Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I love old Hollywood films, like this, but this movie was flat and uneven. I was really hoping for a good mix, between 1935's Barbary Coast & 1936's San Francisco; but I didn't get that. Directed by Joseph Kane, Flame of the Barbary Coast tells the story of a Montana cowboy named Duke Fergus(John Wayne), whom came to turn-of-the-century, San Francisco in hope, of finding fame and fortune. He attempt this, by trying to outsmart, a crooked casino owner, Tito Morell (Joseph Schildkraut) out of his money. Can 'the King of Luck' find a way to beat the house in cards or will Tito, gain the upper-hand and leave Duke to broke? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the first half was very entertaining, however, after the scenes, dealing with the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake; the film really lost focus. It becomes, less and less of Duke, trying to make a name for himself, and more and more on, Duke just being an ass to Tito. Honestly, I don't know, why Duke has a huge problem with Tito. After all, Tito did help, Duke in the beginning, getting place to place. Plus, he did warn him, about the dangers of getting into the casino business. Whatever, happens to Duke, is his fault. So, why is Duke, being a jerk to Tito and trying to drive him, out of business!? It get really more confused, by the third act, when Duke, out of the blue, started to act, all righteous and started to help a political campaign to clean up, the streets of the Barbary Coast. The movie plays it, off, that he trying to help, the people of San Francisco, to reclaim, their streets, after years of corruption, but it comes off, as another way to seek vengeance on Tito. He doesn't even, bother, staying in the city, after that affair. It's seem like, Duke is just doing this, to gain, the heart of singer/dancer 'Flaxen' Tarry (Ann Dvorak). He care little about the city. It's very self-center for a hero. Not only that, Duke made his money, by cheating in gambling as well. Very hypocritical. Still, John Wayne did alright in the role, he was given. However, I think, the villain in the film, Tito seem more like the good guy, than Wayne's character. I love Joseph Schildkraut's acting in this. It's superior than, anybody else in this cast. He clearly made the most of a script that allowed him to be anything but one dimensional bad guy. If anything, the true bad guy in this film is Ann Dvorak's character, who comes across as materialism, greedy, and seductive. What a Femme fatale! I do have, to say, the movie does have some funny clever dialogue. I love all, the sexual innuendos that went below the censorship radar. However, I didn't like, the repetitive of the film, trying to make certain, words, famous one-liners. I get it, you want, 'With Compliments of the House!" & 'We should had given him, the works' to be, as famous as the catchphrases from 1939's Gone of the Wind. Most of the best laughs, came from William Frawley as 'Smooth' Wolf Wylie. He would later, gain fame as Ricky Ricardo's best friend, in the 1950's TV Show Classic, 'I Love Lucy". Another thing, that I like, about the movie is the music and tunes. 'Baby Blue-Eyes, Have a Heart' is pretty catchy. Though, the other songs feature in the club, aren't so much memorable. Still, there were pretty entertaining. I just wish, the singing from the main cast was a little better. Ann Dvorak's voice was really off. She sounds like a man with a cigarette problem, most of the time. John Wayne sound like a drunk yokel, when singing. The best, has to be, Virginia Gray as Rita Dane. She really looks stunning, and her singing voice is amazing! I would replace Ann Dvorak with her, any-day! One of the most disappointing, parts of the film is the action. It's really, out of character for a John Wayne's western to have little to no fist-fights or gunplay. The recreation of the devastating 1906 earthquake was very dull, featuring little of state of the art special effects of the day. You never get to see the scope of the damage with one full scale set falling down. The movie does have some good cinematography. Great use of shadows and fog, gives it, a film noir look. However, I wish the movie would focus more money, on making the disaster look epic in technicolored. You really don't get to see, much of the city, before and after the fact. I also, didn't like, how the movie didn't focus, too much on the disaster. People go on, their merry way, minutes later, as if, the quake was a minor problem, when in truth; the whole city was on fire, for days after the quake. The movie is far from being historic accuracy. There wasn't an election between Mayor Eugene Schmitz and Schmitz's predecessor, James D. Phelan in the aftermath of the quake. Instead, Schmitz got himself impeached for corruption in 1907 and the city board elected a new leader. If the movie did any research, they would had known; that the city didn't have politics in their mind, but instead, rebuilding from the flames. I hate that the great fire is mention in a throwaway text in the film, rather than showing the true effects from it. Overall: While, there are some scratches, white flecks and specks, in the DVD, but for the most part, the images are rather decently crisp, with good contrast and actually pretty commendable sharpness. Film is certainly worth a watch for any John Wayne's fan, but has limited lasting appeal to anybody else.

Considering it's a John Wayne film, it already earns a respectable score from me. Aside from his early B-movies and a few horrible mistakes ("The Green Beret" and "The Conqueror" come to mind), any John Wayne film is worth seeing. However, "Flame of the Barbary Coast" is certainly among his lesser starring efforts. I think part of this is because Wayne's bigger than life persona really isn't fully evident in this film--in fact, he seems like a bit of a chump in this one! The film begins with Wayne coming to the Barbary Coast (a rough section of San Francisco) from Montana to collect a debt. However, he takes one look at 'Flaxen' (Ann Dvorak) and is instantly smitten--and spends much of the rest of the film following her about like a love-sick puppy. As I said, it's not the totally self-confident and macho John Wayne that later would be solidified in his films--the later Wayne would have just grabbed the woman and planted a kiss on her or dumped her when she played hard to get! This one, however, spends most of the movie trying to one-up her unscrupulous boss (Joseph Schildkraut) and build an even bigger gambling casino where he wants the chanteuse, Flaxen, to perform. All this striving for one woman--a woman that often didn't seem worth it as she's whiny and demanding. Yet, she is a walking cliché--the woman EVERY man wants to possess--yet not sexy enough to really pull it off well.Overall, the film is worth seeing but easy to skip. The script is only fair and Wayne's support is sometimes weak (Dvorak and Schildkraut--who came off as too wimpy to be a good foil)--though William Frawley is very good in his role as Wayne's friend and mentor. If you are a HUGE Wayne fan, then you must see it. If you aren't, then it probably won;t do much to impress you.By the way, this is one of several films that portray the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Considering the film was made by a low-budget studio (Republic), its special effects were pretty good but not nearly as nice as films such as "San Francisco" by MGM or "Frisco Jenny" by Warner Brothers.

If you want to see John Wayne paddling in the Pacific Ocean with his boots off this may be your only chance.Pleasingly named "Duke" in "Flame of the Barbary Coast",Mr Wayne cuts a fine figure amongst the stone gamblers in the casinos as he goes to the big city to collect a debt from saloon owner Mr J.Schildkraut(looking unnervingly like TV's Sherlock Holmes Jeremy Brett).The two men turn out to be rivals for the hand of Miss A.Dvorak as chanteuse Flaxen Tarry. This is a movie full of energy and movement.As Duke and Flaxen tour the gambling houses,winning - courtesy of her preventing the croupiers from cheating - a large wedge, they are followed by an increasingly noisy entourage like a conga line,bustling with excitement.Arriving back at Schildkraut's casino,Duke flashes his cash and buys everybody drinks. The next morning he ill - advisedly accepts Schildkraut's challenge to a game of Stud and is cleared out,left only with a return ticket to Montana.Undeterred and in lurve with Flaxen,he takes poker lessons,sells up his herd and - with his card - coach on hand - returns to San Francisco to win his money back and his gal at the same time. Republic make a surprisingly good fist of the 1906 earthquake,Flaxen is photogenically injured and Duke takes her off to Montana to get the good country air into her lungs.Mr Schildkraut is surprisingly sporting about the whole thing.Put this way,the movie might seem a little bit frothy and trivial,but it is given body by the performances of the leads,Mr Schildkraut in particular in a role that might have been written for Clark Gable,a charismatic mixture of charm and menace. Perhaps not writ large on Mr Wayne's C.V.,"Flame of the Barbary Coast" is nevertheless an enjoyable,well - made and worthwhile movie.In it one can see the nascent wry,stubborn and sometimes wrong - headed persona Mr Wayne was develop so successfully and use for the rest of his career.

"Flame of the Barbary Coast" is a movie that I grew up watching in a movie theatre. It's easy to poke fun at a movie like this, or any movie made in that era, if you've only seen it on television. The power and quality of the performance of the film can only be seen on the big screen and not on the television screen. Actually, the cast is quite good and anyone interested in directing or photographing a movie should learn from the film. This movie makes every second and minutes count on the screen, and that's the reason the action never stops. Moving the camera in a certain way to make use of the drama and action with out two many cuts is genius, but then, these people knew what they were doing. Many repeats for good measure with eyes on an actor or actress moving side to side as if they are actually participating in the scene. The catty remarks between Virginia Gray and Ann Dvorak after Virginia Gray sings for an audition with Tito, oh boy - meow indeed! Who cares if Ann Dvoraks singing was a little off, and who cares if John Wayne tried his hand at singing on a horse? Who cares if Fred Mertz played a gambler before he was Ricky Ricardo's best friend? Who care's if Butterfly McQueen didn't get a chance to repeat "Ah knows how to birth babies Miss Scahlett!"? This movie is just good old fashioned campy entertainment with no foul words, no nudity, and in many ways the bad guy won when he said, "With Compliments of the House!" Anybody who doesn't like this movie is an old grumpy!