Flame of Barbary Coast
| Flame of Barbary Coast | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Joseph Kane |
| Written by | Prescott Chaplin |
| Screenplay by | Borden Chase |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert De Grasse |
| Edited by | Richard L. Van Enger |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Republic Pictures |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Flame of Barbary Coast is a 1945 American Western starring John Wayne, Ann Dvorak, Joseph Schildkraut, William Frawley, and Virginia Grey. The movie was scripted by Borden Chase and directed by Joseph Kane.[1][2]
Plot
Naive Montana cowboy Duke Fergus (John Wayne) arrives in San Francisco and visits the notorious Barbary Coast. He becomes smitten with the lovely star attraction of the fanciest gambling hall, "Flaxen" Tarry (Ann Dvorak), the "Flame of the Barbary Coast". He gets talked into gambling against the owner (and Flaxen's lover), card shark Tito Morell (Joseph Schildkraut). Predictably, Fergus gets cheated and loses all his money.
He sets himself to win Flaxen's affections and decides the best way to do it is to take over. He gets his friend Wolf Wylie (William Frawley) to teach him everything about gambling, including how to spot cheating. When he's ready, he sells all he owns and returns to the city to challenge Morell's rule of the Barbary Coast. He goes from casino to casino, challenging each one's resident poker champion to a heads-up game, starting with Morell. Duke wins every time.
Fergus then builds an opulent new gambling establishment, catering to the upper class. To make it a success, he needs to persuade Flaxen to come work for him, but she is initially not interested. Only when Morell offends her does she decide to accept Fergus's offer. And then the fireworks begin. Morell does not take the challenge lying down. In the midst of it all, the Great Earthquake of 1906 strikes, both Fergus' and Morell's businesses are destroyed, and Flaxen grievously injured. They rebuild and recover. Throw in a political battle, and someone gets the girl.
Cast
- John Wayne as Duke Fergus
- Ann Dvorak as Ann "Flaxen" Tarry
- Joseph Schildkraut as Boss Tito Morell
- William Frawley as Wolf Wylie
- Virginia Grey as Rita Dane
- Russell Hicks as Cyrus Danver, reformer and owner of the San Francisco Star newspaper
- Jack Norton as Byline Conners, reporter for the San Francisco Star
- Paul Fix as Calico Jim
- Manart Kippen as Dr. Gorman
- Eve Lynne as Martha, Morell's secretary
- Marc Lawrence as Joe Disko, a card sharp who tries to cheat Duke
- Butterfly McQueen as Beulah, Flaxen's maid
- Rex Lease as Collingswood, a headwaiter
- Hank Bell as Hank, cabby
- Al Murphy as Horseshoe Brown
Awards
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Sound Recording (Daniel J. Bloomberg).[3]
See also
References
- ^ "FLAME OF BARBARY COAST (1945)". Rotten Tomatoes. rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)". Turner Classic Movies. tcm.com. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-16.