San Francisco

Released Jun 26, 1936

1h 55m

Adventure

List

92%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Luca D

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/11/23

Full Review

Ashley H

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/13/23

Full Review

Russ G

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Sarah W

San Francisco is an absolute classic that 1936 has to offer for the whole family and Clark Gable fans

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/01/23

Full Review

christopher c. m

Not sure if there was a Blackie and Mary Blake in real life or if they did a "Titanic" six decades before Cameron did. But I've researched the quake and it's pretty historically accurate. But considering the quake only happened 30 years before the movie was made, I can see it not hard to get the facts straight. But two issues plague the movie. The actual Earthquake doesn't arrive until the third act. The bulk of the movie is the romance, which is okay except Blackie spends a lot of that time being a massive dick. Most of the quake effects are impressive for the time, some didn't work or as they say these days, "Didn't age well." A slow build up to a big shake and actually worth waiting for.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

matthew c

A grand achievement of a film, impeccable casting and entertaining. You actually forget what the film is "about" as you journey along with Blackie and Mary ; Their lives weaving in and out of each others across a fairly short time period. When you are reminded, it is not subtle, and that final section of the movie is gobsmacking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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W. S. Van Dyke II

Director

Clark Gable

Blackie Norton

Jeanette MacDonald

Mary Blake

Spencer Tracy

Father Mullin

Jack Holt

Jack Burley

Jessie Ralph

Mrs. Burley

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

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."

Rated: 2/4

Mar 5, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

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.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 12, 2021

Full Review

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

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]

Apr 28, 2020

Full Review

Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy)

Esquire Magazine

Spencer Tracy steals the picture...

Apr 23, 2020

Full Review

Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

Well worth seeing, but too alarming for the very young.

Aug 8, 2019

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

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.

Rated: 7/10

Jun 4, 2015

Full Review

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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
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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