Flame of Barbary Coast
Set in San Francisco, and highlighted by a re-creation of the 1906 earthquake, Flame of Barbary Coast features John Wayne as a naive, laconic cowboy from Montana who arrives in the seaside gambling capital of San Francisco only to have his roulette winnings cheated out of him by a jealous "King" of the Barbary Coast, whose girlfriend has taken a liking to Wayne. Enlisting the aid of a professional gambler, Wayne learns the ropes and makes up his losses in finance and romance before the first tremors occur.
The original New York Times review characterized the high production values of this Republic film as "lush as to decor and meticulous as to period detail.... (W)hen that most spectacular of the acts of God finally does come along, it is the most edifying screen cataclysm since the Barbary Coast was razed in Metro's San Francisco.... John Wayne is perfectly cast. That is, he gambles, fights, woos and rides with consummate ease if not histrionic aplomb."