MovieChat Forums > San Francisco (1936) Discussion > Who wrote the song, 'San Francisco'?

Who wrote the song, 'San Francisco'?

posted 13 years ago by douglassctt590
2 replies | jump to latest

This famous song, for 30 years the unofficial song of the city, was written by the great MGM musician, Bronislau Kaper. It may have been the first assignment he fulfilled for the studio. What is remarkable is that this absolutely American melody (it could have been written by Irving Berlin or George M. Cohan -- only it's better!) was written by a refugee from Poland almost immediately after his arrival on these shores.
My personal memory of Bronik Kaper is a that of a kind, and generous man who was one of so many inadvertent gifts to America by history's most iniquitous devil: Adolf Hitler.

Doug Scott

[–] WhoDo-YouDo 12 years ago

Yes, correct.

Most sources cite
Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann as its Composers, and
Gus Kahn as Lyricist.

In other words, Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann wrote the music, and Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics for

"San Francisco, open your Golden Gate,
You let no stranger wait outside your door;
San Francisco, here is your wanderin' one,
Saying I'll wander no more...."

[–] jpdoherty 11 years ago

His first name is spelled with a U not a W.