San Francisco (1936)
Mary Blake arrives at Blackie Norton's Paradise gambling hall and beer
garden looking for work as a singer. Blackie embarrasses her by asking
to see her legs, but does hire her. She faints from hunger. Nob Hill
Socialite Jack Burley and Maestro Baldini of the Tivoli Opera House see
her singing and offer her a chance to do opera, but Blackie has her under
a two-year contract which she sorrowfully stands by. Later, when he
makes up posters featuring Mary in tights, she does leave for the Tivoli.
Blackie gets an injunction against Burley, but knocks out the process
server when he hears Mary's performance as Marguerite in "Faust". She
asks her to marry him and she agrees to go back to the Paradise as his
kind of singer, but Blackie's childhood chum Father Tim intervenes. After
Blackie slugs the priest, Mary leaves. She is soon the star of the Tivoli
and Blackie's place is closed down. She sings a rousing "San Francisco"
on behalf of the Paradise at the annual "Chicken Ball" and wins the $10,000
prize which Blackie throws to the floor. As she storms out of the hall a
terrible rumble betokens the famous San Francisco earthquake. Buildings
collapse, streets split wide open, the city burns, the army dynamites whole
sections of town. After staggering around in a stupor Blackie finds Father
Tim and the two of them find Mary at a Salvation Army camp. Backed by
hundreds of others, they look out over the ruins which are gradually
replaced by the shining new city with a reprise of the title song.
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Writing credits: Robert E. Hopkins, Anita Loos
Cast:
Clark Gable .... Blackie Norton
Jeanette MacDonald .... Mary Blake
Spencer Tracy .... Father Tim Mullin
Jack Holt .... Jack Burley
Jessie Ralph .... Mrs. Maisie Burley
Ted Healy .... Mat
Shirley Ross .... Trixie
Margaret Irving .... Della
Bailey Harold Huber .... 'Babe' Paradise Manager
Edgar Kennedy .... Sheriff Jim
Al Shean .... Professor Hansen
William Ricciardi .... Signor Baldini
Kenneth Harlan .... Chick
Roger Imhof .... 'Alaska' Joe Kelso
Charles Judels .... Tony (as Charles Judells)
Russell Simpson .... 'Red' Kelly
Bert Roach .... Freddie Duane
Warren Hymer .... Hazeltine (as Warren B. Hymer)
Sammy McKim .... Choirboy
Jean Acker
Maude Allen .... Elderly Woman
Oscar Apfel .... Founders' Club Member
Sam Ash .... Orchestra Leader
Gertrude Astor .... Drunk's Girl
Irving Bacon .... Picnicker
King Baggot
Jane Barnes .... Girl
Vince Barnett .... New Year's Eve Drunk
Jack Baxley .... Kinko
Nyas Berry .... Dancer
Sidney Bracey .... Allen, Burley's Butler
Jimmy Brewster .... Stooge
Fritzi Brunette
Sonny Bupp
Tommy Bupp .... Bill, Newsboy
Orrin Burke .... Pompous Man
Richard Carle .... Founders' Club Member
Helene Chadwick
Naomi Childers
G. Pat Collins .... Bartender
Adrienne D'Ambricourt .... Madame Albani
Nigel De Brulier .... Old Man
Vernon Dent .... Fat Man
Mae Digges .... Dancer
Tom Dugan .... Drunk
Edward Earle .... Bit Man
Fred M. Fagan .... Waiter
Jim Farley .... Charlie, Police Captain
Flora Finch
Chester Gan .... Jowl Lee
Bud Geary .... Man Restraining Blackie after Quake
Ruth Gillette
Sammy Glasser .... Stooge
D.W. Griffith .... Orchestra conductor
George Guhl
Ben Hall .... Man searching in the chaos
Donald Hall
Sherry Hall .... Well-Wisher
Mahlon Hamilton
Edward Hearn .... Parishioner
Fay Helm
Anthony Jowitt .... Society Man
Bronislau Kaper
John Kelly .... Kelly
Cy Kendall .... Headwaiter
Jack Kennedy .... Mike, Old Irishman in Church
Tandy MacKenzie .... Faust
James Macklin .... Young Man
Wilbur Mack .... Bartender
George Magrill .... A Marine
Tom Mahoney .... Captain of Police
Frank Mayo .... Dealer
Tom McGuire .... Bartender
Robert McKenzie .... Messenger
John 'Skins' Miller .... Man on Stretcher
Belle Mitchell .... Mary's Maid, Louise
Bruce Mitchell .... Heckler
Rhea Mitchell
Harry Myers .... Reveler
William Newell .... Man in Breadline
Amber Norman
William H. O'Brien .... Waiter
Spec O'Donnell .... Man Praying
Dennis O'Keefe .... New Year's Celebrant
Pat O'Malley .... Fireman
John Pearson .... Stooge
ason Robards Sr. .... Father
Beatrice Roberts .... Forrestal Guest
Henry Roquemore .... Drinker
Don Rowan .... Coast Type
Frank Sheridan .... Founders' Club Member
Helen Shipman .... Bit Part
Myrtle Stedman
Carl Stockdale .... Salvation Army Man
Harry Strang .... Soldier
Charles Sullivan .... Fire Spectator
Ben Taggart .... Cop
Rosemary Theby
David Thursby
Robert J. Wilke
Tudor Williams .... Mephistopheles
Bill Wolfe .... Parishioner
Ortho Wright .... Fireman
Produced by John Emerson
Bernard H. Hyman .... producer
Original Music by Nacio Herb Brown (song "Would You"),
Walter Jurmann (songs "San Francisco" and "Happy New Year"),
Bronislau Kaper (songs "San Francisco" and "Happy New Year"),
Bob Carleton (song "Philippine Dance"), Lowell Mason (song "Nearer My
God To Thee"), Michael Maybrick (song "The Holy City"), Kerry Mills
(song "At a Georgia Camp Meeting"), Rory Dall O'Cahan (song "Londonderry
Air [Danny Boy]"), Thomas Railey (song "A Heart That's Free"), Alfred G. Robyn
(song "A Heart That's Free"), Herbert Stothart (incidental music), Edward Ward.
Non-Original Music by Charles Gounod (music Air des bijoux "Ah! Je ris de
me voir si belle" from opera "Faust"), William Steffe (song "The Battle Hymn of
the Republic"), Giuseppe Verdi (song "Sempre libera" from "La Traviata"),
Cinematography by Oliver T. Marsh
Film Editing by Tom Held
Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons
Costume Design by Adrian (gowns)
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director ... Will SheldonD.W. Griffith
Second unit director .... Joseph M. Newman
Art Department... A. Arnold Gillespie
Associate art director.... Harry McAfee, Edwin B. Willis
Sound Department Douglas Shearer .... recording engineer
Special Effects by James Basevi .... special effects (uncredited)
Russell A. Cully .... special effects: earthquake sequence
A. Arnold Gillespie .... special effects
Loyal Griggs .... effects photographer
Slavko Vorkapich .... montage sequence: earthquake
Other crew:
Arthur Freed .... lyricist: "Would You" John Hoffman .... montage
Walter Jurmann .... lyricist: "San Francisco" Gus Kahn .... lyricist: "San
Francisco" and "Happy New Year" Bronislau Kaper .... lyricist: "San Francisco"
Val Raset .... choreographer Herbert Stothart .... musical director William von
Wymetal .... operatic sequence Sarah F. Adams .... lyricist: "Nearer My God
To Thee" Julia Ward Howe .... lyricist: "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" Thomas
Railey .... lyricist: "A Heart That's Free" Cliff Shirpser .... assistant camera
Frederick Edward Weatherly .... lyricist: "Londonderry Air {Danny Boy}" and "The
Holy City"
Runtime: 115 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification: Australia:G
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.
Jeanette MacDonald's older sister, Blossom Rock, signed with MGM
and was given the name Marie Blake. Jeanette's character in San
Francisco was named Mary Blake.
The comment that Spencer Tracy makes about the "Rooney kid" is
an ad-lib (watch Jeanette MacDonald's expression reacting to it).
Tracy had worked with Mickey Rooney earlier that year in Riffraff (1936)
and knew that director W.S. Van Dyke abhorred retakes, priding himself
on bringing in productions fast and under budget - hence his nickname,
"One-Take Woody".
Goofs: Factual errors: The earthquake is depicted as happening in the
daytime, when in reality it happened at 5:12 a.m. - well before sunrise
in mid April.
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!
[pointing at necklace] Blackie Norton: Hey. I thought I told you not to
wear that thing. Trixie: Ah gee, honey, I think it's nice. Blackie Norton:
Yeah? Well I think it makes you look cheap! [Rips it off of her] Blackie
Norton: Now don't wear it anymore. Blackie doesn't like it.
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