San Francisco (film)

The film begins on New Year's Eve in 1906 in San Francisco , shortly before the earthquake that destroyed most of the city on April 18 . Blacky Norton, the cynical owner of the Paradise Cafe nightclub, is approached by Mary Blake, the daughter of a village priest and an aspiring singer who dreams of singing in opera . Hearing her singing, Blackie signs a two-year contract with Mary. Soon, the talent of the singer attracted the attention of Jack Burley, the owner of the opera house . He invites Mary to audition, but Blackie refuses to let the girl go.

One evening, Blackie sends Mary to sing between the performances in the church choir of her friend, Rev. Tim Mullin. The priest tells the girl about the childhood of her employer and expresses the hope that someday Blackie will change for the better. Burley then makes a new attempt to lure Mary to her. This time Blackie gives the girl the right to do what she chooses, and she stays in the club out of loyalty. That evening, Blackie confesses to Mary that she is passionate about her. Realizing that she was nothing more than another toy for him, the girl went to the theater to Burley.

It takes some time. That evening, when Mary was supposed to make her debut in the opera, Blackie was announced to the theater with the intention of forcibly taking her away, since she was still bound by the terms of the contract. However, her singing is so touching to him that he does not dare to disrupt the performance. At the end of the play, Blackie comes to Mary in the dressing room. She admits that she is also not indifferent to him, and Blackie, taking advantage of the moment, persuades her to return to the club. On the night Mary prepares to enter the stage in a new and overly revealing costume, Father Mullin appears at the club. He accuses Blackie of playing with the girl’s feelings and exploiting her. After Blackie beats the priest, Mary and the latter leave the club.

Burley then makes Mary an offer, and she accepts it. Wanting to finally overthrow Blackie, he wants his license to sell alcohol to be taken away. The police burst into the club and, smashing it, arrests the girls who spoke with Blackie. This happens shortly before the Chicken Ball, a contest where club owners present their best numbers. Blackie traditionally won this contest and, desperate for money, was going to win this time, however, now that his troupe has gone to prison, there can be no question of that. By attending the contest, Mary discovers that her fiancé is responsible for the collapse of Blackie. She decides to save her beloved and, speaking for Paradise Cafe , brings him victory. However, Blackie, out of pride, refuses to pick up the prize.

Humiliated Mary is about to leave, and at that moment an earthquake begins in San Francisco. In the ensuing chaos, Mary and Blackie lose sight of each other, and after a few minutes the city turns into ruins. Next, Blacky wanders day and night through the fire-covered city, trying unsuccessfully to find his beloved. Mullin's father brings the desperate Blackie to the camp , where the remaining homeless residents are housed. At the camp, Blackie, having heard wonderful singing , realizes that Mary is alive, after which the lovers reunite.

• Several scenes of this film were directed by Hollywood veteran D.W. Griffith . However, his name did not appear in the credits.
• Elder sister Janet MacDonald, after signing a contract with MGM, changed her name Bloss Rock to the pseudonym Mary Blake. That was the name of the heroine MacDonald in this film.

• Clark Gable - Blacky Norton
• Janet MacDonald - Mary Blake
• Spencer Tracy - Priest Tim Mullin
• Jack Holt - Jack Burley
• Harold Huber - Babe

In 1937, the film won an Oscar for best sound. In addition, he was nominated for a prize in five categories:

• Best movie
• Best Director - Woody Van Dyke
• Best Actor - Spencer Tracy
• Best Original Screenplay - Robert E. Hopkins
• Best Assistant Director - Joseph M. Newman

• " San Francisco " on the Internet Movie Database
• About the film at TCMDB.com
• Earthquake Episode on Youtube.com