Quakes and Quagmires To Vitaphone Accompany

Old San Francisco (1927) Is Earth-Shaking Melodrama

Two impressions this one made years before I saw it: A photo on p. 108 of The Movies (above), by Richard Griffith and Arthur Mayer, seminal and first history of film for me. Under heading of "The Mysterious East," there was a still from Old San Francisco (referred to in the caption as In Old San Francisco) that featured female nudity, a presumed no-no for that era, but here it was and my curiosity was duly piqued. Decades later amidst 16mm pursuit came a reel prepared by Robert Youngson for 1954 Warners release called Thrills From The Past. This was ten minutes culled from the earthquake highlight of Old San Francisco, a wow that Youngson knew would wow them again. Old San Francisco was by 1954 out of circulation long enough to be fresh for most, certainly younger patronage that made up bulk of showgoing. The original feature was among other things a display of Vitaphone newly arrived, music/effects laid over silent narrative with result a product locked into era wherein it was new, and grist for memory of those who'd recall the quake as height of spectacle. Balance of the show had to be as compelling, but how could we judge with Old San Francisco so buried by changed times?

Old San Francisco was never lost. Non-theatrical distributor UA/16 had it available for rental during the 70's at $75 per day, but prints were silent, so no Vitaphone track. Viability of pre-talk features for TV was pondered, a few broadcast here/there, but the concept never got hold. Too bad, for that's how we'd lose much of silent output. Syndication would have saved much, but if home viewers weren't interested, why preserve the stuff? Fascination for transition-to-talk and Vitaphone led to rescue of what survived by late 80's and into 90's, the search for sound discs intensified so these could be wedded to picture elements found at far-flung sites. Old San Francisco was hauled up and run to startled onlookers at rep houses and archive pits, then on "Silent Sundays" for TCM. Equal to jolt of the quake for modern watchers was florid overlay of Yellow Peril as threat to virtue of Dolores Costello, dewy daughter of grandees that once ruled the California coast, now displaced by evil that is half-caste Warner Oland, whose show this was to steal. Melodrama was, like old Frisco itself, doomed to demise ushered in by talkies and shambles sound would make of high-flying theatrics clung to since barnstorm days of a past century. Who's to say we progressed?, as lots of fun was lost when Old San Francisco and like kind got banished off bills. Sampling of this and other Vitaphones can he had on DVD from Warner Archive. The tracks alone merit a buy.