San Antonio (1945)

Director:

David Butler
(more)

Writers:

Alan Le May (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Tagline:

Strong Men . . . Brave Men . . . Real Americans - and their Women!

Plot:

Tough dance hall girl working for the local villain falls for a cowboy trying to clean up the town.

Plot Keywords:

Dance Hall | Rustler | Cowboy | Rancher | Mexican Border

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Clay Hardin
Alexis Smith	...	Jeanne Starr
S.Z. Sakall	...	Sacha Bozic (as S.Z. 'Cuddles' Sakall)
Victor Francen	...	Legare
Florence Bates	...	Henrietta
John Litel	...	Charlie Bell
Paul Kelly	...	Roy Stuart
Robert Shayne	...	Captain Morgan
John Alvin	...	Pony Smith
Monte Blue	...	Cleve Andrews
Robert Barrat	...	Colonel Johnson
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Ricardo Torreon (as Pedro De Cordoba)
Tom Tyler	...	Lafe McWilliams
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Gawking Townsman (uncredited)
Victor Adamson	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Bob Burns	...	Townsman at Dance / Barfly (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Wallis Clark	...	Tip Brice (uncredited)
John Compton	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Zedra Conde	...	Girl Bathing (uncredited)
Tex Cooper	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Hawker (uncredited)
Victor Cox	...	Man in Stage Office / Barfly / San Antonio Townsman (uncredited)
Walter De Palma	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Joe Dominguez	...	Laredo Border Guard (uncredited)
Robert Dudley	...	The Telegrapher (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Streeter - Cattleman (uncredited)
Francis Ford	...	Old Cowboy Greeting Coach (uncredited)
William Gould	...	Wild Cowman (uncredited)
Henry Hall	...	Cattleman (uncredited)
Poodles Hanneford	...	Stage Coach Driver (uncredited)
Carl Harbaugh	...	Cowman (uncredited)
Neal Hart	...	Bella Union Gambler (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Hap Winters (uncredited)
Howard Hill	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Brandon Hurst	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Si Jenks	...	Station Boss (uncredited)
Fred Kelsey	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Jack Kenny	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Arnold Kent	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Brad King	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Dolores Lamar	...	Girl Tying Flowers (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Gunman (uncredited)
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Hymie Rosas (uncredited)
Merrill McCormick	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Don McGuire	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
John Miles	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Art Mix	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Kansas Moehring	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Jack Mower	...	Wild Cowman (uncredited)
Otto Norman Olsen	...	Violin Player (uncredited)
Artie Ortego	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Paul Panzer	...	Laredo Citizen (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Dance Extra (uncredited)
Eva Puig	...	Old Mexican Woman (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Mexican (uncredited)
Dan Seymour	...	Laredo Border Guard (uncredited)
Harry Seymour	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Allen E. Smith	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Tom Smith	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	...	Rebel White (uncredited)
William Steele	...	Roper (uncredited)
Charles Stevens	...	Sojer Harris (uncredited)
Jack Stroll	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Hal Taliaferro	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Eddy Waller	...	Cattleman (uncredited)
Doodles Weaver	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Joey Simms (uncredited)
Blackie Whiteford	...	Shotgun (uncredited)
Chalky Williams	...	Poker Player (uncredited)
Norman Willis	...	Jay Witherspoon (uncredited)

Directed by
David Butler
Robert Florey		(uncredited)
Raoul Walsh		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Alan Le May		(screenplay) (as Alan LeMay) and
W.R. Burnett		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Buckner	....	producer
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner
Erich Wolfgang Korngold		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Bert Glennon		(director of photography)
William V. Skall		(director of photography) (uncredited)

Film Editing by
Irene Morra

Art Direction by
Ted Smith
Bertram Tuttle		(supervising art director) (uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Jack McConaghy

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Sound Department
Everett Alton Brown	....	sound (as Everett A. Brown)
Gordon M. Davis	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Charles David Forrest	....	sound (uncredited)
E. Kenneth Martin	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Willard Van Enger	....	special effects
William C. McGann	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Paul Detlefsen	....	matte paintings (uncredited)
Mario Larrinaga	....	matte paintings (uncredited)

Stunts
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt double: Errol Flynn (uncredited)
Allen Pomeroy	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buster Wiles	....	stunt double: Errol Flynn (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Milo Anderson	....	wardrobe
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Frederick De Cordova	....	dialogue director
Leonard Doss	....	associate technicolor color director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
LeRoy Prinz	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1945) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Dominant Pictures Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (black and white)
• ClassicLine (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | Australia:G | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (certificate #10624) | Australia:PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

The song "Some Sunday Morning", written for this movie, went on to be hit records for numerous singers of the 1940s including Frank Sinatra, Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): As he lies dead in Flynn's arms, John Litel blinks at least twice.

Quotes:

Clay Hardin:On the level. There's a desperate character on the loose...
Jeanne Starr:And his name's Clay Hardin.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hollywood Wonderland (1947)

Soundtrack:

Put Your Little Foot Right Out

In The Alamo Ruins

After a layoff of four years from the American west, Errol Flynn returns to the western genre in a stylish film about post Civil War Texas and a man looking for some justice for himself and his fellow cattle ranchers. Errol's been in exile in Mexico, but he's back now with the evidence against cattle rustling Paul Kelly who is the local boss of the San Antonio area.

Flynn makes it to San Antonio and in the process hooks up with entertainer Alexis Smith and her two retainers Florence Bates and S.Z. Sakall, a pair of the biggest scene stealers that the movies ever had. Smith is appearing at Kelly's saloon there, courtesy of his partner Victor Francen for whom she worked back in New Orleans. Francen's an ambitious sort and wants to cash in Kelly's other businesses besides the saloon. So we've got two villains working their own agendas at cross purposes whom Flynn has to deal with.

Errol Flynn did a total of eight westerns, but only San Antonio got any kind of recognition from the Academy. San Antonio was nominated for two Oscars, for Art&Set Decoration for a color film and for Best Song with Some Sunday Morning which Alexis Smith sings in a saloon scene. The song is a good one, Dick Haymes had a record of it that sold quite a bit back in the day.

All the cast had to keep on their toes with both Florence Bates and S.Z. Sakall in the cast. Especially 'Cuddles' Sakall. Part of the plot involves Sakall witnessing the murder of Flynn's friend and ally John Litel and being intimidated by the bad guys. With his eye rolling and fractured English, Sakall is at his best in San Antonio.

For the traditional western fan there's enough gunplay and fights to satisfy anyone. Flynn has a nice triangular shootout with both Kelly and Francen at the Alamo ruins, each man trying to get the other two for their own reasons. I say ruins because the chapel had not been restored yet as a historical monument as it is now in downtown San Antonio.

As for the film, San Antonio is a most satisfying western for both fans of the genre and Errol Flynn.