Film Snail

San Francisco
San Francisco

6.6

San Francisco

NR·1936·115m

Summary

A beautiful singer and a battling priest try to reform a Barbary Coast saloon owner in the days before the great earthquake and subsequent fires in 1906.

Cast

Clark Gable

Clark Gable

Blackie Norton

Jeanette MacDonald

Jeanette MacDonald

Mary Blake

Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy

Father Tim Mullin

Jack Holt

Jack Holt

Jack Burley

Jessie Ralph

Jessie Ralph

Mrs. Maisie Burley

Ted Healy

Ted Healy

Mat

Shirley Ross

Shirley Ross

Trixie

Margaret Irving

Margaret Irving

Della Bailey

Harold Huber

Harold Huber

'Babe'

Edgar Kennedy

Edgar Kennedy

Sheriff

Al Shean

Al Shean

Professor

William Ricciardi

William Ricciardi

Signor Baldini

Kenneth Harlan

Kenneth Harlan

'Chick'

Roger Imhof

Roger Imhof

'Alaska'

Charles Judels

Charles Judels

Tony

Russell Simpson

Russell Simpson

'Red' Kelly

Bert Roach

Bert Roach

Freddie Duane

Warren Hymer

Warren Hymer

Hazeltine

Adrienne D'Ambricourt

Adrienne D'Ambricourt

Madame Albani (uncredited)

Gertrude Astor

Gertrude Astor

Drunk's Girl (uncredited)

Irving Bacon

Irving Bacon

Picnicker (uncredited)

King Baggot

King Baggot

Earthquake Survivor (uncredited)

Margaret Bert

Salvation Army Nurse (uncredited)

Sidney Bracey

Sidney Bracey

Burley's Butler Allen (uncredited)

G. Pat Collins

G. Pat Collins

Bartender (uncredited)

Nigel De Brulier

Nigel De Brulier

Earthquake Survivor (uncredited)

Vernon Dent

Vernon Dent

Fat Man (uncredited)

Tom Dugan

Tom Dugan

Drunk (uncredited)

John George

John George

Custodian at Blackie Norton's (uncredited)

D.W. Griffith

D.W. Griffith

Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)

Bronislau Kaper

Bronislau Kaper

Conductor (uncredited)

Frank Mayo

Frank Mayo

Dealer (uncredited)

Tom McGuire

Tom McGuire

Bartender (uncredited)

John 'Skins' Miller

John 'Skins' Miller

Man on Stretcher (uncredited)

James Murray

James Murray

Earthquake Survivor (uncredited)

William H. O'Brien

William H. O'Brien

Waiter at Chicken's Ball (uncredited)

Dennis O'Keefe

Dennis O'Keefe

New Year's Celebrant (uncredited)

Lillian Rich

Lillian Rich

Nun (uncredited)

William Ripley Dorr

Choir (uncredited)

Jason Robards Sr.

Jason Robards Sr.

Father (uncredited)

Frank Sheridan

Frank Sheridan

Founders' Club Member (uncredited)

Harry Strang

Harry Strang

Soldier (uncredited)

Ben Taggart

Ben Taggart

Cop (uncredited)

Dorothy Vernon

Dorothy Vernon

New Years Eve Reveler (uncredited)

Rosemary Theby

Rosemary Theby

Earthquake Survivor (uncredited)

Madame Sul-Te-Wan

Madame Sul-Te-Wan

Earthquake Survivor (Uncredited)

Crew

Director

W.S. Van Dyke

Screenplay

Anita Loos

Story

Robert E. Hopkins

Writer

Herman J. Mankiewicz

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Geronimo1967

October 30, 2024

7

I sometimes found Jeanette MacDonald to be a sort of singing hybrid of Bette Davis and Binnie Barnes! She reminds me very much of that here in this engaging, if slightly long, romantic tale set just before the infamous San Francisco earthquake. "Mary Blake" arrives in the city looking for a job and she alights on the owner of the "Paradise Café". He's the suave and savvy "Blackie Norton" (Clark Gable) and he takes quite a shine to her. So too does his rather wealthier and more high-brow competitor "Burley" (Jack Holt) who might be a better fit for this girl's operatic ambitions. What now ensues sees the chemistry between MacDonald and Gable ebb and flow against a background of crookedness, envy and some good old-fashioned thuggery. Trying to help everyone stay on the right track is his childhood friend "Tim" (Spencer Tracy) who now just happens to be the local priest, a dab hand with a boxing glove, and a man who refuses to see evil in just about anyone. "Mary" has some tough choices to make, and those around her seem perfectly happy to make it for her if she doesn't - so which way is she going to turn? There's no doubt that MacDonald could sing, and her performances here are powerful and at times quite mischievous as her semi-operatic numbers illustrate quite well her character's struggle to fit into a society that wanted music hall numbers and not a good dose of "Faust"! Gable brings his usual lighthearted charm to the proceedings and there are a couple of amiable scenes from the rags-to-riches "Maisie" (Jessie Ralph) to remind us that just about everyone in that city started from nothing - even those on it's exclusive Nob Hill. The photography and visual effects at the end are really quite impressive and the audio of both the musical and thunderous elements of destruction work really quite well on a big screen too. It's not a plot that really stands out, but everyone here works well together to provide an enjoyable reminder of not just these stars, but also of the variety of Vaudeville entertainers that our forebears watched on stage.

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$1,300,000.00

Revenue:

$5,273,000.00

Keywords

epic
san francisco, california
earthquake
priest
belief in god
saloon owner
opera singer
saloon singer
crisis of faith
disaster movie
nob hill
loss of faith
great fire
1900s
tough man