Barbary Coast **** (1935, Miriam Hopkins, Edward G Robinson, Joel McCrea, Frank Craven, Brian Donlevy, Donald Meek, Harry Carey Sr) – Classic Movie Review 8898

‘Gold. Out of California in 1849 came the cry that lured the adventurous from the four corners of the Earth. Over the Rockies in covered wagons they came, and around the Horn in square-rigged ships.’

Director Howard Hawks’s sterling 1935 romantic adventure drama Barbary Coast stars Edward G Robinson as Luis Chamalis, who tries to control his rowdy San Francisco waterfront saloon and gambling house  Bella Donna, as well as his mistress Mary ‘Swan’ Rutledge (Miriam Hopkins), in this energetic, likeable movie set at the time of the 1850s gold rush in California.

The star players are at their best, Hawks directs with gusto (replacing a fired William Wyler), there is a carefully-crafted screenplay by the ever-reliable Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, plus a splendid Samuel Goldwyn production, beautifully photographed in black and white by Ray June.

The underrated Joel McCrea also stars tellingly as Jim Carmichael, the penniless prospector for whom Hopkins is thinking of leaving Robinson. Triple Oscar-winner Walter Brennan co-stars as Old Atrocity. David Niven makes an early fleeting appearance as a sailor. He appears about 12 minutes into the film, wearing a peaked cap with a coat over his left arm, and says in a Cockney accent ‘Oright- oright!’

Ray June was Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography.

Also in the cast are Frank Craven, Brian Donlevy, Donald Meek, Harry Carey Sr, J M Kerrigan, Clyde Cook, Matt McHugh, Otto Hoffman, David Niven, Rollo Lloyd, Roger Gray, Frank Benson, Wong Chung, Heinie Conklin, Jules Cowles, Sidney D’Albrook, Harry Depp, Sammy Finn, Larry Fisher, Olin Francis, Edward Gargan, Kit Guard, Ben Hall, Harry Holman, Robert Homans, Bob Kortman, George Lloyd, Tom London, Theodore Lorch, Hank Mann, Art Miles, Frank Mills, Claude Payton, Edward Peil Sr, Russ Powell, Constantine Romanoff, Harry Semels, George Simpson, Bert Sprotts, Bob Stevenson, Harry Tenbrook, Cyril Thornton, Jim Thorpe, Anders Van Haden, Frederick Vogeding, Ethel Wales, Dave Wengren, Clarence Wertz and Charles West.

Barbary Coast is directed by Howard Hawks, runs 97 minutes, is made by The Samuel Goldwyn Company, is released by United Artists, is written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, is shot in black and white by Ray June, is produced by Samuel Goldwyn, is scored by Alfred Newman and is designed by Richard Day.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8898

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