it look like a temple to be honest. But if anyone can tell me there was a real temple at this site I would be interested to hear any more information.

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong

After Suzie goes missing, Lomax spends some time visiting various locations searching for her. One of those is the wall along the west side of Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter with a view over to Gloucester Road behind.

Back in 1960 you can see that the Far East Motors Limited occupied the space behind, they used to be 26 Nathan Road during the 20's and 30's but expanded here later in life. Of course in 1960 the breakwater which Holden was on (and which joined Kellet Island to Hong Kong) was a bit further east than where it is today - largely because the exact spot Holden is on now hosts the HK-side entrance to the cross-harbour tunnel. This part of Gloucester Road is now taken up by various buildings Top Glory Tower and the Sino Plaza. Here is a Streetview of what the background looks like now.

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Telegraph Bay, Hong Kong

Here's one that totally flummoxed me until the nice chaps at Gwulo proffered a resolution. It shows Holden and Kwan wandering around a lovely piece of HK coastal countryside just after Lomax (Holden) has found out about Suzie's baby.

This was Telegraph Bay. Perhaps the name doesn't mean very much these days as it seems to be more commonly known by the name of a horrible development there that goes by the more modern moniker of Cyberport. I jest not. What was an idyllic rural part of the island (with a view over to Lamma Island in the background) has become one of HK's biggest developmental jokes.

The headland that you can see in the distance in the first screen cap now holds a rather large development known as Bel-Air on the Peak. Another wholly inappropriately named expensive apartment complex.

Bel-Air on the Peak 

(no, it's neither in Bel-Air nor on The Peak)

Why was this place called Telegraph Bay? Simple, it was the site where some early telegraph cables entered the water. The Chinese name is Dai Hau Wan (大口灣 - big mouth bay)

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Li Chit Street & Johnston Road, Hong Kong

There's one scene in the film when Holden crosses a road in the pouring rain as a tram trundles by. The interesting thing about this location is that although all the older buildings have been replaced (and a tram stop being erected right where that tram is) it's still recognisable. Holden has just come out of Li Chit Street and is now crossing Johnston Road towards the Methodist Church HQ (which can be seen as a brown wall on the last screen cap).

Even the Methodist Church building has been replaced by a newer but similarly-coloured edifice but one relic from this time still exists (or at least it did when I went past it earlier today along that very same tram track) and that is the electrical box that we can see in the foreground of the latter 3 pictures.

I suspect the reason it is still there is perhaps because it is a HK Tramway junction box and there are several similar ones to be found along the side of the tracks at various points (saw some on Kings Road in North Point as well). Now, given that a couple of years ago HK Tramways was taken over by the French company, Veolia, who have promised some major investment, it wouldn't surprise me to see some of these old boxes start to disappear. It's a shame but there you go.

I visited the same location just recently (Sep 2015) and can confirm the old box is still there - for the time being at least.

As you can see it's a bit rusty but has so far withstood the test of time, Here's to another 60 years.

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Square Street, Hong Kong

A fleeting glimpse of the road(s) around the Man Mo Temple as Holden gets driven home by the daughter of the banks boss. The Square Street and Ladder Street intersection is still recognisable today even though the old buildings have long been replaced by not-quite-as-old-but getting-there buildings.

The thing that has changed is the number of people here. These days the place is deserted, but judging from the film (and there are just too many people there for them to all be extras) it was a hive of activity in the late '50's.

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong

Once again, not the first time and certainly not the last, Aberdeen is the focal point for a scene from a foreign-produced film set in Hong Kong. This was the second time a film here had involved William Holden (he made a trip to the Tai Pak restaurant with Jennifer Jones during Love is a Many-Splendored Thing in 1955).

This time Holden, playing Lomax, accompanies the Kwan (Suzie) to the Tai Pak floating restaurant. It looks a little different to the version of the Tai Pak that is currently still installed in Aberdeen and that's because this one seems to be the original. This is the version that was moved over to Castle Peak Bay sometime after this film was made (circa 1960) before falling victim to the transformation of Castle Peak into Tuen Mun New Town which saw much of the bay reclaimed for housing.

Notice the other restaurants that were around at the time: Sea palace and the Yue Lee Tai - the latter one lesser known, perhaps because it wasn't quite so aesthetically flamboyant. Neither are around anymore although if you read my other blog you will know some remnants linger on. I've heard unconfirmed reports that the Sea Palace was sold and towed to the Philippines or Australia (but probably neither).  The Tai Pak (at least a later version) remains and was integrated into Jumbo Kingdom some time ago.

Anyway, this isn't the only point of interest that we have from this trip because there is also a brief glimpse of another historic place around Aberdeen that still exists - the old Police Station on the hill.

It's the long building on the hillside just to the left of Nancy Kwan's head. These days it's used as a youth centre ("The Warehouse") and of course it is now completely obscured by high-rises along the waterfront.

Another thing to note about the above screen grab is the small hillock sticking out of Holden's right shoulder. This of course is the small headland that housed, and still houses, The Aberdeen Holy Spirit Seminary - a place worthy of it's own blog post at some point down the road. The hill on the right of the shot is actually Brick Hill and is better known these days for having the Ocean Park cable car running up the side of it.