IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Mary Rutledge arrives from the East, finds her fiance dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Louis Charnalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in 1850s San Francisco.Mary Rutledge arrives from the East, finds her fiance dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Louis Charnalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in 1850s San Francisco.Mary Rutledge arrives from the East, finds her fiance dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Louis Charnalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in 1850s San Francisco.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
C.E. Anderson
- Vigilante
- (uncredited)
Frank Benson
- Boat Passenger
- (uncredited)
Herman Bing
- Fish Peddler
- (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg
- Sailor
- (uncredited)
Nina Campana
- Mexican Woman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere were constant struggles between Miriam Hopkins and Edward G. Robinson during the shooting of the movie. She constantly changed her lines and tried to upstage and unsettle Robinson's performance. After two weeks they had to shoot a scene where Robinson had to slap his co-star. He did just that, but put such force in it that she fell to the ground. After a pause the crew began to cheer, fed up as they were with Hopkins' antics.
- Quotes
Mary 'Swan' Rutledge: I see a lot of fog and a few lights. I like when life's hidden. Gives you a chance to imagine nice things. Nicer than they are.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: Gold
Out of California in 1849 came the cry that lured the adventurous from the four corners of the earth.
Over the Rockies in covered wagons they came, and around the Horn in square-rigged ships.
- ConnectionsEdited into Catalogue of Ships (2008)
Featured review
How did this one make it past the censors?
Even though Barbary Coast came out after the restrictive Hays Code, it is one nasty movie! Imagine what they could have filmed if the censors hadn't been in play!
Miriam Hopkins arrives in San Francisco in the 1850s. She thinks she'll get married and start a respectable new life. Instead, her fiancé is dead, and her only option to survive is to accept casino owner Edward G. Robinson's offer. She becomes his mistress and works in the casino to help drum up business. Joel McCrea is honest, kind, and a hard worker-everything Eddie G isn't-and it isn't long before Miriam falls in love with him. Will Eddie G let her go without a fight?
The film feels like a pre-code movie, since the entire setting is in an unsavory part of town. There are drunks, gamblers, prostitutes, and criminals. There's violence, sex, and murder, and it's a very exciting ride! Many movies that take place in the mid-1800s are Wild West films, but in this different setting, it's interesting to see the still-rowdy behavior.
The famous trivia to come out of this film is that it was one of David Niven's first movies. He plays a drunken sailor, but apparently you'll have to watch the movie a few times to catch him. I knew the trivia and still didn't spot him on the first go-around. If you like a little naughtiness in your classics, you won't mind watching this one over and over to try and see him!
Miriam Hopkins arrives in San Francisco in the 1850s. She thinks she'll get married and start a respectable new life. Instead, her fiancé is dead, and her only option to survive is to accept casino owner Edward G. Robinson's offer. She becomes his mistress and works in the casino to help drum up business. Joel McCrea is honest, kind, and a hard worker-everything Eddie G isn't-and it isn't long before Miriam falls in love with him. Will Eddie G let her go without a fight?
The film feels like a pre-code movie, since the entire setting is in an unsavory part of town. There are drunks, gamblers, prostitutes, and criminals. There's violence, sex, and murder, and it's a very exciting ride! Many movies that take place in the mid-1800s are Wild West films, but in this different setting, it's interesting to see the still-rowdy behavior.
The famous trivia to come out of this film is that it was one of David Niven's first movies. He plays a drunken sailor, but apparently you'll have to watch the movie a few times to catch him. I knew the trivia and still didn't spot him on the first go-around. If you like a little naughtiness in your classics, you won't mind watching this one over and over to try and see him!
helpful•30
- HotToastyRag
- Feb 13, 2018
- How long is Barbary Coast?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Port of Wickedness
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $778,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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