San Francisco (1936)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Writers:

Robert E. Hopkins (story)
Anita Loos (writer)

Release Date:

26 June 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

She Fell In Love . . . with the toughest guy on the toughest street in the world !

Plot:

A Barbary Coast saloonkeeper and a Nob Hill impresario are rivals for the affections of a beautiful singer, both personally and professionally in 1906 San Francisco.

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Nob Hill | Opera | Priest | Contract

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Blackie Norton
Jeanette MacDonald	...	Mary Blake
Spencer Tracy	...	Father Mullin
Jack Holt	...	Jack Burley
Jessie Ralph	...	Mrs. Burley
Ted Healy	...	Mat
Shirley Ross	...	Trixie
Margaret Irving	...	Della Bailey
Harold Huber	...	'Babe'
Edgar Kennedy	...	Sheriff
Al Shean	...	Professor
William Ricciardi	...	Signor Baldini
Kenneth Harlan	...	'Chick'
Roger Imhof	...	'Alaska'
Charles Judels	...	Tony (as Charles Judells)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Spencer Tracy, playing a priest, makes a note to himself in one scene, "That Rooney kid skipped Mass again..." Two years later, he again plays a priest in Boys Town (1938) and is charged with reforming a boy played by Mickey Rooney.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In a scene after the Earthquake, the driver of a Salvation Army wagon tells Blackie Norton that he is heading to "Daly City to get milk for the kiddies." In fact, Daly City was not incorporated until 1911 (five years after the quake). The area did contain dairy farms (owned by John Daly), but was known as Vista Grande.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Blackie Norton: Well sister, what's your racket?
Mary Blake: I'm a singer!
Blackie Norton: Let's see your legs!
Mary Blake: I said, I'm a singer!
Blackie Norton: Alright, let's see your legs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Last Tycoon (1976)

Soundtrack:

After the Ball

A stunning film, especially for the 1930's

This movie has it all: good history, great acting, superb special effects, a Stellar cast (Gable, Tracy, and McDonald, all top stars at the time), and a great story line. You get so wrapped up in the lives of these people that you even forget that there's an earthquake a' comin', until it HITS, and right in the middle of the human drama... Remember the first time you saw it? The timing was SO good that I'm sure most audience members felt the same confusion and sense of impending doom that the characters on-screen were experiencing at the same time. It's a real jaw-dropper...

In addition, there's a string of occurrences in this film which often go overlooked by all of the above: the INCREDIBLE singing of Jeanette McDonald, which punctuates the film at several key moments. When she sings, on demand, "Love Me and the World is Mine", the audience, just like Blackie Norton, can't help but be stunned by her voice, seeing that this woman has a set of PIPES! Whether it's opera, hymns, or the title song, her singing is the thread that ties all the parts of this film together, and, considering sound recording in 1936, it's stunning. Next time you visit this film, make a note to yourself: focus on her singing. She had an amazing talent that no one in film has matched, before or since. Her singing alone makes this film worth the price of admission.

So, rent the film and enjoy one of the greats... can't wait until it comes out on DVD.