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I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

To me, this movie is perfection.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

San Francisco, at the turn of the last century, was a city with a lot to offer. It has attracted the big money that was made during the gold rush; new neighborhoods for the well to do were being developed in one of the prime areas of the city that later became Nob Hill. It stood in contrast with the rougher districts of the city in that most of the people who chose to live there wanted to distance themselves from people they considered inferior in every sense of the word.It is into this atmosphere we come into the story. Tony Angelo, the owner of a popular saloon, The Gold Coast, in the less affluent part of town, was involved with influential people that came into his joint. His place was frequented by people seeking entertainment, which he provided nightly. The star of his night club was Sally Templeton, a beautiful singer and dancer. The two enjoyed a loving relationship, which was going to be put to a hard test after the arrival of a little orphan girl from Ireland, Katie Flanagan.When Katie arrives at Tony's place looking for an uncle, she is told he had died. All her dreams about finding a home in America almost vanished but Sally convinced Tony to let her stay. Katie had made friends with the wealthy socialite Harriet Carruthers, who was on board the ship that brought them to San Francisco. Harriet's brother, who is an aspiring politician, has ambitions for becoming the city attorney. Ms. Carruthers, who goes looking for Katie, draws Tony into helping her sibling in a subtle way by showing a love interest that dazzles Tony.Henry Hathaway directed this 20th Century release, of 1945. It was a mixture of other films about the city, basically Alice Faye's vehicles that had been popular. "Nob Hill" is a dramatic comedy with songs, because it never pretended to be a musical. Somehow, the story feels contrived and not too plausible. The result was a Technicolor spectacle that capitalized on the beauty of the two female main characters and the appeal of a younger actress that had become popular with the public.George Raft plays Tony Angelo. It was a departure from the tough guys he was used to play. Joan Bennett was perfect as Harriet, the gorgeous socialite that gets between Tony and Sally. Vivian Blaine is effective as the red headed beauty that has been the star of Tony's saloon and loves him unconditionally. Lovely Peggy Ann Garner made an impression of her Katie."Nob Hill" is a worth a viewing because what Henry Hathaway was able to do with the film.

My angel Peggy Ann Garner was, is and always will be the greatest actress who ever lived. Her immortal performance in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn will live forever, but her performance in Nob Hill ranks right along side Tree. Peggy Ann's cute little Irish accent will never be forgotten. Even George Raft knew how great Peggy Ann was when he co-starred with her in Nob Hill. This movie is very hard to find today- It is never shown on television but it can be found on Ebay if you are lucky. I love Peggy Ann Garner and she will always be my little angel! Peggy Ann is not with us anymore having died on Tuesday, October 16,1984 but she will always live in my heart through her great performances.GOD BLESS YOU,SWEETHEART!

This Technicolor semi-musical seems an odd assignment for Henry Hathaway, but perhaps it's his direction that keeps the tough side of San Francisco tough even with showgirls, rich dames and little girls traipsing around. Hathaway was one of the few directors who understood - from experience on earlier great films with him - how effective a broken George Raft could be, and when that moment comes in this film it is quietly Raft's best scene. Raft plays Tony Angelo, owner of a popular saloon in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, a saloon that is more of a three-ring circus with shows, boxing matches and drinking going on simultaneously. He's got an undefined romance with his star showgirl Sally Templeton (young Vivian Blaine) and his political opinions carry a lot of weight in that rough part of town. In walks little Irish girl Katie (Peggy Ann Garner) expecting to meet her uncle, only to find he has died. Tony, who was his boss, agrees to take her in for a couple of months until the next boat leaves for Ireland. She introduces him to Miss Carruthers (Joan Bennett), who lives on Nob Hill. Her brother Lash Carruthers is running for office, and brother and sister both realize working up a relationship with Tony could bring in much-needed votes from the lower part of town. Though knowing full well that those down below don't mix with those on the hill, Tony is drawn into the propaganda of her sweet talk. In this sense, he is as naive as Katie as to their true intentions, and he alienates his fellow bar owners with his new political stand. Only after the election does he get a reality check. Strange to say, but parallels can be drawn between Tony and Shakespeare's Proteus in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona." One look at a beautiful new girl and he seems to completely forget about his true love down the hill. And when he is ultimately rejected he becomes disturbingly aggressive. Blaine, who has all the musical numbers, is a lovely entertainer but one would not guess from this role what marvelous comic chops she had. That would really come to the fore years later in "Guys and Dolls," which also featured B.S. Pulley, who plays a barman in "Nob Hill." (Another link to that film is the fact that the production design was fashioned after the Raft trademark gangster style, coin-flipping and all -- too bad he wasn't in it.) Garner was one of the true great child actors, always earnest and natural even when putting on an Irish accent. She's the heart of the story, always thinking the best of the grownups around her. Bennett (who starred with Raft 10 years earlier in the screwball comedy "She Couldn't Take It") has a rather thankless part, an admittedly split personality who does not seem to know what she really wants. There is nothing particularly special about this film. But to see this particular mix of actors has historical interest, and it would be nice to see it available on DVD.

Nob Hill (1945) was one of three films released in 1945 that featured Peggy Ann Garner, one of the best - if not the best - child actors ever to grace the screen.George Raft shares the spotlight with Garner but deservedly gets top billing. He was a big name at the time and the story centers around his character a bit more than Garner's. Also featured are two very pretty women: Vivian Blaine and Joan Bennett. Too bad Blaine didn't appear in many films. She would have been well-known.The biggest "too bad," however, is that this movie has never been available on VHS or DVD. It should get the DVD treatment if for no other reason that the gorgeous Technicolor. This is one of the prettiest classic films ever, believe me!If you enjoyed Miss Garner in her famous role as "Francie" in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," you'll like her here, too. She's even more likable and sweeter in this film, start-to-finish, and does a pretty fair job with an Irish accent.Actually, everybody in this sugary-sweet film is likable, even tough--guy Raft. Blaine supplies the song-and-dance routines and handles them well. There are almost a handful of them so some consider this a musical. I thought it was more of a drama. The story has a good mix of drama, romance, music and comedy. Since it's a Raft film, there are even a few punches thrown.The color and the nice feel-good people and storyline are what make this film worth watching......and owning, if someone would please put this on DVD!