MGM never did anything small, so they didn't skimp when they made a movie about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. They cast two of their biggest stars, Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable, blew up plenty of soundstages, and rained rubber rubble on thousands of extras. But money was tight in 1936 so they hedged their bets by tossing Jeanette McDonald on top of it. And it worked. A direct ancestor of overproduced, underwritten 70s disaster flicks like "The Towering Inferno" and "Earthquake," "San Francisco" is a grand, bland extravaganza with something for everyone -- romance, suspense, special effects and operetta. Take that, Irwin Allen.
In the best disaster movie tradition, "San Francisco" telegraphs its climax at the very beginning and builds tension by prolonging the inevitable. While you're waiting for the city to implode, you can enjoy Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy hamming it up as they battle for Jeanette McDonald's soul. Gable plays Blackie Norton, a nightclub owner with a heart of gold -- a popular archetype in the first half of the 20th Century (see Bogart in "Casablanca") -- who gets talked into running for political office in an unnecessary but mildly entertaining subplot. When Gable is not speechifying, he's making eyes at demure soprano Mary Blake, played by Jeanette McDonald, who sings in his nightclub now and then. Jeanette is kind of fluttery and insipid, but she's the only virgin in town and damn, can she hit those high notes, so of course Gable falls for her. There is a negligible rival for Jeanette's affections, played by the forgotten (and forgettable) Jack Holt, but Gable's real foil is another archetype -- a gritty urban priest played by Spencer Tracy, who was mythic in such roles (see "Boys Town"). It's a testament to Tracy's brilliance that he never appears romantically interested in Jeanette -- his desire to keep her from being exploited by Gable seems wholly credible. Gable isn't quite as believable. He looks a lot more comfortable punching out extras than he does swooning over Jeanette. Which is understandable, she's kind of saccharine and dull, but to be fair, she's onhand as sonic relief. Maybe "San Francisco" would have been a better film with one of MGM's better actresses as the female lead, but Myrna Loy or Carole Lombard couldn't sing arias, so you just have to pretend that Jeanette is some kind of prize.
In the best disaster movie tradition, "San Francisco" telegraphs its climax at the very beginning and builds tension by prolonging the inevitable. While you're waiting for the city to implode, you can enjoy Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy hamming it up as they battle for Jeanette McDonald's soul. Gable plays Blackie Norton, a nightclub owner with a heart of gold -- a popular archetype in the first half of the 20th Century (see Bogart in "Casablanca") -- who gets talked into running for political office in an unnecessary but mildly entertaining subplot. When Gable is not speechifying, he's making eyes at demure soprano Mary Blake, played by Jeanette McDonald, who sings in his nightclub now and then. Jeanette is kind of fluttery and insipid, but she's the only virgin in town and damn, can she hit those high notes, so of course Gable falls for her. There is a negligible rival for Jeanette's affections, played by the forgotten (and forgettable) Jack Holt, but Gable's real foil is another archetype -- a gritty urban priest played by Spencer Tracy, who was mythic in such roles (see "Boys Town"). It's a testament to Tracy's brilliance that he never appears romantically interested in Jeanette -- his desire to keep her from being exploited by Gable seems wholly credible. Gable isn't quite as believable. He looks a lot more comfortable punching out extras than he does swooning over Jeanette. Which is understandable, she's kind of saccharine and dull, but to be fair, she's onhand as sonic relief. Maybe "San Francisco" would have been a better film with one of MGM's better actresses as the female lead, but Myrna Loy or Carole Lombard couldn't sing arias, so you just have to pretend that Jeanette is some kind of prize.