The San Francisco Story is a 1952 American Western film directed by Robert Parrish and starring Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo.

[1] The rough and tumble Barbary Coast of San Francisco is recreated with attention to detail, including Florence Bates as a saloon keeper Shanghaiing the unwary.

Noir elements include many shadows, a discordant musical score, snappy dialogue, a disabused hero who resists the good fight, and a femme fatale.

He meets raven-haired beauty Adelaide McCall, who's in the buggy of corrupt political power broker Andrew Cain.

Newspaper editor Jim "Captain" Martinbegs his old friend Rick to rejoin his peace-keeping Vigilantes to put an end to Cain's reign of thuggery.

The novel was set in 1856 concerned the career of David C. Broderick and his fictitious mistress Hester Barton, and their involvement in the second vigilante movement.

[3] In March 1951 it was announced the film would be made by Fidelity Pictures starring McCrea and an "unknown" actress.

She signed a two-picture deal with Fidelity and returned early from a tour she was making to Tel Aviv.

[9] Fidelity announced the six films they would make for Warners would be budgeted between $600,000 and $700,000 and include The San Francisco Story, My Fine Feathered Friend with Dennis Morgan, Gardenia based on a story by Vera Caspary, Lela Cade, The Gentleman from Chicago by Horace McCoy, Reluctant Bride by Frederick Stephani and The Scarlet Flame, a story about Brazil's battle for independence by Emilio Tovar, to star De Carlo.