The San Francisco Story (1952) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

Joel McCrea is Rick Nelson, a miner who travels to San Francisco, where he was previously part of a vigilante movement to clean up the city.

The vigilantes, led by newspaperman Jim Martin, are at it again. They’re so busy, they’ve erected a gallows right outside their headquarters.

Their target is Andrew Cain and those who do his bidding.

Cain is a powerful figure in city politics. He plans to run the city one day. He plans to gain control of the state as well.

Rick rejects Martin’s plea to rejoin the vigilantes in their effort to keep that from happening.

After all, he’s in town to enjoy San Francisco’s sinful offerings for a few days, not to tame the city.

Then he meets Cain’s lover, the very lovely Adelaide McCall (Yvonne De Carlo).

And a second meeting isn’t difficult to arrange, because Cain has asked her to find out more about one Rick Nelson.

But falling for Adelaide McCall could be a risky proposition. She’s a high-spirited, whip-wielding young woman.

Getting involved with a woman the powerful Andrew Cain cares about might be even more dangerous.

Joel McCrea as Rick Nelson, laying eyes on Adelaide McCall for the first time in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Yvonne De Carlo as Adelaide McCall, torn between her affection for Andrew Cain and Rick Nelson in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Review:

The climatic duel takes place on horseback, on a beach, with the adversaries armed with shotguns.

That’s a good indication of how refreshingly different this is from standard 1950s Western fare.

Add a script filled with snappy dialogue, a despicable villain played by Sidney Blackmer and Yvonne De Carlo at her alluring best, and you have an entertaining film.

Even the early sparks between McCrea and De Carlo are a little more spicy than normal.

Sidney Blackmer as Andrew Cain, the man who wants to rule a city, then the state of California in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Onslow Stevens as Capt. Jim Martin, the man determined to stop Cain’s corrupt political organization in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Directed by:
Robert Parrish

Cast:
Joel McCrea … Rick Nelson
Yvonne De Carlo … Adelaide McCall
Sidney Blackmer … Andrew Cain
Richard Erdman … Shorty
Florence Bates … Sadie
Onslow Stevens … Capt. Jim Martin
John Raven … Lessing
O.Z. Whitehead … Alfey
Ralph Dume … Winfield Holbert
Robert Foulk … Thompson
Lane Chandler …. Morton

Runtime: 80 min.

Richard Erdman as Shorty, Rick Nelson’s partner, breaking a surprising bit of news to Adelaide McCall in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Florence Bates as Sadie, the woman who makes part of her living by shanghaiing unsuspecting strangers in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Memorable lines:

Rick Nelson, approaching San Francisco and coming upon a dead man hanging in a tree: “Too nice a day to get hung.”
Shorty, his sidekick: “Sometime, I’d like to hear what you consider the right kind of day for it.”

Shorty, spying the very busy vigilante association headquarters with a gallows in front: “You sure picked a gay time to come to town. There shouldn’t be any shortage of funerals for you to go to.”

Rick Nelson to Capt. Martin, in reaction to his pleas that Rick join the vigilante movement: “Look, I’m only gonna be here two days, and I’m more interested in enjoying the corruption than cleaning it up.”

Adelaide McCall: “What did your friends tell you about Andrew Cain?”
Rick Nelson: “Well, they seem to regard him as about five inches lower than a snake.”

Rick Nelson, when Adelaide tells him that Andrew Cain plans to turn San Francisco into a great city: “I’ve heard that he’s done quite a bit already. And stepped on quite a few toes doing it.”
Adelaide McCall: “Maybe. But he wouldn’t have to if they’d get their toes out of the way.”

Yvonne De Carlo as Adelaide McCall, turning on the charm for Rick Nelson (Joel McCrea) in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Richard Erdman as Shorty and Joel McCrea as Rick Nelson take note of the gallows as they arrive in The San Francisco Story (1952)

Rick Nelson, when Shorty notes the cut on his face, left by Adelaide’s whip: “I walked into a tree.”
Shorty: “That’s a pretty educated tree. Wrote you a note.”
He presents a letter of apology from Adelaide.

Rick Nelson, after being struck with a whip the first time he kissed Adelaide and nearly shanghaied the second: “No, I don’t think I’d better kiss you tonight, Addie. It hasn’t been working out too well.”

Rick Nelson, of his interest in Adelaide: “No objections?”
Andrew Cain: “Plenty of them. But you and Addie impress me as being people who pretty much do what they want.”

Rick Nelson: “I knew a fella once that used to do his own killing instead of hiring it done.”
Andrew Cain: “Are you trying to create the impression that I’m a coward?”
Nelson: “You catch on real fast.”