‘SAN FRANCISCO’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

A Musical-Drama Disaster Movie

This is the first time I’ve reviewed a film featuring Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald. 🙂

‘San Francisco’ was released in 1936. It’s interesting to talk about this film. For a while, it seems to take the standard musical comedy drama approach that’s very noticeable in many of the films made in the 1930s/40s. But once you reach the film’s third and final act, it comes as a totally unexpected surprise. 😐

As well as featuring a love story between the characters played by Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald, this film is also based on the San Francisco earthquake that took place on April the 18th, 1906. Watching the film’s third act is very emotional and gut-wrenching, which I didn’t anticipate on.

It’s unusual to see a film having a shift in tone from a gentle musical drama to becoming a disaster film where harrowing events occur as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake takes place. I didn’t know anything about the 1960 San Francisco earthquake, so this film is an eye-opener for me in terms of history.

Nowadays, disaster movies are quite prominent. Back then, I imagine disaster films were rare. ‘San Francisco’ could have easily ended up being a standard musical drama featuring two characters falling in love with each other. To have an earthquake incident at the film’s end makes it more emotional. 🙂

This film became a major hit when it was released in 1936. Jeanette MacDonald’s singing helped in that regard, especially as she came fresh from her other 1936 blockbuster film ‘Rose Marie’. I’ve not seen Jeanette MacDonald in many movies, though my Dad seems keen on her as an actress/singer. 🙂

She’s well-remembered for her partnership with Nelson Eddy in many films, including the aforementioned ‘Rose Marie’. As this is essentially my novice experience of Jeanette MacDonald, I enjoyed her performance in this film, both as an actress and as a singer. She must have been a hit. 😀

Clark Gable is an actor I’ve not come across very often in terms of films either. I’ve heard him mentioned once or twice in films and TV shows set in a period referencing him, but like Jeanette MacDonald, this is like my first experience of him. I did enjoy his performance throughout this film. 🙂

The film starts off on New Year’s Eve in 1905. Clark Gable plays a saloon keeper named ‘Blackie’ Norton. Blackie hires Jeanette MacDonald who plays a singer named Mary Blake to sing in his bar called the Paradise Club. The bar is on Pacific Street in the notorious Barbary Coast of San Francisco.

I don’t know much about San Francisco as an American state (apart from it’ll be the home of Starfleet Headquarters in ‘Star Trek’ 😀 ), but apparently, the Barbary Coast was a red-light district during the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries that had dance halls and concert saloons.

It also had bars, jazz clubs, variety shows and brothels. Barbary Coast was marred by persistent lawlessness, gambling, administrative graft, vigilante justice and prostitution in its early years. As time progressed, San Francisco got more competent and Barbary Coast’s entertainment matured. 😐

It was interesting to see San Francisco depicted from 1905 to 1906 in this film. The persistent lawlessness and prostitution doesn’t seem to be that prominent, although you can spot traces of it in terms of how some of the characters behave and how Blackie is interacting with Mary and hitting on her.

Mary becomes a star attraction at the Paradise Club, especially for her signature song ‘San Francisco’. But as predicted, Mary doesn’t stay long on the ‘coast’ and soon becomes an opera singer. Blackie struggles to overcome his pride in running the Paradise Club with his love for Mary. 😐

Blackie also runs for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I must say, I’m not sure I would personally elect Blackie for a supervisor position on the board. This is especially when he punches one of his opposition at a rally. And I’m resisting putting in a ‘2022 Oscars Will Smith slap’ joke here. 😀

The film also features Spencer Tracy as Father Tim Mullen, Blackie’s childhood friend. I’ve seen Spencer Tracy in the 1941 ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ film with Ingrid Bergman. It was interesting to see him play a priest in the film opposite Clark Gable and Jeannette MacDonald. And he’s called Tim!

I like it when a Tim is a saint in a movie. 😀 Tim Mullen is rather against Blackie going for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, as he believes he’ll use the supervisor position to implement reform. He also discourages Blackie for bringing Mary back to the Paradise Club when she is an opera singer.

Incidentally, there are a couple of scenes where Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy’s character have boxing workouts in the film. It’s interesting to see a vicar doing boxing in a film like ‘San Francisco’. I wonder if this is what inspired Will Davenport as a character in the ‘Grantchester’ crime TV series.

Like I said, Mary is hired to become an opera singer by the Tivoli Opera House on Market Street, where she becomes involved with Jack Holt as Nob Hill scion Jack Burley. After she does one performance one night, Blackie visits Mary in her dressing room. Both exchange love for each other.

Mary asks Blackie to marry her. Wow! Usually it’s a man who asks a woman to marry her. Not the other way around. I know Queen Victoria asked Prince Albert to marry her, but she was entitled to do that. I wish more girls were like this in asking men to marry her rather than it be the other way around.

Blackie agrees to marry Mary, but it turns out Jack Burley proposed to Mary prior to her show. As Burley appeals to Mary, Blackie presents Mary with an ultimatum. If she wants to marry him, he will have to return to the Paradise Club and not stay at the Tivoli. Mary chooses to return with Blackie. 😐

This prompts Father Tim to be angry with Blackie for bringing her back to the Paradise Club, especially with the club having a rowdy audience and her wearing a skimpy stage outfit. Mary soon leaves with Father Tim after Blackie strikes the priest in the face. (wryly) Yep! Blackie should be elected!

In terms of the rest of the cast, this film also features Jessie Ralph as Mrs. Burley, Jack Burley’s mother who lives at Nob Hill mansion and Ted Healy as Mat. There’s also Shirley Ross as Trixie, Margaret Irving as Della Bailey and Harold Huber as Bae. There’s also Edgar Kennedy as the Sheriff. 🙂

Edgar Kennedy has been in the ‘Laurel & Hardy’ films. There’s also Al Shean as the Professor, William Ricciardi as Signor Baldini, Kenneth Harlan as Chick, Roger Imhof as Alaska, Charles Judells as Tony, Russell Simpson as Red Kelly, Bert Roach as Freddie Duane and Warren B. Hymer as Hazeltine.

When Mary is engaged to be married to Jack Burley and on the night of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Blackie’s establishment gets raided by the police. Mary learns about the club’s closure and she enters the competition at the annual Chickens Ball on the Paradise Club’s behalf in the film.

The audience enjoys her singing ‘San Francisco’ and wins the competition, but Blackie refuses the prize money and states Mary had no right to sing on behalf of his club. I think that’s really ungrateful of Blackie, especially when Mary was trying to help after the bad luck that he’s had quite recently. 😐

This all leads to the earthquake hitting the city. The film could’ve just ended with Blackie and Mary making up with each other the day after. But no! The earthquake happens and we see the devastation occurring. We also see the earthquake’s aftermath via Blackie’s perspective as he looks for Mary.

In searching for Mary, Blackie finds Jack Burley dead and his mother distraught. Blackie also finds his friend Mat dying and he later meets Father Tim who takes him to a homeless camp in Golden Gate Park. Mary is there singing ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee’ and she reunites with Blackie once he finds her. 🙂

Incidentally, Mary has more Christian beliefs in her character compared to Blackie. It’s interesting how this film addresses God and people’s belief in God, especially when the San Francisco earthquake occurs. I like how the film addresses that and it makes me appreciate my Christian faith.

The film concludes with the word spread throughout the camp that the fire is out. People shout about building a new San Francisco and Blackie, Mary and Father Tim join the crowd. Everyone leaves the Golden Gate Park, marching arm-in-arm as they sing ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’. 🙂

The DVD special features are as follows. There’s a documentary profile called ‘Clark Gable: Tall, Dark & Handsome’, hosted by Liam Neeson; a classic cartoon called ‘Bottles’; two vintage ‘Fitzpatrick TravelTalk’ shorts including ‘Cavalcade of San Francisco’ and ‘Night Descends on Treasure Island’; an alternate ending sequence; and a theatrical trailer of the film.

The 1936 film ‘San Francisco’ has been enjoyable and interesting to watch. I wouldn’t say this is a top contender for what I would consider to be films that I would watch regularly, but I’m glad I’ve seen it. It’s also interesting to see this film depict the 1906 San Francisco earthquake in a heartfelt manner. 🙂

I also enjoyed my first experiences of Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald as actors in a film and it was nice to see Spencer Tracy playing a priest. ‘San Francisco’ might be considered good as a film to study American history if you want to know more about the San Francisco earthquake in April 1906.

‘San Francisco’ rating – 8/10

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