Fog Over Frisco (1934)
Fog Over Frisco (1934), directed by William Dieterle, starring Bette Davis and Donald Woods.
score
Secret pages torn from the life story of a lawless girl!
Synopsis
Val takes the assistance of a society reporter and a journalist to investigate the disappearance of her half-sister Arlene, a wealthy socialite who is involved in criminal activities.
- Tony GaudioCinematography
- William DieterleDirector
- Harold McLernonEditing
- Bernhard KaunOriginal music
About the film
Fog Over Frisco is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle. The screenplay by Robert N. Lee and Eugene Solow was based on the 1932 mystery novel The Five Fragments by George Dyer.
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Fog Over Frisco is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle. The screenplay by Robert N. Lee and Eugene Solow was based on the 1932 mystery novel The Five Fragments by George Dyer.
Plot
Arlene Bradford is a spoiled, bored, wealthy socialite who finances her extravagant lifestyle by exploiting her fiancé Spencer Carlton's access to her stepfather's brokerage firm and using her connection to steal security bonds for crime boss Jake Bello.
When Arlene disappears, her step-sister Val steps in to discover what happened to her with the help of society reporter Tony Sterling and photojournalist Izzy Wright.
Cast
Bette Davis as Arlene Bradford
Donald Woods as Tony Sterling
Margaret Lindsay as Val Bradford
Hugh Herbert as Izzy Wright
Lyle Talbot as Spencer Carlton
Irving Pichel as Jake Bello
Alan Hale as Chief C.B. O'Malley
William Demarest as Spike Smith
Arthur Byron as Everett Bradford
George Chandler as Taxi Driver
Skippy as Ragsy
Background
Bette Davis, anxious to portray the slatternly waitress Mildred in the RKO Radio Pictures production Of Human Bondage, accepted the relatively small role of Arlene in the hope her cooperation would convince Jack L. Warner to lend her to the rival studio for the film. Her ploy worked, and when Warner received word about her dynamic performance in Bondage, he elevated her to top billing in Frisco.
Part of the Warner Brothers release was filmed on location in San Francisco. It was remade as Spy Ship in 1942.
It was released on DVD in July 2010.
Critical reception
In his review in The New York Times, Mordaunt Hall described the film as a "ruddy thriller" and wrote "What [it] lacks in the matter of credibility, it atones for partly by its breathless pace and its abundance of action. As the story of murder and robbery passes on the screen it scarcely gives the spectator time to think who might be the ring-leader of the band of desperadoes."
Time stated "Brisk to the point of confession, Fog Over Frisco is not the best of Director William Dieterle's pictures."
Film historian William K. Everson called it "the fastest film ever made".
References
External links
Fog Over Frisco at IMDb
Fog Over Frisco at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
Fog Over Frisco at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Text from Fog Over Frisco on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_Over_Frisco
Trivia
- It premiered on June 2, 1934, a Saturday.
- It runs 1h08 — short for a feature film.
- This film's quiz has 13 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosFirst National Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Set in
- San Francisco
Cast
-
Bette Davis
Arlene Bradford -
Donald Woods
Tony Sterling -
Margaret Lindsay
Valkyr 'Val' Bradford -
Lyle Talbot
Spencer Carlton -
Hugh Herbert
Izzy Wright -
Arthur Byron
Everett Bradford -
Robert Barrat
Thorne -
Henry O'Neill
Oren Porter -
Irving Pichel
Jake Bello -
Douglass Dumbrille
Joshua Mayard -
Alan Hale
Chief O'Malley -
Gordon Westcott
Joe Bello -
Charles Cahill Wilson
Detective Sergeant O'Hagen -
Harold Minjir
Archie Van Ness -
William Demarest
Spike Smith -
Douglas Cosgrove
Detective Lieutenant Davis -
William B. Davidson
Editor Joe Hogue -
George Chandler
Taxi Driver - Skippy Ragsy (uncredited)
- Dick French Dick, Bandleader (Uncredited)
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
A Morte Espera no 322
6.6
-
Trama Macabra
6.8
-
Lance de Sorte
6.1
-
A Sombra de uma Dúvida
7.5
-
Sem Culpa
6.6
-
Prisioneiro do Passado
7.3
-
Onze Homens e Um Segredo
6.4
-
Testemunha do Crime
6.3
-
Morte em LaRoy, Texas
6.8
-
Nascido Para Matar
6.7
-
Capitulou Sorrindo
6.7
-
Um Corpo Que Cai
8.1
Tags
Crew
- Tony Gaudio Cinematography
- William Dieterle Director
- Harold McLernon Editing
- Bernhard Kaun Original music
- M.K. Jerome Original music
- George Dyer Story
- Robert N. Lee Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is Fog Over Frisco about?
Fog Over Frisco: Val takes the assistance of a society reporter and a journalist to investigate the disappearance of her half-sister Arlene, a wealthy socialite who is involved in criminal activities.
Who directed Fog Over Frisco?
Fog Over Frisco was directed by William Dieterle in 1934.
Who stars in Fog Over Frisco?
The cast of Fog Over Frisco includes Bette Davis, Donald Woods, Margaret Lindsay, Lyle Talbot and Hugh Herbert.
How long is Fog Over Frisco?
Fog Over Frisco runs for 68 minutes, or 1h08.
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Page updated on 09/13/2026.
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