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Fog Over Frisco
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Wikipedia article
'Fog Over Frisco' is a 1934 American Pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle. The screenplay by Robert N. Lee and Eugene Solow was based on the short story 'The Five Fragments' by George Dyer.
Plot
Arlene Bradford (Bette Davis) is a spoiled, bored, wealthy socialite who finances her extravagant lifestyle by exploiting her fianc Spencer Carlton's (Lyle Talbot) access to her stepfather's brokerage firm and using her connection to steal security bonds for crime boss Jake Bello (Irving Pichel).
When Arlene disappears, her step-sister Val (Margaret Lindsay) steps in to discover what happened to her with the help of society reporter Tony Sterling (Donald Woods) and photojournalist Izzy Wright (Hugh Herbert).
Principal cast
*Bette Davis as Arlene Bradford
*Donald Woods as Tony Sterling
*Margaret Lindsay as Val Bradford
*Hugh Herbert as Izzy Wright
*Lyle Talbot as Spencer Carlton
*Irving Pichel as Jake Bello
*Alan Hale as Chief C.B. O'Malley
*William Demarest as Spike Smith
*Arthur Byron as Everett Bradford
*George Chandler as Taxi Driver
Background
Bette Davis, anxious to portray the slatternly waitress Mildred in the RKO Radio Pictures production 'Of Human Bondage', accepted the relatively small role of Arlene in the hope her cooperation would convince Jack L. Warner to lend her to the rival studio for the film. Her ploy worked, and when Warner received word about her dynamic performance in 'Bondage', he elevated her to top billing in 'Frisco'.'The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, a Personal Biography' by Charlotte Chandler, Simon and Schuster (2006), pp. 98-99
Part of the Warner Brothers release was filmed on location in San Francisco. It was remade as 'Spy Ship' in 1942.
It was released on DVD in July 2010.
Critical reception
In his review in 'The New York Times', Mordaunt Hall described the film as a "ruddy thriller" and wrote "What [it] lacks in the matter of credibility, it atones for partly by its breathless pace and its abundance of action. As the story of murder and robbery passes on the screen it scarcely gives the spectator time to think who might be the ring-leader of the band of desperadoes."[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A05EED9153CEE3ABC4F53DFB066838F629EDE 'New York Times' review]
'Time' stated "Brisk to the point of confession, 'Fog Over Frisco' is not the best of Director William Dieterle's pictures."[https://web.archive.org/web/20121021125905/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,747505,00.html?promoid=googlep 'Time' review]
Film historian William K. Everson called this "the fastest film ever made".
References
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