Fog Over Frisco

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

Bette Davis and Donald Woods in Fog Over Frisco (1934)

The lifestyles of Arlene and Valkyr Bradford, half-sisters from a respected San Francisco family, diverge markedly as Arlene takes up with criminals.

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Crime Mystery Romance Thriller

The lifestyles of Arlene and Valkyr Bradford, half-sisters from a respected San Francisco family, diverge markedly as Arlene takes up with criminals.The lifestyles of Arlene and Valkyr Bradford, half-sisters from a respected San Francisco family, diverge markedly as Arlene takes up with criminals.The lifestyles of Arlene and Valkyr Bradford, half-sisters from a respected San Francisco family, diverge markedly as Arlene takes up with criminals.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
Bette Davis remarked that she looked back at this film with fondness, making it one of the few from the early part of her career that she would look at that way.

Goofs
When Joe the newspaper editor nudges Tony toward the desk, his hand is on Tony's arm. But on the next immediate cut, Joe now has his hand on Tony's back.

Quotes
Spike Smith: Say, Society, who's the gal dancing with Tony
Archie Van Ness: She's the only real Bradford daughter. Arlene's her stepsister.
Spike Smith: Say, she must be respectable. I've never seen her before.
Archie Van Ness: Say,I've picked Arlene off the blotter for everything from speeding to being picked up in Chinatown raids.
Izzy Wright: Oh, that I were young.
Archie Van Ness: And old Bradford's got more millions than there were Indians out here when her family landed.

Connections
Edited into The Green Fog (2017)

Soundtracks
Why Do I Dream Those Dreams?
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played by request by the nightclub band and as background music

User reviews30

Review

Featured review

7/10

always great to see the young Bette

I love the early Bette Davis films, where no one was quite sure what to do with her. Here she has a showy role, as Arlene Bradford, a high society girl who slums by being involved in a stolen bond racket, using her boyfriend Spencer (Lyle Talbot), who is appalled.

The problem comes when Arlene involves the good sister, Val (Margaret Lindsay), in her plans. Her father (Arthur Byron) becomes even more disgusted than he was before. But there's more trouble to come. One day, Arlene comes home in her car and minutes later leaves in a taxi. She leaves a note and an envelope for her sister and says she may send for it.

This is a fast-moving film sparked by Davis' performance, even though she doesn't have that big a part. I'll be honest and say I'm kind of missing the Hitchcock connection here. I realize the story has a similarity to Psycho, but I didn't really feel this film was done in a Hitchcock style.

Donald Woods plays an earnest newspaper man, and there's a good assembly of supporting players: Douglas Dumbrelle, Alan Hale, William Demarest and Hugh Herbert as Izzy the photographer. Herbert with that odd way of speaking is always funny.

Enjoyable.