San Francisco: Story of a City (1963)

[Music] [Music] w [Music] [Music] the coast of California in the north a mountainous land of lonely Cliffs where brush and tree covered Hills slope toward fertile Inland valleys and Tumble steeply to the Sea here cold air rises from the chill Waters flowing Southward from Alaska creating seasonal dense fogs that WRA the region in [Music] mystery reaching with silent white fingers through gaps in the Hills the fog pours like drifting smoke over highways and envelops the habitations of men [Music] swirling above the tide ripped Waters of the Golden Gate the fog swallows the Great Bridge the wild cries of seabirds are stilled and the only sound is the endless bleet of the fog horns warning ships of a rocky Shore Eerie in its gray white Beauty gleaming like snow in the Sun the fogs have tempered the climate of this land conditioned its development and perhaps even affected the character and vigor of its [Music] people here beside the largest natural Harbor in Western America a city was built the Golden Gate is more than a romantic name it is truly America's gateway to the Pacific to Alaska to Hawaii and the islands Beyond to New Zealand Australia and the Far East San Francisco Bay has more than 450 sare miles of tidal water protected from Wind and Sea by surrounding Hills and by a single entrance less than a mile wide a perfect location for the growth of a great port in 1776 a year after the first Spanish vessel entered the bay Captain Juan patista De Anza arrived with fewer than 200 settlers here he built an adobe house a part of which still stands in what is now the prido a month later the Mission San Francisco deis was dedicated known as Mission Dolores it served for many years in the work of The Franciscan Padres among the Indians and early settlers the town had grown slowly but in 1848 gold was discovered in California the gold rush started a mass movement of people Westward and San Francisco became the mecca not only for Fortune Hunters but for merchants and other substantial [Music] citizens from the beginning the city's growth was linked with the sea and tall ships from the ports of the world came by the hundreds to sail through the Golden Gate the old ships are a memory now but one the balclutha built in Scotland in 1886 still serves as a reminder of sailing days preserved by the city's Maritime Museum she lies at her Pier with yards bare a lone survivor of the great Fleet that made San Francisco known around the world as the gold rush days gave way to a more stable economy the city prospered and the partk became crowded with SH shpping known as the Madero today the Waterfront is lined with modern peers providing facilities for handling cargo and passengers to and from many lands in a region given largely to cattle raising food was scarce and expensive in the early days to meet this need a fishing industry was soon established the little Basin at Fisherman's Warf is still active today as the Home Port of a fleet of fishing boats that return each afternoon with fresh seafood salmon Herring so and helbert are among the many varieties taken in the Deep Waters off the coast crabs are a favorite in season and at Fisherman's Warf you may select your own at the curb stalls freshly cooked on the spot these delicious shellfish are ready for the table they are also Frozen and shipped to other parts of California in the Gold Rush days the arrival of ships was signal to the town from the top of Telegraph Hill at the turn of the century the hill looked like this the slopes where herds of goats once grazed are now studded with handsome apartment houses perched high above the swirl of the city's traffic on April 18th 196 most of the downtown area was destroyed by a great fire which followed a heavy earthquake but with a Vigor characteristic of its people San Francisco was rebuilt to become the city we know today in scarcely more than a 100 years it has grown from a handful of one-story wooden buildings huddled beside narrow muddy streets into a busy Metropolis sweeping views of white homes and dramatic settings on Hills overlooking the Sea and the bay give San Francisco much of its [Music] charm as the city grew its residential architecture took distinctive forms and in older sections blocks of Apartments like these are still common entrances cornices and the Caps of columns were often elaborate [Music] here as elsewhere Victorian architecture sometimes resulted in bizarre [Music] extravagance but there was Elegance too in beautiful doorways carved window frames and discreetly closed shutters today the old Mansions seem to stare from their many windows at the passing traffic like ghosts of the days that are gone like many Mediterranean towns shaded byways and quiet streets reach up the hillsides making European visitors feel at home in this American city Hills like these are a challenge to pedestrian and motorist alike across town steep Lombard Street twists down the side of Russian Hill like a writhing [Music] snake the early street cars were horsedrawn vehicles and in San Francisco The Animals struggled up and down the hills slipping and sliding in 1873 an inventive cable manufacturer named Andrew Halliday built the first Cable Car people were skeptical of these mechanical Contraptions pulled by invisible wires and when trouble developed on the cable the repair Crews were often the subjects of sarcastic Comet today the Antiquated cable cars are one of the city's best known symbols and occasionally during Civic celebrations they are gay decorated to San franciscans they are more than a tourist attraction they represent the Romantic past in a world of change [Music] the people of San Francisco dress well walk briskly and their friendliness as much as the charm of their City causes visitors to return again and again many remain to call San Francisco their home the famous Corner Flower stalls add a splash of color to the busy streets in former days Union Square was the Heart of the City it is still the center of the downtown shopping area here people come to meet their friends to read or to sew or just to rest in the [Music] Sun but the real Proprietors of the square are the pigeons they Prov provide Amusement for young and old and are no respected of persons at feeding time in nearby Maiden Lane models pose in the latest Creations for the fashion magazines San Francisco is a style Center and women come here from many other communities to shop of the world's cities aside from Hong Kong and Singapore San Francisco boasts the largest Chinese Community outside of China itself once a district of crowded tenements overlooking a maze of narrow streets and back alleys Chinatown Was Lely destroyed by the great earthquake and fire it was rebuilt by the Chinese people themselves to become a mecca for tourists and a source of Pride to the city it is not only a place of exotic bazaars fascinating shop windows and strange restaurants it is a community of hardworking citizens who have added substantially to the commercial importance of San Francisco the Chinese first came here like others to seek their Fortunes in the California Gold camps later until immigration was restricted thousands came to labor in the building of the Western Railroads their descendants importers Merchants Bankers Chinese Americans have contributed in large degree to the cosmopolitan flavor of this city which they call home probably no other group has influenced the development of an old world atmosphere in San Francisco as much as the Italians who've adhered strongly to their native Traditions centuries old skills are followed closely in the preparation of foods small family-owned and operated factories produce the ingredients for Italian dishes these products are used not not only in their homes and fine restaurants but are exported to other cities as [Music] well active from Early times in the business and political life of the community they have tempered the energy and drive of this American city with a love of living and of human warmth that is a vital part of its character Montgomery Street the financial center of the city and of California is often called The Wall Street of the West the Pacific Stock Exchange is second only to New York in volume of stock transactions and investment Brokers of national reputation have offices along the nearby [Music] streets old Office Buildings have given way to modern architecture and the business Vitality of San Francisco in recent years has brought radical changes to the city's [Music] Skyline careful planning in the use of ground space resulted in this circular glass bank and behind it the handsome Crown zerbach building one of the finest of its type in [Music] America new apartment buildings tower on the city's Hills providing increased housing facilities with mag ient views of the bay beside them the old houses stand in timid contrast as if wondering when they too must give way to progress one of the most spectacular Creations in the blossoming new architecture in San Francisco is the skyscraper addition to the Fairmont Hotel on the crest of Knob Hill an outside elevator blending with the face of the building lifts visitors high above the city unfolding a view of the downtown streets the Embarcadero and its ships the bay and the great San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco with Oakland Berkeley and other East Bay communities and Beyond the [Music] Hills this Great Bridge spans 8 and 1/4 miles of water and is 12 M long including its approaches more than 200,000 persons cross the bridge each day by automobile and bus the expanded building program and planning for the future is possible because of San Francisco's varied Commerce by Rail and truck the products of industry and agriculture flow into the city its shipping and Allied Industries built around San Francisco Bay add to the city's importance as a Center of Trade spices from the Indies coffee from Brazil and Columbia teas from Salon are processed and packed in San Francisco bananas from Central America are unloaded by modern conveyor belts from the refrigerated HS of ships especially designed for this cargo bulk cargos such as grain are also handled by a conveyor system more than 500 tons per hour can be loaded aboard ship at the San Francisco Grain Terminal this cargo of flower seed grown in California's San waen Valley is Bound for Japan to meet increasing foreign competition American shipping companies have developed a more rapid method of loading and unloading cargo salt resistant aluminum alloy containers are carried in the holes and on the decks of ships they are automatically loaded and unloaded by a specially designed crane that provides Swift handling of cargo with minimum use of Manpower many of these containers are electrically refrigerated for the shipment of perishable cargos pineapples are delivered in San Francisco as fresh as when they left Hawaii and California fruits and vegetables are shipped across the sea without loss through [Music] spoilage in the container yard giant straddle carriers move over the container ERS lift them from the trailer and stack them in position here they await the trucks that will haul them to their destination oil tankers shuttle back and forth between San Francisco Bay and loading points near the oil fields of Southern California and overseas crude oil is pumped from ship to shore at the refinery and refined petroleum products are reloaded for shipment up and down the coast and to foreign markets the United States Navy contributes substantially to the economy of the port and the city in addition to Naval Personnel thousands of civilians are employed at the hunter Point Naval Shipyard where vessels of many types are built serviced overhauled and repaired the tugboats are the workhorses of the bay on the Move day and night these powerful little vessels are essential to the coming and going of ships in any port their Skippers must know the Waters of the bay its tides and its currents for upon their skill depends the safe arrival and departure of ships in all kinds of weather familiar with every vessel for which San Francisco is a Port of Call the tug greets an old friend a freighter inbound from the Orient depending upon weather conditions several tugs are sometimes needed to assist a large ship like this passenger liner from her [Music] Pier her job done the little craft moves off to return to other tasks with a farewell salute as the liner heads for the Golden Gate and the Open [Music] Sea its Commerce its Port has brought a high standard of living to the people of San Francisco but there is a deeper benefit the city Prides itself on its cultural offerings the enjoyment of its museums its floral Gardens and its beautiful Parks such as World famed Golden Gate Park is almost a way of life for its citizens in this Cosmopolitan City one may visit a Sidewalk Cafe reminiscent of Paris where friends meet to talk and watch the passing crowd or an exotic restaurant where some of the Customs as well as the foods of other lands can be experienced and enjoyed many residents frequently lunch at a noted hotel where gourmet meals are served on a sunny Terrace overlooking the [Music] bay the education of its young the citizens of Tomorrow has always been a vital concern to its [Music] people the years have brought many changes to San Francisco in little more than a century it has grown from a Frontier Town into a mature Metropolis an impressive achievement in addition to the trade that flows through its Port industry 2 has played an important role in its development factories of many kinds provide employment for the increasing population of the bay area and add their share to the export of merchandise to markets overseas [Music] the air age has added to the international atmosphere of San Francisco by bringing a constant flow of travelers from the Far Corners of the globe Freight planes fly thousands of tons of cargo to and from the Bay Area and day and night huge jet liners Roar into the sky drawing cities and distant lands ever closer [Music] together but San Francisco from its Hills will always look to the sea to the Sea and the ships that gave it birth and nourished its [Music] [Applause] growth oh