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San Francisco

Play trailer Poster for San Francisco 1936 1h 55m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) is a nightclub owner who hires a down-on-her-luck singer for his club, Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald). The two hit it off and even become romantically involved, but soon she is courted by real-estate magnate Jack Burley (Jack Holt) to sing at the Tivoli Opera House. At first she refuses, but when she sees questionable posters of her put up by Blackie, she leaves, forcing Blackie to find a way to win her and his business back.
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San Francisco

Critics Reviews

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Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 03/05/2021
2/4
It's really only of interest now due to its influence on the disaster genre, combining turgid melodrama with the grand backdrop of a natural disaster. Mark this one as "for Oscar completists only." Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 02/12/2021
3/4
MacDonald is the weak link in this otherwise bustling film. But the final portion of the movie, when the earthquake comes a-callin', is truly astonishing. Go to Full Review
Alberto Abuín Espinof 04/28/2020
The film's visual effects throughout its final section continue to dazzle until this day, and became an example to follow in future productions. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy) Esquire Magazine 04/23/2020
Spencer Tracy steals the picture... Go to Full Review
Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine 08/08/2019
Well worth seeing, but too alarming for the very young. Go to Full Review
Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy 06/04/2015
7/10
Achieves something that has evaded disaster movies since as long as they've existed: it depicts its disaster in an engrossing, spectacular way, while also making sure that we're not just exulting in mass death. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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acsdoug D @acsdoug Jun 24 Typical 1930s melodrama: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, earthquake destroys city, boy gets girl in the end. Maybe I would have liked it better if I was a bigger fan of Jeannette McDonald's singing (there's a lot of that). Enjoyed the destruction of San Francisco though. See more Martin B 10/27/2024 I saw this yesterday-had not heard of it before- well done even if a bit dated and drawn out-, until the earthquake- very powerful filmmaking-and 90 yrs old. See more Roxanne B 09/27/2024 Similar to The Greatest Show on Earth, the chemistry of the cast doesn't quite work, as is rumored by Gable hating uptight MacDonald, but the special effects for the time (like the train wreck in the aforementioned Greatest Show...) are trauma evocative and worth the 'price of admission'. Besides, Spencer Tracy seems sincere. See more Luca D @JoeCamel7 07/11/2023 Not as melodramatic as other melodramas from this era. The acting was not entertaining and the plot was dull in my opinion. Thought the movie would have more to do with the city it's named after but it didn't. I dont get the high ratings, there are many other melodramas I would put above this. Probably won't watch again. See more Ashley H @ashleyhobgood87 05/04/2023 San Francisco is an okay film. It is about a saloonkeeper and an impresario are rivals for the affections of a beautiful singer in 1906 San Francisco. Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald give decent performances. The script is a little slow in places. W.S. Van Dyke did an alright job directing this movie. I like the motion picture because of the drama and romance. See more Russ G 02/05/2023 One of dozens of films in which the King of Hollywood starred that were not entitled "Gone With the Wind" or "It Happened One Night" and is largely unknown to modern audiences. It's perhaps your one and only chance to see Gable and Tracy share star billing. It's one part love triangle, one part musical, one part opera, maybe two parts Irwin Allen disaster, and one part redemption story. Yes, the ending is a little heavy-handed with Blackie's Come-to-Jesus moment, The many musical interludes make the pacing a bit slow but gave Depression-era audiences their two-bits' worth of entertainment. Fun Fact: this is one of TWO films in which Clark Gable plays a character named "Blackie;" in the other he ends up on Death Row. Miss McDonald is lovely and coiffed and gowned gorgeously throughout and give her props for the voice. MGM spared no expense on the special effects. Those had to be nightmare to direct and film as there wasn't going to be 2nd take. See more Read all reviews
San Francisco

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Movie Info

Synopsis Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) is a nightclub owner who hires a down-on-her-luck singer for his club, Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald). The two hit it off and even become romantically involved, but soon she is courted by real-estate magnate Jack Burley (Jack Holt) to sing at the Tivoli Opera House. At first she refuses, but when she sees questionable posters of her put up by Blackie, she leaves, forcing Blackie to find a way to win her and his business back.
Director
W. S. Van Dyke II
Producer
John Emerson, Bernard H. Hyman, W. S. Van Dyke II
Screenwriter
Anita Loos
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 26, 1936, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 55m
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