Suzie Wong - "Hotel" rooftop

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 20:58
Date picture taken
1960s
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Hi there,

This scene is somewhere at the mid-levels somewhere very close to and a bit east of Eastern Street.  I could not make up how high up was the roof top, but I guess it could be as high up as Park RoadWe coiud see two streets opening up in the foreground. 

The one by the right was very likely the Eastern Street where the one by the left with a big opening along the shore appeared to be the Centre Street.  The shop house at the corner of Centre & Des Voeux is the sole survivor of the whole block today.

Best Regards,

T

Hi there,

It's Park Road or Lyttleton Road then.  More likely Park Road as the domes were very close.  The domes were most likely the towers of the then Euston.  There were no big churches with domes in that area.  HKU has some domed buildings, but not like this, not along this line of sight.

Might have to take a look at some old picures of the Euston to double check though.

Best Regards,

T

The street on the right doesn't quite fit Eastern Street for me. That should run in a straight line to the sea, but in this photo it runs off to the right, but the block nearest the sea is angled to the left.

Could it be one of the roads further east? eg Hillier or Cleverly as Phil suggested?

The domes look to be the secret, but I can't find anything suitable from a quick skim. Here's a photo of Euston - but that goes for angular turrets rather than domes, so probably isn't our hotel building.

80sKid, you might be right.

Being "Hollywood" it is certainly within the realms of possibility that the film makers mocked-up the rooftop on part of the Mok Residence itself - especially when you consider it is the panorama that seems to be the intended star of that particular scene. This would also explain why the frontal shot seems to be a studio-shot back projection (to hide whatever would have been behind had they done it on locale).

I guess the owners at the home were used to having William Holden walking all over their pad (I don't know much about William Holden, but what I do know is that he schmoozed with lots of HK glitterati).

But anyway I am getting a head of myself a bit. The ones on the drawing (the central domes) seem to be too far apart perhaps? Also, I wonder if there is a close up anywhere to check how smooth the domes were. The domes in the shot above seem to be slightly angular rather than smoothly curved. Phil

 

Here's a view down Ladder Street. Note the two domes on right of steps, which look like they could be the building we're looking for:

Excellent find David. It certainly looks like it could be the right building. Is this the part of Ladder St that is close to the junction with Hollywood Rd?

I wonder what the building was though...?

It may just be the perspective of course, but on the Ladder St photo it very much looks as though the building is sited south of Man Mo Temple (assuming that the postbox Adam mentioned is the one next to the temple). Would the building have been on Bridges St then, or perhaps Wing Lee St?

Couple of identification marks visible. It appears you can see Man Mo Temple to the right of the double-domed building, with the temple displaying twin, shark fin like rooftops. The buildings sloping up from there would line Hollywood Road. That should help pinpoint the domed building.

The bombed area to the south of Hollywood Road probably includes Central School; certainly that area was partially destroyed during the war. Bridges Street Market and the former Police Married Quarters were built around 1951 out of the ruins.

Not sure what the tall building on the front is. It's now Kai Tak Commercial Building, 317 Des Voeux Road.

 

It may be my wonky eyesight, but it looks as though the double domed building has a larger and flatter done behind it - perhaps covering the main ceiling/roof of the building. Can anyone else see that?

Many thanks Herostratus, you've solved a 6 yr old mystery. Given this new information it looks as though the film crew probably did use the roof of the building seen on film...i.e the corner of Hollywood Rd and Ladder St.

cheers, Phil

The angles don't quite match up for the scene to be filmed form a building on Ladder street. Drawing a line from Hillier Street through the right (East) side tower of the Central Theatre leads to a building on Hollywood where today's Centre Stage is. 

Below is an aerial shot from 1963. I have circled the building the movie scene was shot from. Central Theatre can be seen below the red circle. Click on the picture for a zoomable version

Detail of Hollywood Road in Feb 1963 Showing Central Theatre
Detail of Hollywood Road in Feb 1963 Showing Central Theatre, by HK Government Mapping Service

Same Building: 

Suzie Wong - "Hotel" rooftop
Suzie Wong - Hotel rooftop, by philk

 

okay I see now, yes, this looks like the one. Well spotted. In fact, just in front of that rooftop (bottom left of circle) is a small line is thin roofs that were also captured on film, see below.

Suzie Wong Hollywood Road Rooftops.jpg
Suzie Wong Hollywood Road Rooftops.jpg, by Philk

 

 

Didn't William Holden build a home on the headland  below the corner of Respusle Bay rd as it drop down to Repulse Bay from the DeepWater Bay turn off?. The place has/had a wonderful south facing sea view