''Docks of San Francisco'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

George B. Seitz George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits o ...

and starring

Mary Nolan Mary Nolan (born Mariam Imogene Robertson; December 18, 1902 – October 31, 1948) was an American stage and film actress, singer and dancer. She began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in the 1920s performing under the stage name Imogene "Bubbles ...

, Jason Robards Sr. and

Marjorie Beebe Marjorie Eileen Beebe (October 9, 1908 – May 9, 1983) was an American film actress. Early years Beebe was born on October 9, 1909. She graduated from Hollywood High School. Career Beebe tired of working as an assistant in a magician's show, s ...

. It was originally released by Mayfair Pictures, and later re-released by Commonwealth Pictures in 1948. The film was long considered to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

but is now on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

.The AFI Catalog of Feature Films:''The Docks of San Francisco''
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Plot

The plot follows a café waitress who becomes a small-time gangster's mistress and a novelist decides to rescue her from the gangster's clutches.

Cast

as Belle * Jason Robards Sr. as John Banning *

as Rose Gillen * John Davidson as Vance *

Max Davidson Max Davidson (May 23, 1875 – September 4, 1950) was a German-American film actor known for his comedic Jewish persona during the silent film era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films. Career Born i ...

as Max Ranovich, the Detective *

Arthur Millett Arthur Millett (April 21, 1874 in Pittsfield, Maine – February 24, 1952 in Los Angeles, California), born Arthur Nelson Millett, was an early American motion picture actor whose career was at its height in the silent film era. Biography Born ...

as Police Chief Rafferty * Ernie Adams as Cookie *

Walter James Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

as Phony Café Waiter *

George Chesebro George Newell Chesebro (July 29, 1888 – May 28, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1915 and 1954. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography * ''Mi ...

as Vance's Henchman *

Hal Price Harry Franklin "Hal" Price (June 24, 1886 – April 15, 1964) was an American film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1930 and 1952. He is the father of character actress and comedian Lu Leonard. On stage, Price ...

as Vance's Henchman * Charles McAvoy as Policeman * Frank Meredith as Plainclothesman *

Paul Panzer Paul Wolfgang Panzerbeiter (November 3, 1872 – August 16, 1958), known professionally as Paul Panzer, was a German-American silent film actor. He appeared in more than 330 films between 1905 and 1952. Biography Panzer was born in Würzburg. ...

as Café Waiter

References

Bibliography

* Pitts, Michael R. ''Poverty Row Studios, 1929–1940: An Illustrated History of 55 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each''. McFarland & Company, 2005.

External links

* 1932 films 1932 crime films 1930s rediscovered films American crime films American black-and-white films Films directed by George B. Seitz Rediscovered American films Mayfair Pictures films 1930s English-language films Films set in San Francisco 1930s American films {{1930s-crime-film-stub