San Francisco and the Bay Area in the Movies












Documentaries about San Francisco

Avni, Sheerly. Cinema by the Bay New York : George Lucas Books : Produced and distributed by Welcome Books, c2006. (Media Center: PN1993.5.U718 A96 2006; MAIN: PN1993.5.U718 A96 2006; BUSI: PN1993.5.U718 A96 2006; PFA : PN1993.5.U718 A96 2006; BANC: \f\ PN1993.5.U718 A96 2006)
Kraft, Jeff. Footsteps in the fog : Alfred Hitchcock's San Francisco Santa Monica, CA : Santa Monica Press, c2002. (MAIN: PN1998.3.H58 K73 2002; BANC: PN1998.3.H58 K73 2002)
Rich, Nathaniel. San Francisco noir : the city in film noir from 1940 to the present New York : Little Bookroom, c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.F54 R48 2005; PFA : PN1995.9.F54 R48 2005)
Van Buskirk, Jim. Celluloid San Francisco : the film lover's guide to Bay Area movie locations Chicago, Ill. : Chicago Review Press, c2006. (BANC: PN1995.67 .S36 2006; PFA : PN1995.67 .S36 2006)

After the Thin Man (1936)
Directed by W.S. VanDyke. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart, Elissa Landi, Joseph Calleia. It's New Year's Eve, Nick and Nora Charles have returned to San Francisco, and the philandering hubby of Nora's cousin has gone missing. Retired from sleuthing, Nick must round up the usual suspects. 112 min. DVD 4155
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Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley (1918)
Directed by Marshall Neilan. Cast: Mary Pickford, William Scott, Norman Kerry. Amarilly is the belle of Clothes-line Alley, a neighborhood near San Francisco's Chinatown. One night after a fight breaks out in the club where she works as a cigarette girl, Amarilly brings an injured socialite home with her. Grateful for her care, he hires Amarilly to clean his apartment and, over time, begins falling in love with her. But when Amarilly is presented at a posh social gathering, the disastrous results fuel the battle of high and low society. 67 min. DVD 8452; vhs 999:2096
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American Graffiti (1973)
Directed by George Lucas. Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Ronny Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips. The misadventures of four California teenagers one late summer night in 1962 become the focal point for an audience trip back to the last "innocent" years of the 50's and early 60's. The film was inspired by George Lucas' own adolescent years cruising the Strip in Modesto, on Highway 99 between Stockton and Fresno in central California. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 112 min. DVD 246; vhs 999:757
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Barbary Coast (1935)
Directed by Howard Hawks. Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Edward G. Robinson, Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, Frank Craven, Brian Donlevy. Mary Rutledge arrives from the east to find her fiance dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Louis Charnalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in San Francisco's Barbary Coast of the 1850s. She falls in love with miner Carmichael and takes his gold dust at the wheel. But when she goes after him, her ruthless gambling boss follows her with intent to harm Carmichael. 90 min. DVD X20
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Basic Instinct (1992)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Cast: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Ozundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn. A tough but vulnerable San Francisco detective investigates a murder identical to one described in the latest novel of a cold, calculating and beautiful novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 123 min. DVD 886; vhs 999:2282
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Berkeley (2005)
Directed by Bobby Roth. Cast: Nick Roth, Laura Jordan, Henry Winkler, Sarah Carter, Tom Morello, Jake Newton, Sebastian Tillinger, Bonnie Bedelia. The story of Ben Sweet, an eighteen year old boy who comes to UC Berkeley in 1968 to study accounting and avoid the draft. There begins an odyssey through sex, drugs, rock and roll, and political activism which turns his world upside down and leaves him on a path of exploration and self-discovery, far from the life of his conservative businessman father. 88 min. DVD 9887
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Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Directed by John Frankenheimer. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand, Edmond O'Brien, Betty Field, Telly Savalas. The true story of Robert Stroud, a convicted killer living in solitary confinement, who avoids the depths of despair by becoming a world-renowned authority on birds during his imprisonment on Alcatraz Island. 149 min. DVD 1306
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The Birds (1963)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren. The unexplainable attack on the residents of Bodega Bay, California, by birds of all shapes and sizes is the subject of this classic Hitchcock thriller. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 119 min. DVD 199; vhs 999:280
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Bullitt (1968)
Directed by Peter Yates, Cast: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell. A star witness in a controversial court case is murdered, and the San Francisco police detective assigned to guard him goes after the killers himself. This razor-edged thriller features one of cinema history's most memorable car chases, in which expert auto/motorcycle racer McQueen did his own stunt driving. That sequence highlights the Golden Gate Bridge, Potrero Hill and San Mateo County. Special features before the movie: Behind the scenes documentary - Bullitt: Steve McQueen's commitment to reality (22 min.) -- Original theatrical trailer. 126 min. DVD 5050; also DVD 197; vhs 999:2408
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By Hook or by Crook (2001)
Directed by Harry Dodge and Silas Howard. Cast: Silas Howard, Harry Dodge, Stanya Kahn, Carina Gia. Shy's a handsome small-town loner who dumps his diner job and thumbs to San Francisco in pursuit of a life of petty crime. Along the way, he stumbles into the off-kilter Valentine, who is on a quest to locate his birthmother. An unexpected friendship sparks as they steal and grift their way towards understanding themselves and the crazy world around them. 95 min. DVD 3063
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Chan is Missing (1982)
Directed by Wayne Wang. Set in San Francisco, this sleeper concerns a Chinese-American cab driver and his nephew, who discover their friend Chan Hung has disappeared with $4000 of their savings. 80 min. Video DVD 4972; vhs 999:56
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Chinatown After Dark (1931)
In Shanghai, an American Ralph Bonner is entrusted with an ancient Chinese dagger which he must transport to San Francisco. Hidden within the dagger is an extraordinarily beautiful gem which leads to many close calls for Bonner as the evil dragon-lady Madame Ying Su conspires through kidnap and murder to obtain the dagger. The comedian Billy Gilbert provides comic relief as a hapless sneezing cop. 50 min. 999:1255
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Colma: The Musical (2006)
Directed by Richard Wong. Cast: Jake Moreno, H.P. Mendoza, L.A. Renigen, Sigrid Sutter, Brian Raffi, Larry Soriano, Gigi Guizado, Jim Wierzba, Kat Kneisel, Allison Torneros, Paul Kolsanoff. Set in the town of Colma, just south of San Francisco, best pals Rodel, Billy, and Maribel finding themselves in a state of limbo; fresh out of high school, are just beginning to explore a new world of part-time mall jobs and crashing college parties. As newfound revelations and romances challenge their relationships with one another and their parents, the trio must assess what to hold onto, and how to best follow their dreams. This unusual musical is a love song to the city, and to the residents who dream of a better life. 100 min. DVD 9211
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Confessions of an Opium Eater (1962)
Directed by Albert Zugsmith. Cast: Vincent Price, Linda Ho, Richard Loo, King Vidor, Florence Vidor. Set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the Tong wars of the 1800s, women are sold as slaves by an evil drug lord named Ling Tang. DeQuincey is hired to find a woman who has escaped the slave trade and bring her back. As he hides out in Chinatown he discovers the wonders of the opium trade and the drug's hallucinogenic effects. "Filled with absurd dialogue, Asian stereotypes and A-typical Zugsmith exploitation touches, the film is a classic of the early 60's sleaze genre." 85 min. DVD 5141
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The Conversation (1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Robert Duvall. A provoking mystery-suspense drama that explores the morality of privacy in the story of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert, who conducts a routine surveillance job only to later find himself suspicious that he has become an unwitting player in a murder scheme. Filmed in Union Square and various other San Francisco locations. See IMDB locations for more information. 113 min. DVD 424; vhs 999:950
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Crime of Passion (1956)
Directed by Gerk Oswald. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr, Fay Wray, Virginia Grey, Royal Dano. Kathy Ferguson is smart, witty, and an ace at her job as an advice columnist at a San Francisco newspaper with her name on billboards all over town. But Kathy makes a big mistake, she falls in love and marries Bill Doyle, a Los Angeles detective, and begins to realize that Bill wants nothing more than this domesticity for her, forever. Kathy's thwarted ambition turns ugly, and before long this capable career woman is capable of anything. 86 min. DVD 3484; vhs 999:2413
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Dark Passage (1947)
Directed by Delmer Daves. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett, Agnes Moorehead, Tom D'Andrea. After successful plastic surgery on his face, a man wrongly convicted of murder hides out in an apartment in San Francisco (1360 Montgomery Street at Filbert). Tension builds in this tale of a fugitive hiding from the law as he feverishly works to prove his innocence. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 106 min. DVD 3485; vhs 999:1229
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Dick Tracy (1990)
Directed by Warren Beatty. Cast: Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman. All Tess Trueheart wants is to settle down to a quiet life with her boyfriend, detective Dick Tracy. But there's something pretty rotten going on in San Francisco, with someone pretty rotten behind it, and Tracy has his hands full with the likes of villain Big Boy Caprice and with the almost irresistable Breathless Mahoney. 105 min. DVD X1906; vhs 999:1144
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Dim Sum. (1985)
Directed by Wayne Wang. A charming, delightful comedy about a Chinese-American family in contemporary San Francisco trying to maintain a link to their cultural heritage while confronted with the changing world around them. DVD 4971; vhs 999:99
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Dirty Harry Films

Dirty Harry (1971)
Directed by Don Siegal. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santori, John Vernon, Andy Robinson, John Larch, John Mitchum. A violently inclined San Francisco police inspector is the only cop who is able to arrest a rooftop sniper. When the man is released through lack of evidence, he takes private revenge. In the course of the action, Eastwood cruises by North Beach and Washington Square. The East Harbor's Marina Green is the first stop in a chase that has Eastwood racing to telephone booths across the city. The rivals have a final meeting at Larkspur Landing. 102 min. DVD 3804; also DVD 9857; vhs 999:500
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Magnum Force (1973)
Directed by Ted Post. Cast:Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Mitchell Ryan, David Soul, Felton Perry, Robert Urich. Detective Harry Callahan is pitted against an unexpected lawbreaker: one who carries a badge. Sharpshooting rookie motorcycle cops have turned vigilante, rubbing out crooks the courts can't touch. Their real enemy is the system. Unfortunately for them, the system is what Harry is sworn to protect. 124 min. DVD 9854
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The Enforcer (1976)
Directed by James Fargo. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Bradford Dillman, Tyne Daly. Detective Harry Callahan has a new partner, Inspector Kate Moore, who has two jobs: tracking down a band of armed-and-wacko terrorists and winning Harry's confidence. (97 min. DVD 9856
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Sudden Impact (1983)
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, Bradford Dillman, Paul Drake. In the aftermath of a brutal rape, a beautiful woman has begun to hunt down her attackers. Harry has to find her and stop her before she kills again or her attackers find her. 117 min. DVD 2013
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The Dead Pool (1988)
Directed by Buddy Van Horn. Clint Eastwood, Patricia Clarkson, Liam Neeson, Evan Kim, Jim Carrey. Dirty Harry Callahan must stop a sick secret contest to murder local celebrities, which includes himself as a target. He is up against media attention, an enraged hit men, and a new killer, who's attempting to throw off the dead pool game anyway possible. Callahan has to find the connection between the killings and then the perpetrator, before the game can be declared over. 91 min. DVD 9855
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D.O.A. (1949)
Directed by Rudolph Mate. Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler, Beverly Campbell, Neville Brand, Lynn Baggett, William Ching. Small-town accountant Frank Bigelow goes to San Francisco for a week's fun prior to settling down with fiance Paula. After a night on the town, he wakes up with more than just a hangover; doctors tell him he's been given a "luminous toxin" with no antidote and has, at most, a week to live! Not knowing who did it or why, Bigelow embarks on a frantic odyssey to find his own murderer. See IMDB locations for more information. 83 min. DVD 2746; DVD 178; vhs 999:1237
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Belton, John. Howard Hawks, Frank Borzage, Edgar G. Ulmer London : Tantivy Press ; New York : A.S. Barnes, 1974. (MAIN: PN1998.A3 H337 1974)
Bogdanovich, Peter. "Edgar G. Ulmer." In: Who the Devil Made It. New York : Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, 1997. (Main Stack PN1995.9.P7.B58 1997; Moffitt PN1995.9.P7.B58 1997)
Edgar G. Ulmer the man off-screen [Videorecording] Media Resources Center DVD 6455
Gallagher, Tag. "All lost in wonder: Edgar G.Ulmer." Screening the Past, 1 March 2001 UC users only
Isenberg, Noah. "Perennial Detour: The Cinema of Edgar G. Ulmer and the Experience of Exile." Cinema Journal. Winter 2004. Vol. 43, Iss. 2; pg. 3, 23 pgsUC users only
Osteen, M. "The big secret: film noir and nuclear film." Journal of Popular Film and Television v. 22 (Summer 1994) p. 79-90
Renov, Michael. "D. O. A.: Five Aspects of Textuality." New Orleans Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 65-72, Fall 1982
Turner, George "'I Want to Report a Murder'." American Cinematographer, LXIX/8, Aug 88; p.35-40. (Production history and detailed plot description of the original version of "D.O.A.")

Dumbarton Bridge (1999)
Directed by Charles Koppelman. Cast: Tom Wright, Esperanza Catubig, Daphne Ashbrook. John Shed leads a withdrawn and solitary life in a small town south of San Francisco where he works on the salt ponds. He takes little pleasure in life and rarely ventures out with his white live-in girlfriend Belinda. When Minh, Shed's half-Vietnamese daughter arrives, he reacts with callous disregard for her welfare. Belinda invites Minh to live with them. Shed's bitterness and heavy drinking prompt Belinda to move out. Through a series of difficult steps, father and daughter come to terms with their own and each other's ethnicity and find ways to reassert their identity. Shed meets with a black support group and Minh finds her own sense of belonging with the help of a Vietnamese American social worker. 113 min. DVD 4307
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Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Directed by Don Siegel. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward. In 29 years, the seemingly impenetrable federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island was only broken once - by three men never heard of again. This is the gritty and realistic enactment of the escape of these three men, in particular Frank Morris, the cunning bank robber who masterminded the elaborately detailed and, as far as anyone knows, ultimately successful escape. See IMDB locations for more information. 111 min. DVD 1307
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Experiment in Terror (1962)
Directed by Blake Edwards. Cast: Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers, Ross Martin, Roy Poole, Ned Glass. A bank teller is forced to assist a psychopathic killer in his bank robbery scheme. To save her and her teenage sister who is also held captive, the F.B.I. sets out to create an elaborate trap for the killer. The breathtaking climax takes place at Candlestick Park during a Giants-Dodgers game! See IMDB locations for more information. 123 min. DVD 3607
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Flower Drum Song(1961)
Directed by Henry Koster. Cast: Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Benson Fong, Jack Soo, Juanita Hall, Miyoshi Umeki. This unforgettable Broadway smash, filled with memorable songs and brilliant dances, centers on a Hong Kong girl who comes to San Francisco for an arranged marriage to an Americanized nightclub owner who is already engaged to a sultry singer. Based on the novel by C.Y. Lee. Special features: A classic evolves: from print to stage to screen; Faces of the east : casting Flower drum song; The songs of Flower drum song; An all-access pass to the sets and costumes of Flower drum song; The legacy of Rodgers and Hammerstein; feature commentary with actress Nancy Kwan and film historian Nick Redman. DVD 6548; vhs 999:537
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Lewis, David H. Flower drum songs : the story of two musicals Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2006. (Main Stack ML410.R6315.L48 2006; Moffitt ML410.R6315.L48 2006)
Ma, Sheng-mei. "Rodger's and Hammerstein's "Chopsticks" musicals.(Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein; "The King and I," "Flower Drum Song" and "South Pacific")(Critical Essay)." Literature-Film Quarterly 31.1 (Jan 2003): 17-26. UC users only
McConachie, Bruce A. "The 'Oriental' Musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein and the U. S. War in Southeast Asia." Theatre Journal v46.n3 (Oct 1994): pp385(14). (7770 words) UC users only

Follow the Fleet (1936)
Directed by Mark Sandrich. Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, Astrid Allwyn. Music by Irving Berlin. Two navy men have just docked in San Francisco after extended sea duty. They decide to spend their shore leave at a local dancehall where one man is surprised to find his ex-vaudeville partner. The other man steals the heart of the partner's sister. Includes small roles by Betty Grable and Lucille Ball. Based on the play Shore leave by Hubert Osborne. Special features: Featurette "Follow the fleet: the origins of those dancing feet"' music short "Melody master: Jimmie Lunceford and his dance orchestra; classic cartoon "Let it be me"; theatrical trailer. 104 min. DVD 4253; vhs 999:3364
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Vanneman, Alan. "Fred & Ginger Get Their Feet Wet in Follow the Fleet" Bright Lights Film Journal, vol. 32, pp. (no pagination), Spring 2001

48 Hours (1982)
Directed by Walter Hill. Cast: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O'Toole, Frank McRae, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Sonny Landham. Nolte is a rough-edged San Francisco cop after two vicious copkillers. He can't do it without the help of smooth and dapper Murphy, who is serving time for a half-million dollar robbery. This unlikely partnership trades laughs as often as punches as both pursue their separate goals: Nolte wants the villians; Murphy wants money. 97 min. DVD X1888; vhs 999:3563
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Frisco Jenny (1932)
Directed by William A. Wellman. Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern. Jenny was orphaned by the 1906 earthquake and fire and has gone on to become the madame of a prosperous bawdy house. After putting her son up for adoption, he becomes a district attorney dedicated to closing down such houses. She kills an underling who wants her son dead and is now facing execution. Special features: Commentary on "Midnight Mary" by historians Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta; S.S. Dine detective short "The studio murder mystery;" vintage Pete Smith short "Goofy movies #1;" classic cartoon "Bosko's parlor pranks;" theatrical trailers. 70 min. DVD X1427
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Gentleman Jim (1942)
Director: Raoul Walsh. Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, John Loder, William Frawley, Minor Watson, Ward Bond, Medeleine LeBeau, Rhys Williams, Arthur Shields, Dorothy Vaughan. Because boxing is a considered an illegal and disreputable enterprise in 1880's San Francisco, wealthy and influential members of the prestigious Olympic Club vow to make the sport a "gentlemanly" one. They sponsor a brash, extroverted young bank clerk named Jim Corbett, who quickly becomes an accomplished fighter under the new Marquis of Queensbury Rules. Based on the life of James J. Corbett Special features: "Warner night at the movies 1942" short subjects gallery: vintage newsreel, sports shorts "Shoot yourself some golf" (with Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman) and "The right timing," classic cartoon "Foney fables," trailers of Gentlman Jim and 1942's "The male animal;" audio-only bonus: radio show adaptation with Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith and Ward Bond. 104 min. DVD 8053
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The Graduate (1978)
Directed by Mike Nichols. Cast: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross. Ben Braddock, A recent college graduate comes of age and finds himself being led into affairs with the wife (Mrs. Robinson) and with the daughter (Elaine Robinson) of his father's friend. At one point in the action, Ben persues Elaine, who is a graduate student at UC Berkeley. Many of the exterior shots of Benjamin on the campus were actually filmed on the brick campus of USC in Los Angeles, as the UC-Berkeley campus features buildings with gray granite exteriors. Other scenes were filmed on the Berkeley campus, on Durant Avenue in Berkeley, and on Telegraph Avenue. In one shot, the red Alfa Romeo is traveling across San Francisco Bay on the upper deck of the suspension section of the Bay Bridge; this is actually westbound into San Francisco, although Ben is supposed to be on his way to Berkeley, which would be eastbound on the lower deck. 105 min. DVD 32; vhs 999:145
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Greed (1925)
Directed by Erich von Stroheim. Cast: Zasu Pitts, Gibson Gowland, Jean Hersholt, Dale Fuller, Tempe Pigott, Silvia Ashton, Chester Conklin, Joan Standing. The story of three Californians whose friendship is destroyed by avarice after one wins a lottery jackpot. An incredible look at '20s San Francisco (check out 611 Laguna St.), Oakland and Death Valley. See IMDB locations for more information. 133 min.DVD X565 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C 999:521
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Groove (2000)
Directed by Greg Harrison. Cast:MacKenzie Firgens, Lola Glaudini, Denny Kirkwood, Hamish Linklater, Rachel True. Set in San Francisco in the subculture of the raves, the film's main characters include Leyla who recently arrived from New York, neo-hippy Harmony who is celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend Colin and Colin's nerdy brother David who would much rather read than rave. As the film charts David's first taste of chemically-induced Ecstasy and his budding romance with Leyla, who serves as his trip guide, the film also includes a small vignette of the tattoo and piercing set, including blissed-out drug dealers and their attempts at scamming on chicks, a skinhead looking for trouble, and a gay couple who can't figure out where the rave is. 86 min. DVD 409
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Directed by Stanley Kramer. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton. Joanna, the caucasian daughter of a publisher, Matthew Drayton, and his patrician wife, Christina, returns home to San Francisco with her new fiance, John, a distinguished black doctor. Christina's mother accepts her daughter's decision to marry John, but Matthew is shocked by this interracial union, and the doctor's parents are equally dismayed. In this film both families are forced to examine their respective levels of racial intolerance. 108 min. DVD 2318; vhs 999:718
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Kelley, Samuel L. The evolution of character portrayals in the films of Sidney Poitier, 1950-1978 (NEWS: MICROFICHE.6030.Unit 98)
Keyser, Lester J. The cinema of Sidney Poitier : the black man's changing role on the American screen. San Diego, [Calif. : A. S. Barnes, c1980 (MAIN: PN2287.P57 .K4)
Levine, Andrea. "Sidney Poitier's Civil Rights: Rewriting the Mystique of White Womanhood in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night." American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 365-86, June 2001.
Marill, Alvin H. The films of Sidney PoitierSecaucus, N.J. : Citadel Press, c1978. (MAIN: PN2287 .P57M3)

Haiku Tunnel (2001)
Directors, Jacob Kornbluth, Josh Kornbluth. Cast: Josh Kornbluth, Warren Keith, Helen Shumaker, Amy Resnick, Brian Thorstenson, June Lomena, Sarah Overman. When young, commitment phobic Josh goes from "temp" to a permanent position at a San Francisco law firm, his happy, unstructured life begins to unravel. Soon, an unforgettable interoffice adventure begins involving the ice queen manager, a dangerous armed guard, a sexy criminal lawyer and seventeen seemingly unmailable letters. Shot in the Mission and in the Financial District. 90 min. DVD 1311
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Hammett(1982)
Directed by Wim Wenders. Cast: Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Roy Kinnear, Lydia Lei. "Based in part on detective-fiction writer Dashiell Hammett's early experiences as a Pinkerton detective, this moderately-noir film has Hammett (using his little-known first name, Sam) involved in an elaborate extortion plot by his former detective agency mentor, Jimmy Ryan. Ryan shows up at Hammett's San Francisco digs searching for a mysterious Chinese girl, Crystal Ling. He calls in a marker from Hammett's days at the detective agency to get his help in finding the girl, who turns out to be a very sexy and shrewd former prostitute and porn star. She has photographs of San Francisco's most influential citizens engaged in sexual fantasy with her and she means to turn them into a million-dollar payday. The tubercular Hammett must cope with an unfriendly police force, a mysterious gunsel intent on inflicting serious harm, and betrayal by supposed friends; to save the reputations of the powerful while tweaking their collective noses." [IMDB] 97 min. DVD 4747; vhs 999:360
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Harold and Maude (1971)
Directed by Hal Ashby. Cast: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, Charles Tyner, Ellen Geer. A black comedy about a rich, disturbed, young man, fascinated with death and funerals, who has an affair and a series of adventures with an eccentric and independent 80-year-old woman. See IMDB locations for more information. 91 min. DVD 9060; vhs 999:2409
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Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. Cast: Alice Faye, John Payne, Jack Oakie, Lynn Bari, Laird Cregar, June Havoc, Ward Bond, Aubrey Mather. A talented singer starring on the Barbary Coast is abandoned by her ambitious saloon-owner beau for a heartless socialite. After becoming a huge star in England, she returns to San Francisco when his marriage crumbles, hoping that he still loves her. Special features: Isolated score track ; Hello again: the remaking of Alice Faye featurette ; restoration comparision, original theatrical trailer, advertising gallery, still gallery. 99 min. DVD X405
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Hit the Deck (1955)
Directed by Roy Rowland. Cast: Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Vic Damone, Gene Raymond, Ann Miller, Russ Tamblyn, Alan King, Henry Slate. Three sailors, on forty eight hours shore leave go prowling for curves in San Francisco. There's plenty of time for great songs, exuberant dancing, and lots of goofy trouble when a brawl with a meddling playboy sets the Shore Patrol on the swabbies' trail. 113 min. vhs 999:3825
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The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)
Directed by Robert Wise. Cast: Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortesa, William Lundigan, Fay Baker, Gordon Gebert. Victoria Kowelska has lived through World War II bombings and relocation camps, and has finally emigrated to San Francisco. She has assumed her dead friend's identity and now lives among her family, including a young boy who is to inherit a fortune. She falls for the boy's guardian but soon learns that she may be in danger again. Features scenes of Coit Tower, Telegraph Hill, Market Street. 93 min. DVD 5258
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I Remember Mama (1978)
Directed by George Stevens. Cast: Irene Dunne, Barabara Bel Geddes, Oscar Homolka, Philip Dorn, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee, Barbara O'Neil, Ellen Corby.. In turn-of-the-century San Francisco, young Katrina Hansen chronicles episodes of life with her extended immigrant Norwegian family, who combine traditional Norwegian values with "modern" American ways. The film was so successful that it became a popular radio show, and then a TV sitcom, both with Barbara BelGeddes and Irene Dunne from the film. Based on the play of the same title, adapted and directed by John Van Druten, adapted from the novel: Mama's bank account by Kathryn Forbes. 134 min. DVD X35
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright. Filmy spores fall from space over San Francisco, and the city blossoms with beautiful new flora. People take the flowers home and as they sleep, the plants creep over them, devouring their bodies and stealing their identities--everything except their emotions, their uniqueness, their souls. See IMDB locations for more information. Special DVD features: Disc 1: Commentary by director Philip Kaufman ; Disc 2: "Re-visitors from outer space or How I learned to stop worrying and love the pod" featurette; inside the pods: examining the Invasion: "Practical magic," "The man behind the scream" and "The invasion will be televised." 117 min. DVD 8104; vhs 999:2322
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It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955)
Directed by Robert Gordon. Cast: Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis, Ian Keith, Dean Maddox, Jr. Special visual effects, Ray Harryhausen. An angry giant octopus, driven from the depths by an H-bomb explosion counts among its victims a fishing trawler, a family sunning at the beach, several San Francisco skyscrapers and even the Golden Gate Bridge! A daring attempt by a submarine commander and scientists to destroy the monster while saving themselves is a gripping finale to this science fiction thriller with terrific stop-motion special effects by the master, Ray Harryhausen. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury. 80 min. DVD 3292; vhs 999:2165
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Jagged Edge (1985)
Directed by Richard Marquand. Cast: Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, Robert Loggia. San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack is devastated by the crime but soon finds himself accused of her murder. He hires lawyer Teddy Barnes to defend him, despite the fact she hasn't handled a criminal case in years. There's a certain chemistry between them and Teddy soon finds herself defending the man she loves. 108 min. vhs 999:2336
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Jitney Elopement (aka. Charlie's Elopement, Married in Haste)(1915)
Directed by and starring Charles Chaplin. Essanay Studios. Edna's father wants her to marry wealthy Count He-Ha. Charlie, Edna's true love, impersonates the Count at dinner, but the real Count shows up and Charlie is thrown out. Later on Charlie and Edna are chased by her father, The Count, and three policeman. The pursuers drive off a pier. Features shots of Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, and the Mission District. DVD 74

Joy Luck Club (1993)
Directed by Wayne Wang. Cast: Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, Ming-Na Wen, Michael Paul Chan, Andrew McCarthy, Christopher Rich, Russell Wong, Vivian Wu. Now that her mother has died, a Chinese-American daughter has come to take her place in the social club founded forty years ago only to discover secrets her mother never shared with her family. Based on the novel by Amy Tan. Based on the novel by Amy Tan (New York: Putnam's, c1989. UCB AsianAmer PS3570.A2 J6; UCB Bancroft PS3570.A48 J6 1989; UCB Main PS3570.A48 J69 1989; UCB Moffitt PS3570.A48 J6 1989) DVD 3151; vhs 999:1042
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Lady From Shanghai(1948)
Directed by Orson Welles. Cast: Welles, Rita Hayworth, Everett Sloane, Glenn Anders, Ted de Corsia. An Irish seaman becomes involved in a web of intrigue when he is hired to work on a yacht owned by a crippled lawyer and his beautiful, mysterious wife. As in all of Welles's films, the camerawork is dazzling, with evocative use made of San Francisco Chinatown, the Steinhardt Aquarium and Playland's Hall of Mirrors. See IMDB locations for more information. 87 min. DVD 332; vhs 999:63
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The Last of His Tribe (TV, 1992)
Directed by Harry Hook. Cast: Jon Voight, Graham Greene, David Ogden Stiers, Jack Blessing, Anne Archer. In 1911 in Northern California, a rancher found a naked, unconscious Indian, near death, lying in his horse corral. After he was revived and brought back to health, it was eventually discovered that the Indian, named Ishi, was the last surviving member of a small tribe called the Yahi, which had been decimated by disease, starvation and clashes with other tribes high in the mountains, and was so reclusive that none of the area's white residents, and few of its Indians, knew of their existence or had ever even heard of them. Ishi was studied and eventually befriended by UC Berkeley anthropologist Theodore Kroeber who wrote a book about him, upon which this film was based. 90 min. vhs 999:1930
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The Laughing Policeman (1973)
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Cast: Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, Lou Gossett, Albert Paulsen, Anthony Zerbe. An off-duty policeman is among the victims of a massacre on a town bus in San Francisco, and unearthing the person responsible becomes the task of SFPD Lieutenant Jake Martin, his parter Leo Larsen, and a squad of department detectives, who work to learn the identities of the varied victims in the hope that it will lead to clues to the killer. When the investigation repeatedly leads to dead ends Martin, with the reluctant help of Larsen, decides to smoke out the bus killer, a move that leaves him in danger when the killer has another bus in the sights of his sub-machine gun. Based on the novel by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. 109 min. DVD 9969
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The Love-ins(1967)
Directed by Arthur Dreifuss. Cast: Richard Todd, James MacArthur, Sausan Oliver, Mark Goddard, Joe Pyne. It's the 1960s and every "love child" is in search of a guru to follow and lead them to enlightenment. Set in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District, tells the story of a group of hippies who follow a much older man, who turns himself into their "guru," leading them astray and having his way with the young women in his "flock." Bonus features: Theatrical trailers ; documentary "Los Angeles' 1st love-in Easter Sunday, 1967." 91 min. DVD 2549
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Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco(1915)
Cast: Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle; writer and producer: Mack Sennett. Keystone Film Company. "Frequent comedy co-stars Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand take viewers on a tour of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Attractions shown include the U.S. Battleship "Oregon", the Australian convict ship "Success" (complete with such punishment devices as a flogging rack and a spiked Iron Maiden), the world's tallest flagpole (251 feet), the Court of Abundance, the Court of the Universe (with sunken garden) and the Tower of Jewels. Fatty and Mabel also visit Frisco's still-under-construction City Hall, accompanied by Frisco's then-Mayor James Rolph Jr. Also appearing in the film is opera star Ernestine Schumann-Heink." [IMDB]
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The Maltese Falcon (1931)
Directed by Roy Del Ruth. Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Bebe Daniels, Dudley Digges, Una Merkel, Robert Elliott, Thelma Todd, Dwight Frye. Better known as the first version of "The Maltese Falcon", this 1931 production reflects the industry before movie ratings and codes. After the death of his partner, detective Sam Spade, played by Ricardo Cortez, is dragged into a quest for a priceless statuette. 78 min. DVD 6282
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(Maltese Falcon) Satan Met a Lady (1936)
Directed by William Dieterle. Cast: Bette Davis, Warren William, Alison Skipworth, Arthur Treacher, Marie Wilson, Winifred Shaw, Porter Hall, Olin Howland, Charles Wilson. Earlier screen version of Dashiell Hammett's "Maltese Falcon". The mystery this time surrounds the whereabouts of a gem-filled ram's horn sought by a mysterious woman. Bette Davis shines as the title's Lady, a blonde schemer who insists a gentleman remove his hat when in the presence of a lady holding a gun. 74 min. DVD 6282
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Maltese Falcon (1941)
Directed by John Huston. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre. San Francisco detective Sam Spade is a partner in a private-eye firm who finds himself hounded by police when his partner is killed whilst tailing a man. The girl who asked him to follow the man turns out not to be who she says she is, and is really involved in something to do with the 'Maltese Falcon', a gold-encrusted life-sized statue of a falcon, the only one of its kind. 101 min. DVD 6283; DVD 173; vhs 999:17
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Milk (2008)
Director, Gus Van Sant. Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco. Profiles the life of Harvey Milk, a middle-aged New Yorker who, after moving to San Francisco, became a Gay Rights activist and city politician. On his third attempt, he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977. His election made him the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. The following year, both he and the city's mayor, George Moscone, were shot to death by former city supervisor, Dan White, who blamed his former colleagues for denying White's attempt to rescind his resignation from the board. 129 min. DVD X1378
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Mr. Wong series
Cast: Boris Karloff as Chinese detective James Lee Wong. Set in San Francisco. See Images of Asian videography for descriptions.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Directed by Chris Columbus. Cast: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Robert Prosky. Daniel Hillard is no ordinary father, so when he learns his ex-wife needs a housekeeper, he applies for the job. With the perfect wig, a little makeup and a dress for all occasions, he becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, a devoted British housekeeper who is hired on the spot. Free to be the "woman" he never knew he could be, the disguised Daniel creates a whole new life with his entire family. The family house is a white Victorian located at 2640 Steiner Street. At his apartment (1200 Washington Street), Williams' character has a panoramic view of the city. The film also features the Transamerica Pyramid as a background shot. Based upon "Alias Madame Doubtfire" by Anne Fine. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. Special features: Running commentary by Chris Columbus; over 30 minutes of deleted scenes; on-camera interviews with Robin Williams, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Chris Columbus; interview with Chuck Jones; behind-the-scenes footage of makeup tests and application; storyboards, animation pencil tests; original theatrical trailers; TV sports. 125 min. DVD 9471
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Mutiny (TV, 1999)
Directed by Kevin Hooks. Cast: Michael Jai White, Duane Martin, David Ramsey, Matthew Glave, David Barry Gray. In 1944, a Victory ship exploded at the Port Chicago navy base near San Francisco killing 320 and wounding hundreds more. The victims were mostly untrained African-American sailors, forced to do the dangerous (and segregated) job of loading live munitions. When 50 of the shaken survivors refused to continue the hazardous duty without proper training and equipment, the most explosive military trail in the nation's history began... 90 min. vhs 999:2861
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Old San Francisco (1927)
Directed by Alan Crosland. Cast: Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, Charles Emmett Mack, Josef Swickard, Anna May Wong, Anders Randolf, Angelo Rossitto. In this romance set in the days when 'Frisco was the Paris of America, the action careens from rancho to saloon to secret dungeon with a recreation of the earthquake of 1906 as the finale. 89 min. DVD X2085
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The Organization (1971)
Director, Don Medford. Cast: Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, Sheree North, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Raul Julia, Fred Beir, Allen Garfield, Ron O'Neil, and Dan Travanti. Sidney Poitier's third and final appearance as police officer - now lieutenant - Virgil Tibbs. Tibbs becomes a rebel as he tries to help a group of civilian citizens bust a major drug-smuggling ring in San Francisco. 108 min. DVD 4563
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Out of the Past (1947)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Jane Greer, Rhonda Fleming. Jeff (Robert Mitchum), a former private detective, is hired by a gangster (Kirk Douglas) to find his former girlfriend (Jane Greer) whom he still loves, who took 10,000 from him and disappeared. Jeff not only finds the girl, but falls in love with her as well, thus, making the gangster very jealous. During the investigation and the unexpected love affair several murders occur which ultimately lead to further tragedies. The streets of San Francisco have never seemed more sinister. See IMDB locations for more information. DVD 2720; vhs 999:657
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Outside the Law (1921)
Directed by Tod Browning. Cast: Lon Chaney, Priscilla Dean, Ralph Lewis, E. A. Warren, Wheeler Oakman. Lon Chaney delivers a dual performance of dynamic intensity, starring as Ah Wing, a kind-hearted student of Confucian philosophy, and Black Mike Sylva, a murderous rake of the San Francisco underworld, tempting Priscilla Dean to choose between lives of crime and domesticity. 75 min. vhs 999:3594
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Pal Joey (1957)
Directed by George Sidney. Cast: Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak. Music, Richard Rodgers: lyrics, Lorenz Hart: screenplay, Dorothy Kingsley. Relates the story of a nightclub entertainer who is also a heel. He romances a wealthy socialite to get her to finance his own nightclub, then falls for a chorine he hires for the club. Based on the play, Pal Joey, book by John O'Hara. 103 min. vhs 999:2519
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Panther (1995)
Directed by Mario Van Peebles; script by Melvin Van Peebles. Cast: Kadeem Hardison, Bokeem Woodbine, Joe Don Baker, Courtney B. Vance, Marcus Chong, Tyrin Turner, James Russo, Mefertiti, M. Emmet Walsh. The story of the rise and fall of a 1960s black radical movement (beginning in Oakland) that captured the imagination of its time. Memoirs by its founders and others have suggested that the Black Panthers never had the power or numbers they claimed, but they served a historic purpose, creating the image of an armed, militant "self-defense" group that was an alternative to the nonviolent philosophy of Martin Luther King [from Roger Ebert's review, Chicago Sun Times, 5/03/1995. Shot in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco. vhs 999:1629
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Patty Hearst (1988)
Director, Paul Schrader. Cast: Natasha Richardson, William Forsythe, Ving Rhames, Frances Fisher, Jodi Long. Explores the crime/political/media story of the '70s: the kidnapping and mental torture of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army ... and her subsequent transformation into a gun-wielding revolutionary called Tania. Based on the book "Every secret thing" by Patricia Campbell Hearst with Alvin Moscow. 108 min. vhs 999:3271
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The Penalty (1920)
Directed by Wallace Worsley. Cast: Lon Chaney, Ethel Grey Terry, Charles Clary, Clair Adams, Kenneth Harlan. Blizzard, deranged from a childhood operation in which both his legs were perhaps needlessly amputated after an accident, becomes a vicious criminal, and eventually mob leader of the San Francisco underworld. Out for revenge against the surgeon who performed his operation, he undergoes brain surgery which has a chance of altering his anti-social behavior. 93 min. DVD 2214
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Persuit of Happyness (2006)
Directed by Gabriele Muccino. Cast: Will Smith, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen, Dan Castellaneta, Kurt Fuller, Takayo Fischer. In 1981, Chris Gardner was a struggling salesman in San Francisco. His wife worked double shifts to support the family including their young son, Christopher. In the face of this difficult life, Chris has the desperate inspiration to try for a stockbroker internship where one in twenty has a chance of a lucrative full time career. Even when his wife leaves him because of this choice, Chris clings to this dream. The odds become more daunting by the day. Together, father and son struggle through homelessness, jail time, tax seizure and the overall punishing despair in a quest that would make Gardner a respected millionaire. Based on a true story, the special features include an interview with the real Chris Gardner. Based on the autiobiography by Chris Gardner. Special features: Making pursuit: an Italian take on the American dream; Father and son: on screen and off; The man behind the movie: a conversation with Chris Gardner; Inside the Rubik's Cube; "I can" song; director's commentary. 149 min. DVD 7355
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Petulia (1968)
Directed by Richard Lester. Cast: Cast: Julie Christie, George C. Scott, Richard Chamberlain. A film about two people trying to get through to each other. Rich, San Franciscan wife Petulia, propositions Dr. Archie the first time they meet, even though her husband is within view. Then she shows up at his apartment with a stolen pawnshop tuba. "A kook" says Archie, but she gets under his skin, more than he cares to admit. See IMDB locations for more information. 105 min. DVD X1013; vhs 999:3026
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Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Directed by Martyn Burke Cast: Noah Wyle, Anthony Michael Hall, Joey Slotnick, John DiMaggio, Josh Hopkins. This film is a semi-humorous docudrama about the men who pioneered an industry that literally transformed the entire world: Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Looks at their struggles during college, the founding of their companies, and the ingenious actions they took to build up their global corporate personal computer empires. Based on the book: Fire in the Valley by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. 96 min. DVD X38
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Play It Again Sam (1972)
Directed by Woody Allen. Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Jerry Lacy, Susan Anspach. Follows the romantic trials and life of a San Francisco movie buff and film critic (for Film Quarterly), Allan Felix (Woody Allen). He is neurotic, shy, fanatical about films, and obsessed over the film Casablanca (1942). He tries to model his behavior after the personality of its tough guy actor Humphrey Bogart. The tagline on film posters declared: "It's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory." Another stated: "By day, he is Woody Allen...but when night falls and the moon rises, Humphrey Bogart Strikes Again." 85 min. DVD 1770; vhs 999:808
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Portrait In Black (1948)
Directed by Michael Gordon. Cast: Lana Turner, Anthony Quinn, Sandra Dee, John Saxon, Lloyd Nolan, Anna May Wong. In this glamorous and provocative murder mystery set in San Francisco's affluent Nob Hill, an unhappy wife is eager to speed up the eventual death of her tyrannical, paralyzed shipping magnate husband. Conveniently, her lover also happens to be her husband's doctor and the two conspire to fatally poison him. 113 min. vhs 999:1233
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Psych-out (1968)
Directed by Roger Corman. Cast: Susan Strasberg, Dean Stockwell, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Adam Roarke, Max Julien, Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Seeds. Jenny, a 17-year old deaf runaway in search of her brother, stumbles upon and becomes involved with a group of hippies in Haight-Asbury. They invite Jenny to their large home where she is given her first introduction to communal living. Special features (Side A): "Love and Haight" featurette ; original theatrical trailer. (Side B): Audio commentary, Roger Corman ; "Tune in, trip out" featurette ; psychedelic film effects ; psychedelic light box, American Cinematographer article ; original theatrical trailer. 79 min. DVD 1838
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The Rock (1996)
Directed by Michael Bay. Cast: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe. A retired U.S. Marine general seizes a stockpile of chemical weapons and takes over Alcatraz with 81 tourists as hostages. His demand: restitution to families of soldiers who died in covert operations. A Navy SEAL team with support from an FBI chemical warfare expert and a former Alcatraz escapee team up to penetrate the terrorists' defenses on the island and neutralize the threat before time runs out. 136 min. DVD 2241
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Romeo Must Die(2000)
Director, W.S. Van Dyke. Cast: Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DMX, Delroy Lindo. In this modern day Romeo and Juliet, gravity-warping martial arts, cool visual effects and an all-star music track combine in a revved-up action movie. Rough-and-ready Han shares an attraction with Trish O' Day (Aaliyah) even though their families are rivals in a fierce Oakland turf battle. The two also share plenty of danger as they try to find the real cause of the blood feud. 115 min. DVD 6141
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San Francisco (1936)
Director, W.S. Van Dyke. Cast: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt, Jessie Ralph, Ted Healy. Blackie Norton is proprietor of the Paradise Saloon on the infamous Barbary Coast of San Francisco. Into his den of high-flying low life walks Mary Blake looking to pursue a singing career. Norton hires her, but soon their professional relationship develops into something far warmer. Just when their emotions reach a fever pitch the whole of San Francisco comes down about their heads in the earthquake of 1906. 115 min. DVD 5729
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Secrets of Wu Sin. (1932)
A crime drama in which a suicidal writer is given a fresh start by a newspaper editor who assigns her a story that takes her into the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown to investigate a smuggling ring involving the illegal immigration of Chinese workers. 61 min. vhs 999:1256
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Shadow of Chinatown (1936)
Director, Bob Hill. Cast: Bela Lugosi ; Herman Brix, Joan Barclay, Luana Walters, Maurice Liu. In San Francisco's Chinatown a mad scientist, Victor Poten (Bela Lugosi), commandeers a gang of ruthless thugs and is in cahoots with the evil Sonya Rokoff, a stunning Eurasian beauty who instigates all sorts of heinous acts in her determination to ruin her competition, the merchants of Chinatown. Poten and Sonya are pitted against intrepid reporter, Joan Whiting and her stalwart hero, Martin Andrews, who faithfully rushes to rescue her when her aggressive and inquisitive nature lands her in the hottest of water. Fifteen episodes, approximately 18 minutes each. DVD 612; vhs 999:1249
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Sister Act (1992)
Directed by Emile Ardolino. Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes, Harvey Keitel, Bill Nunn. In this comedy a sassy, low-rent lounge singer is forced to hide out from the mob in the last place on earth anyone would look for her -- in a convent in San Francisco. While there she turns the convent choir into a "soulful chorus of swingin' sisters" complete with a Motown repertoire. The sudden celebrity of the choir however jeopardizes her hidden identity. The church in which Whoopi Goldberg takes refuge is St. Paul's Catholic Church, located at Valley and Church Streets in Noe Valley, an upper middle class neighborhood of San Francisco. The storefronts on the opposite side of the street were converted to give the area a ghetto look. 100 min. vhs 999:3219
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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Directed by Leonard Nimoy. Cast:William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Catherine Hicks. A mysterious alien power is threatening Earth in the 23rd century by evaporating oceans and destroying the atmosphere. Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they encounter the alien life of punk, pizza, and exact-change busses while trying to capture two almost-extinct humpback whales to take back with them. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 119 min. DVD X501; vhs 999:2366
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The Strawberry Statement (1970)
Directed by Stuart Hagmann; featuring Bruce Davison, Kim Darby, James Coco, Bud Cort, Bob Balaban. Simon's interest in the campus strike is strengthened by his attraction to Linda, one of the demonstrators occupying the university president's office. Captures the feelings of the campus rebellion that shook America in the late 1960's with terrific 60s North Beach and San Francisco neighborhood scenes throughout. 109 min. DVD 2551
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Bodroghkozy, Aniko. "Reel Revolutionaries: An Examination of Hollywood's Cycle of 1960s Youth Rebellion Films." Cinema Journal - 41, Number 3, Spring 2002, pp. 38-58 UC Berkeley users only
Farber, Stephen. "Movies from behind the Barricades." Film Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Winter, 1970-1971), pp. 24-33 UC Berkeley users only
Lovett, Christopher. "The Sixties." In: The Columbia companion to American history on film : how the movies have portrayed the American past / edited by Peter C. Rollins. New York : Columbia University Press, c2003. (Media Center PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Doe Refe PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Moffitt PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; PFA PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003)
White, Mimi. "Movies and the Movement." In: American cinema of the 1970s : themes and variations / edited by Lester D. Friedman. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2007. (Main Stack PN1993.5.U6.A8577 2007)
Umphlett, Wiley Lee. "Reactions, Rebellions, and Reminiscences: The 1960s and 1970s." In: The movies go to college : Hollywood and the world of the college-life film Rutherford [N.J.] : Fairleigh Dickinson University Press ; London : Associated University Presses, c1984. (MAIN: PN1995.9.C543 U46 1984; MOFF: PN1995.9.C543 U46 1984)

The Subterraneans (1960)
Directed by Ranald MacDougall. Cast: Leslie Caron, George Peppard, Janice Rule, Roddy McDowall, Jim Hutton, Arte Johnson, Gerry Mulligan. A disillusioned writer explores the subterranean depths of San Francisco's North Beach district circa 1959 looking for anybody who will share his jaded perspective on life and finds romance amongst the Beatniks. Bonus features: theatrical trailers, 1950s newsreels. Loosely based on the novel by Jack Kerouac. 89 min. DVD 2552
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Sucker Free City (TV, 2004)
Directed by Spike Lee. Cast: Ben Crowley, Ken Lueng, Anthony Mackie, Darris Love, Laura Allen, John Savage, Kathy Baker. Racial tension erupts and emotions collide when three young men from different ethnic backgrounds perpetrate low-level crimes that eventually infringe upon each other's neighborhoods. A riveting look at the gang culture of San Francisco. 113 min. DVD 5119
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Sudden Fear (TV, 2004)
Directed by David Miller. Cast: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett, Virginia Huston, Touch Conners. Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) is a successful Broadway playwright who rejects Lester Blaine (Jack Palance) as the lead in her new play. Later, she meets Lester on a train bound for San Francisco, is swept off her feet, and, after a brief courtship, marries him. When Lester learns Myra is writing her will and plans to leave the bulk of her fortune to a foundation, he plots her murder in cahoots with Irene Neves (Gloria Grahame), an old girlfriend hiding in the wings. Myra discovers their plans and concocts a diabolical scheme to kill Lester and place the blame on Irene. Lester learns of Myra's intention and accidentally kills Irene and himself in an attempt on Myra's life. Myra hears the two pronounced dead and breathes a sigh of relief. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 113 min. DVD 680
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Tales of the City (TV, 1994)
Cast: Olympia Dukakis, Donald Moffat, Laura Linney, Marcus D'Amico, William Campbell, Thomas Gibson, Paul Gross, Barbara Garrick, Chloe Webb. In this chronicle of San Francisco in the 1970s, the carefree chaos revolves around the funky old apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane where landlady Anna Madrigal welcomes tenants by taping homegrown joints to their doors and presides over their lives with an almost maternal affection. Based on the novel by Armistead Maupin. 300 min. DVD X22
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[More] Tales of the City (TV, 1998)
Cast: Olympia Dukakis, Laura Linney, Colin Ferguson, William Campbell, Barbara Garrick, Pual Hopkins, Nina Siemaszko, Jackie Burroughs, Whip Hubley, Diana LeBlanc, Franoise Robertson, Domini Blythe, Swoosie Kurtz, Thomas Gibson. Brought to life is San Francisco in the 1970's. The quirky lovelorn tenants of 28 Barbary Lane are following their fortunes and follies under the watchful eye of their maternal landlady. Intersecting lives, gleeful coincidences and innocent raunch are all part of the fun. Special features: Running commentary by Armistead Maupin, Olympia Dukakis, Barbara Garrick and Laura Linney; deleted scenes, behind the scenes rehearsal and filming footage, production and props photo gallery, From the page, the 28 Barbary Lane set, cast and production bios. 290 min. DVD X23
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[Further] Tales of the City (TV, 2001)
Cast: Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Billy Campbell, Barbara Garrick, Jackie Burroughs, Mary Kay Place, Bruce McCulloch, Diana Leblanc. Originally broadcast on Showtime in 2001. An apartment house in San Francisco during the 1970s is the setting for all kinds of human interplay, at a time "when our hearts were young, and our mood rings were blue." Special features: in-depth interviews, selected scenes with commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, alternate scenes, trailers, styles from the 70s & 80s. 323 min. DVD X24
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THX-1138 (1970)
Directed by George Lucas. Cast: Donald Pleasence, Robert Duvall, Don Pedro Colley, Maggie McOmie, Ian Wolfe, Sid Haig, Marshall Efron, John Pearce, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr., Robert Feero, Irene Forrest, Claudette Bessing. In the 25th century high-tech computerized world where men and women work in a drug-soothed stupor with no names, identities, hardships and memories of the birthrights they have foresaken, two workers pass up their daily drug requirements and experience sexual desire. They begin to feel, want, and think, and the machines close in to stop them. Notable as George Lucas' first film. The claustrophobic underground environment is the (uncompleted) tunnel system of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART). Other locations include the Lawrence Hall of Science, 1 Centennial Drive, in the hills above the main University of California campus at Berkeley. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. 86 min. DVD 2966 (Director's Cut); vhs 999:791
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Clapp, James A. . ""It was the city killed the beast:" nature, technophobia, and the cinema of the urban future."" Journal of urban technology 2003 Dec., v.10, n.3, p.1-18,
Cormier, Raymond. "The Closed Society and Its Friends: Plato's Republic and Lucas's THX-1138." Literature/ Film Quarterly, vol. 18 no. 3. 1990. pp: 193-197.
Telotte, J.P. "The Problem of the Real and THX 1138." Film Criticism v24, n3 (Spring, 2000):45.UC users only
Telotte, J.P. "The Science Fiction Film as Fantastic Text: THX 1138." In: Science fiction film Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. (Main PN1995.9.S26 T45 2001)

The Time of Your Life (1974)
Directed by H.C. Potter. Cast: James Cagney, Marlene Ammes, William Bendix, James Barton, Wayne Morris, Jeanne Cagney, Broderick Crawford, Gladys Blake, Ward Bond. The scene is a rundown San Francisco waterfront bar, populated by a group of lovable eccentrics. Joe (James Cagney), a philosophical souse, encourages all around him to indulge in their wildest dreams. Based on a play by William Saroyan. 109 min. DVD X1928
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The Towering Inferno (1974)
Directed by Jack Sher. Cast: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, O.J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner. Elevators turn into crematoria, rooms explode into a living hell, and one by one, avenues of escape disappear. The celebrated opening of the world's tallest skyscraper, the 138-story Glass Tower in the heart of San Francisco, turns into horrifying disaster as a holocaust leaps up and traps hundreds. A fireman and the building's architect lead the rescue efforts, but the protechnics remain the center of attraction. See IMDB locations for more information. 165 min. DVD X1068; vhs 999:1291
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Kaplan, F. "Riches from ruin." Jump Cut nr 6 (Mar-Apr 1975); p.3-4

Vertigo (1958)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones. Scottie Ferguson, a San Francisco police detective is forced to retire when a freak accident gives him a severe case of acrophobia. Ferguson is hired by a rich shipbuilder to follow his wife who is behaving suspiciously and might be planning suicide. He falls in love with her, she is later murdered and Ferguson becomes demonic in his desire to re-create her in another woman. The apartment of Stewart's character is at 900 Lombard Street, known as the most crooked street in the world. The Mission Dolores and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are important backdrops in the film. Novak's character leaps into the bay from Fort Point, beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. See: World Guide to Movie Locations for more information. Special features: "Obsessed with Vertigo, new life for Hitchcock's masterpiece" restoration feature ; commentary by assoc. producer Herbert Coleman, restoration team Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz ; production notes ; talent bios. ; film highlights ; theatrical trailer. 128 min. DVD 1034; DVD 2; vhs 999:38
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Virgin Machine (Die Jungfrauenmaschine) (USA / West Germany, 1988)
Written and directed by Monika Treut. Cast: Ina Blum, Marcelo Uriona, Gad Klein, Peter Kern, Dominique Gaspar, Susie Sexpert, Shelly Mars. Initially intending to write a story, a young journalist researches and tries to find romantic love in Hamburg. When her attempts seem fruitless, she tries her luck in San Francisco, where the search becomes more personal. There she is introduced to San Francisco's lesbian scene, discovers her own sexuality, and remains convinced, despite a minor setback, that romantic love can be found. 86 min. DVD 1866; vhs 999:1295
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West is West (1987)
Directed by David Rathod. Handsome and broke, Vikram arrives from Bombay to find his college plans have fallen through. Exploring exotic San Francisco, he discovers and falls for Sue, a feisty bohemian artist who works at a local movie theater. With his visa running out, Vikram resorts to desperate measures--including a hilariously bungled burglary and an impromptu curbside wedding. It all ends happily with a fairy tale dance number right out of an Indian musical [description from distributor's catalog]. 50 min. vhs 999:1921
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Woman on Top (2000)
Director, Fina Torres. Cast: Penelope Cruz, Murilo Benicio, Harold Perrineau, Jr., Mark Feuerstein. Isabella is a gorgeous chef who melts the palates and hearts of men everywhere. When she decides to break free from her rocky marriage and move to San Francisco, she discovers the perfect recipe for coming out on top, her own hit cooking show. But then her ex-husband comes to town, shaking her world again. 108 min. DVD X39
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Zodiac(2007)
Directed by David Fincher. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloe Sevigny, Ed Setrakian, John Getz, John Terry, Candy Clark, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney, Donal Logue. A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. Looks into the lives of the four men most effected by the killer: San Francisco PD Homicide, David Toschi and William Armstrong, the San Francisco Chronicle reporters Paul Avery and Robert Graysmith. Displays the psychological and emotional effects of the killings, as well as the endless procedural details of the investigation (handwriting experts, the "2500" suspects), the letters sent to the San Francisco Chronicle by Zodiac and the work of a 20+ year investigation that wears down and whittles away at any kind of normal life for Toshi and Graysmith. Both men are obsessed with Zodiac and both pay for this obsession with the hard years and loves lost and never regained. Based on the book by Robert Graysmith. 157 min. DVD 8138
Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

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