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Bupp Filmology
Week Seventeen

"San Francisco" 1936 "...it's on me tonight."

MOVIE NAME: SAN FRANCISCO
STUDIO: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER
PRODUCER: JOHN EMERSON and BERNARD H. HYMAN
DIRECTOR: W.S. VAN DYKE
DATE: 1936
TYPE: DISASTER DRAMA with Songs
TYPE: SONGS: "San Francisco," "Would You," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Glory, Glory Hallelujah," "Nearer My God to Thee," "Jerusalem"
CAST:
CLARK GABLE as Blackie Norton, JEANETTE MACDONALD as Mary Blake, SPENCER TRACY as Father Tim Mullin, JACK HOLT as Jack Burley, TED HEALYas Mat,JESSIE RALPH as Mrs. Maisye Burley, SHIRLEY ROSS as Trixie, MARGARET IRVINGas Della BaileyHAROLD HUBER as "Babe" EDGAR KENNEDY as Sheriff TOMMY BUPP as Bill, the paperboy
SOURCE: A F I, Catalog of Feature Films 1931-1940
STORY: In San Francisco, 1906 starts with a fire in the Barbary Coast. Blackie Norton, owner of the Paradise Cafe, rushes in to help. Blackie returns to the Paradise and meets out-of-work singer Mary Blake. Mary's only experience is in the church choir, but Blackie is attracted to her and offers her a two year contract. A citizens group angered at the fire, urges Blackie to run for supervisor on a ticket of reforming the outdated fire ordinances. Blackie excepts the challenge after encouragement by his boyhood friend Father Tim Mullin. Blackie's candidacy prompts Jack Burley, a tenement owner, and owner of the Tivoli Opera House, to advise him not to run. His Maestro, Senor Baldini hears Mary sing and offers her an audition. Blackie refuses to release her from her contract. Blackie sends Mary to sing at Father Tim's church. Tim tells Mary about his long friendship with Blackie and his hope that Blackie will act as a force for good rather than a force for evil. Burley offers to buy Mary's contract and Blackie leaves the decision to her. Out of loyalty Mary decides to stay and Blackie tells her that he is crazy about her. He decides to throw a party to celebrate their relationship, but Mary soon realizes that she is just another conquest to Blackie and leaves for the Tivoli. On Mary's opening night, Blackie shows up with a process server to enforce Mary's contract. After hearing her sing, Blackie is so moved that he prevents the process server from stopping the performance. After the finale, Blackie visits Mary in her dressing room and she proposes to him. He accepts, but only if she returns to the Paradise. As Mary prepares to go onstage in a revealing new costume, Father Tim visits and denounces Blackie for exploiting her. When Tim refuses to let her go onstage Blackie strikes him, and Mary leaves with Tim. Mary accepts Burley's proposal. Burley isn't satisfied with wining and arranges for the Paradises liquor license to be revoked and Blackie's performers jailed. The raid occurs on the night of the "Chicken's Ball," and entertainment competition that Blackie wins every year. With his performers jailed, Blackie has no hope of winning the money that he badly needs to finance his campaign. Blackie is given another blow when Mat tells him that the citizens group is withdrawing their support. At the "Chicken's Ball," Mary learns that Burley is responsible for closing the Paradise, and announces that she is representing the Paradise and sings a crowd pleasing "San Francisco." Blackie angrily goes onstage refusing to take the prize money. Humiliated Mary leaves with Burley when the ground starts to shake. Mary and Blackie call to each other, but are separated by the chaos. San Francisco is destroyed within a few minutes. Afterward Blackie searches for Mary. Blackie finds Tim comforting the injured. Tim recognizes Blackie's contrition and takes him to refugee camp where Mary is leading the dispossessed in hymn. As Blackie kneels to thank God, Mary sees him and goes to his side. With the fires out, Blackie and Mary lead the others back to town singing "Glory, Glory Hallelujah."
Note:
A cast sheet lists Moyer (Sonny) Bupp as part of the cast of boys and girls.

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