1957 Plymouth Leads 1957 Dodge On Crazed San Francisco Car Chase

Did the 1958 film The Lineup influence the makers of that better-known San Francisco car-chase movie a decade later?

Probably so, and we can't help wishing that the budget for jumps had been a bit higher in the earlier film, because those Hemi-powered finned monsters sure look and sound good screaming around the city. The baddies roll in a Plymouth, while the plainclothes cops chasing them run a Dodge; no doubt the producers had a little deal with Chrysler going on here, because no doubt the plot would have been easier to follow without the opponents' cars looking so similar to each other. There's something for you Ford fans, too, because the rank-and-file policemen drive shiny new '57 Fords as they try to prevent the crooks from escaping to their "warehouse on Folsom" via the not-yet-completed (and much loathed) Embarcadero Freeway.

Those of you who know San Francisco will have to do a little suspension of disbelief when you see their route, which seems to whisk their Mopar monsters from the Cliff House to SOMA in about 30 seconds, but you had to do that even more for Bullitt, so who cares? And hey, the E. M. O'Donnell Coppersmiths building, located at Folsom and Fremont downtown, is still there!

Freeways come and go- thanks to some help from earthquakes- and warehouses become luxury condos, but a few old buildings stay intact. Thanks to Dan for the tip!