John Wayne is Duke Fergus, a Montana rancher who heads West to collect a $500 debt owed him for a horse he sold.
Turns out, the debt is owed by Tito Morell (Joseph Schildkraut), who owns one of the biggest gambling joints on San Francisco’s Barbary Coast.
Turns out, he has a pretty blonde entertainer Ann Tarry, known as “Flaxen” (Ann Dvorak), who turns Fergus’s head with her beauty, then her song and dance routine.
Offended when Tito auditions another singer to show her just how expendable she is, ‘Flaxen’ latches onto Duke and takes him on a successful gambling spree across the city.
But he loses everything playing cards with Tito and heads back to Montana, where he soon misses Flaxen and the excitement of the city.
Not one used to coming in second best, he sharpens his card skills with ranch hand “Smooth” Wylie, then heads to the coast again, with Wylie in tow.
His goal: To win so much he can build his own gambling palace, with Flaxen as his star entertainer.
He’d also like to win over her heart. That might be the more difficult proposition.
John Wayne as Duke Fergus, staying by Flaxen’s side after she’s injured during the earthquake in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Ann Dvorak as Ann ‘Flaxen’ Tarry, challenged to grace the Duke with her best kiss in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Review:
Not a traditional Western. Yep, John Wayne plays a cowboy. But only about 5 minutes of the film takes place on his Montana ranch.
The rest is set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, with the city’s 1906 earthquake playing a key role in the plot.
Most of the sparks are provided by the bright-eyed Ann Dvorak, a spirited gal who won’t be told what to do.
Tito Morell tries. But it’s Flaxen who will be teaching the lessons. And keep people guessing which way her heart will fall until the film’s final minutes.
The thrice-married Dvorak rose to stardom in Hollywood in the 1930s. Two of her final films were also Westerns, “The Return of Jesse James” (1950) and “The Secret of Convict Lake” (1951).
Joseph Schildkraut as Tito Morell, the man who wants to rule Flaxen and the rest of San Francisco in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
William Frawley as Smooth Wylie, the man who teaches Duke Fergus how to best the best at cards in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Directed by:
Joseph Kane
Cast:
John Wayne … Duke Fergus
Ann Dvorak … Ann ‘Flaxen’ Tarry
Joseph Schildkraut … Tito Morell
William Frawley … “Smooth” Wylie
Virginia Grey .. Rita Dane
Russell Hicks … Cyrus Danver
Jack Norton … Byline Conners
Paul Fix … Calico Jim
Manart Kippen … Dr. Gorman
Eve Lynne … Martha
Marc Lawrence … Joe Disko
Butterfly McQueen … Beulah
Rex Lease … Collingswood
Hank Bell … Hank
Runtime: 91 min.
Virginia Grey as Rita Dane, about to show Tito Morell how sensational she can be in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Paul Fix as Calico Jim, advocating a permanent fix to the Duke Fergus problem in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Memorable lines:
Tito Morell, auditioning a new singer: “Haven’t you been saying something about a vacation, my dear?”
Ann Tarry, his current singer: “Do I look worn and tired?”
Rita Dane, the pretty woman auditioning: “A little. Around the edges.”
Ann: “We’re not going to like each other. Are we?”
Rita: “I’m sure we’re not.”
Ann Tarry, guiding Duke out of Tito’s gambling palace: “Come on, king.”
Duke Fergus: “The name’s Duke, lady.”
Ann Tarry: “You’ve been promoted.”
Ann Tarry: “Tito, there comes a time in every girl’s life when a man needs a punch in the nose.”
Jack Norton as Byline Conners, reporting on happenings among San Francisco’s socialites in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Eve Lynne as Martha, Tito Morell’s secretary in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Rex Lease as Collingwood, one of Tito Morell’s trusted employees in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
Ann Dvorak as Ann ‘Flaxen’ Tarry and John Wayne as Duke Fergus, getting acquainted on the San Francisco beach in Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945)
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