Barbary Coast (1935)

Samuel Goldwyn Productions/ United Artists
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: Miriam Hopkins, Edward G. Robinson, Joel McCrea

Producer Samuel Goldwyn and director Howard Hawks take you to San Francisco back in the hay days of the gold rush when the boomtown sitting on the bay of the golden coast was home to the lawlessness feeding off the men wishing to strike it rich in Barbary Coast. Allegedly claimed to be produced based simply of the title purchased by producer Goldwyn, Barbary Coast bares little to no resemblance to the novel that shares the same name. The tale shows the wild western town in the days when it was filled with just men and their dreams as well as their greed. This period picture produced outside the major studios would have its allure with a noteworthy cast, as well as being a film with a western and gangster aspect mixed into one feature.

Barbary Coast is a western telling the tale of the lawless days of 1850 San Francisco where at the foggy shores of bay greedy men feed off their unsuspecting prey of gold seekers, as told from the point of view of a woman, a “gold digger” herself, somewhat of a rarity in a sea of men. During a period were men flocked to the gold coast to find wealth in the soil of California’s fertile land, there are many that feed off the gullible and weak. Louis Chamalis (Edward G. Robinson) is one that owns and operates a crooked gambling house preying on such people and bullying those that question his authority. Mary Rutledge (Miriam Hopkins) is a woman that fell into working for Chamalis after discovering he was the way to wealth in the town; Chamalis keeping Mary around for companionship as well as an attraction in a town with little to no women. Disillusioned by Chamalis’ crookedness, Mary meets a young, handsome, and educated man, named Carmichael (Joel McCrea),  starting his way back home to New York, Mary’s home town as well. In time the town grows so unsettled by Chamalis’ ways that they rise up against him and his men. Mary after an unfortunate turn of events that gets Carmichael into trouble with Chamalis takes the boat out of San Francisco with Carmichael, back to their home town of New York, away from the city of that just now starts to rise up against those that prey on the miners.

It is difficult to call Barbary Coast a western as it does not explore the land and wilderness that most associate in their minds within the genre. The film plays more as a gangster picture, which is perfect for the likes of Edward G. Robinson, one of the perfectly lasting images from the 1930s gangster films, such as his famous feature Little Caesar. The production value is more used for the period costumes over the sets depicting a far younger San Francisco. Despite the film being about the treacherous days of San Francisco in its younger days of lawlessness in the height of the Gold Rush, upon which the novel version explores, the picture focuses more on the love story between Mary and Carmichael. The romance is rather weak leading to a conclusion that pits Chamalis in a hunt for Mary and Carmichael as they attempt to flee the mobster. The adventure that you can see that was originally inspired by the story’s conception of the movie is there, but is far watered down by a tale of passion with little drive. It is a picture that seems to fall short of its goals, and its rather good production value, for its time, does not make up for it.

For this Goldwyn picture Howard Hawks, a year fresh off walking out from an MGM contract, would be brought in to direct. He does a fine job getting what he can from his stars, mixing in the tiny bit of humor with the side characters, and moving through the plot. However it was the script that seemed to be lacking in this feature. The most wanting point in the picture happens to be its ending as Mary and Carmichael attempt their getaway from an angry Chamalis as they paddle a small boat through the bay to a ship. The script is terrible through this section as the two love birds continually coo lines back and forth as they race from danger. In the conclusion Chamablis lets the two leave, and eventually Chamalis falls victim to a posse looking for justice. You somehow wish the story stuck more to the tale of the villainous Chamalis and his run ins with the people looking for justice rather than the love story.

The film did have its arrangement of headlining stars. Miriam Hopkins was one of the most popular and sought after actresses of the time, a good get for Goldwyn. Her role as Mary was not the best work for her, but she did add a small bit of depth to a character in a story with little drive. For the gangster-like man Chamalis we get Edward G. Robinson, one the best known actors in roles that call for crooked men that lead mobs. His overall criminal demeanor made him a perfect fit in this type of role, even if it was not the usual crime boss. Relative newcomer Joel McCrea would play the straight, clean man in Carmichael. It was a squeaky clean character, creating a rather uninteresting part for the newly rising 29 year-old Southern California native. McCrea’s roles would get far better in the future as he continued working with large names, such as Hopkins and Robinson in this case.

In a supporting role is Walter Brennan playing Old Atrocity, an old man looking for ways to swindle trusting and unsuspecting men of their money through any small means necessary. His character which today is seen as clique, with his unkempt look, toothless grim, high yet raspy voice, and old man laugh are copied many time over since his work her and in his future films. Old Atrocity is a lovable side character that provides humor to the story as well as helps our heroes along with his heart of unpolished gold, giving him a sympathetic quality, despite the fact that we know he picks people’s pockets and attempts to gauge money out of simpletons. Brennan have 40, yet still newer to acting in films after losing much of his money in real estate during the crash of 1929. His bit parts would help him plays role in movies such as this, becoming a likable actor, one day to win more supporting actor Oscars than anyone else in the history of the award.

Barbary Coast would go on to be a modest success, but seemed to find more bad reviews than good. It would be praised for its period recreation of Gold Rush in the bay area, but found more than its fair share of jeers for the weak story. Despite Samuel Goldwyn, former founder of a film company that would become part of MGM, producing the film simply for its name, which he loved, then ordering writers to make a story of it, the film was loosely inspired by the book of the same title. Audiences familiar to the book disliked how the story was completely changed and was focused on a manufactured love story that was never in the original book, leaving out more exploration of the rugged Barbary Coast. Part of this might be due to Production Code that controlled morality in Hollywood, cutting out much of the sex and debauchery of the original work in order to make it into a clean story with a happy ending. This motion picture might be best seen as another picture that was laid to waste thanks to the censorship of the time.