Wordiezett
So much average
RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Frances Chung
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . harboring a certain Breed of Men, and they recognized John Wayne as their closeted cautionary tale. It's certainly fitting that Wayne is top-billed in FLAME OF BARBARY COAST. Ann Dvorak co-stars here as Flaxen (a.k.a., Ann), the serial "beard" for nearly every rich "eligiable bachelor" in Old San Francisco, posing as the fuel for Wayne's title character "Flame" (at least for public consumption). To drive home the point that FLAME is a thinly-veiled take on the Real Lives of the West Coast "Elite" of the Mid-1900s, screenwriter Borden Chase insists upon naming Wayne's character after his Real Life LITERAL "pet" name, Duke Morrison. (Many "Wayne" fans know that after Ma Wayne--Mrs. Morrison, that is--dumped his sickly dad, a depressed middle schooler Marion Mitchell Morrison--the future "John Wayne"--renamed himself after the Morrison Family Mutt, "Duke.") Ironically, as "Duke Fergus," Wayne pulls off a feat he never accomplished in Real Life, by talking a native English Speaker--Flaxen (the equivalent of "Anybody's" in WEST SIDE STORY: the gal those boys more DC than AC "passed around" when necessary to present a "beard" to their folks or others)--into a position of Permanent Beardship by agreeing to marry him. That the American Rich People Party's Patron Saint--Wayne--had three Foreign Brides is a point not entirely lost on this year's heir apparent ARPP standard bearer, Donald Trump.
korevette
You gotta hand it to the Duke...his loyalty to the small Republic studios was admirable. They were the one that gave him his start in the movies and he never forgotten that as his movie star status grew and grew. It finally paid off when they both made "The Quiet Man" with a few Oscars no less in 1949-50. This movie was a prelude to that, and no Maureen O'Hara at that. Seriously, I loved Maureen, but towards the latter years of his career, she seemed to be in everyone of his pictures, including the aforementioned "Quiet Man". Joseph Schildkraut was a notable enemy, which he has performed in past movies. A, Dvorak pretty, and never acquired big star status, but most likely, one that the Republic studio could afford and Virginia Grey, Clark Gable's girl friend for many years." I Love Lucy"'s landlord has a comic turn here. One thing I noticed, where was Ward Bond? Another familiar face in the Duke's movies..
MartinHafer
Considering it's a John Wayne film, it already earns a respectable score from me. Aside from his early B-movies and a few horrible mistakes ("The Green Beret" and "The Conqueror" come to mind), any John Wayne film is worth seeing. However, "Flame of the Barbary Coast" is certainly among his lesser starring efforts. I think part of this is because Wayne's bigger than life persona really isn't fully evident in this film--in fact, he seems like a bit of a chump in this one! The film begins with Wayne coming to the Barbary Coast (a rough section of San Francisco) from Montana to collect a debt. However, he takes one look at 'Flaxen' (Ann Dvorak) and is instantly smitten--and spends much of the rest of the film following her about like a love-sick puppy. As I said, it's not the totally self-confident and macho John Wayne that later would be solidified in his films--the later Wayne would have just grabbed the woman and planted a kiss on her or dumped her when she played hard to get! This one, however, spends most of the movie trying to one-up her unscrupulous boss (Joseph Schildkraut) and build an even bigger gambling casino where he wants the chanteuse, Flaxen, to perform. All this striving for one woman--a woman that often didn't seem worth it as she's whiny and demanding. Yet, she is a walking cliché--the woman EVERY man wants to possess--yet not sexy enough to really pull it off well.Overall, the film is worth seeing but easy to skip. The script is only fair and Wayne's support is sometimes weak (Dvorak and Schildkraut--who came off as too wimpy to be a good foil)--though William Frawley is very good in his role as Wayne's friend and mentor. If you are a HUGE Wayne fan, then you must see it. If you aren't, then it probably won;t do much to impress you.By the way, this is one of several films that portray the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Considering the film was made by a low-budget studio (Republic), its special effects were pretty good but not nearly as nice as films such as "San Francisco" by MGM or "Frisco Jenny" by Warner Brothers.
ianlouisiana
If you want to see John Wayne paddling in the Pacific Ocean with his boots off this may be your only chance.Pleasingly named "Duke" in "Flame of the Barbary Coast",Mr Wayne cuts a fine figure amongst the stone gamblers in the casinos as he goes to the big city to collect a debt from saloon owner Mr J.Schildkraut(looking unnervingly like TV's Sherlock Holmes Jeremy Brett).The two men turn out to be rivals for the hand of Miss A.Dvorak as chanteuse Flaxen Tarry. This is a movie full of energy and movement.As Duke and Flaxen tour the gambling houses,winning - courtesy of her preventing the croupiers from cheating - a large wedge, they are followed by an increasingly noisy entourage like a conga line,bustling with excitement.Arriving back at Schildkraut's casino,Duke flashes his cash and buys everybody drinks. The next morning he ill - advisedly accepts Schildkraut's challenge to a game of Stud and is cleared out,left only with a return ticket to Montana.Undeterred and in lurve with Flaxen,he takes poker lessons,sells up his herd and - with his card - coach on hand - returns to San Francisco to win his money back and his gal at the same time. Republic make a surprisingly good fist of the 1906 earthquake,Flaxen is photogenically injured and Duke takes her off to Montana to get the good country air into her lungs.Mr Schildkraut is surprisingly sporting about the whole thing.Put this way,the movie might seem a little bit frothy and trivial,but it is given body by the performances of the leads,Mr Schildkraut in particular in a role that might have been written for Clark Gable,a charismatic mixture of charm and menace. Perhaps not writ large on Mr Wayne's C.V.,"Flame of the Barbary Coast" is nevertheless an enjoyable,well - made and worthwhile movie.In it one can see the nascent wry,stubborn and sometimes wrong - headed persona Mr Wayne was develop so successfully and use for the rest of his career.
