San Francisco in popular culture
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Depictions of San Francisco in popular culture
Contents |
[edit] Literature
San Francisco's diversity, eccentric characters, and geographic scenery have provided excellent settings for many great works of fiction. Here are some listed below:
- All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson
- Angels in America by Tony Kushner
- In the play and the 2003 television miniseries, it was disclosed that Heaven was located in San Francisco
- The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
- The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- Martin Eden by Jack London
- McTeague by Frank Norris
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- Ransom by Danielle Steel
- Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
- The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan (play)
[edit] Non-fiction
- The Big Strike by Mike Quin
- The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
- The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts
[edit] Film
As in the case of fiction novels, San Francisco's scenic backdrop has famously served as a backdrop to a diverse plethora of film classics ranging from romance, to action, to mysteries, dramas. Several films deemed as classics or influential by many have been filmed here. Some are listed below:
[edit] Documentary
- The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005)
- Thoth (2002)
- The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
- Jonestown (2006)
[edit] Television
Although the city is a frequent backdrop for many television shows, many 80s sitcoms set in San Francisco such as Full House were actually shot in studios in the Los Angeles area. Since the mid-90s, many productions supposedly set in the City by the Bay are actually filmed in Canada, most notably in Vancouver, British Columbia, a frequent double for the cities of San Francisco and Seattle, Washington on the small screen. Canadian provinces often offer attractive tax incentives and more flexible union regulations for production companies. Monk was shot in Vancouver before moving to Los Angeles, and only a few exterior shots involving San Francisco landmarks are actually filmed in the city. Similarly, recent short-lived series such as Presidio Med, The Evidence or Killer Instinct were actually shot in the Los Angeles or Vancouver areas. The city of San Francisco has tried to counter this trend over the past few years by reducing filming fees and streamlining the permit approval process.
[edit] Fiction
Television programs that highlight the city and its people include:
[edit] Reality
- 30 Days
- Mythbusters
- The Real World: San Francisco
- Animal Cops: San Francisco
[edit] Music
- Main article: List of songs about California §San Francisco
- I Left My Heart in San Francisco, as performed by Tony Bennett
- San Francisco (open your golden gate), from San Francisco
- San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in your Hair), as performed by Scott McKenzie
- San Francisco Bay Blues by Jesse Fuller
- (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay, by Otis Redding
- We Built This City , by Starship
- "San Francisco Night", The Animals
[edit] Video Games
The City San Fierro in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is largely based on San Francisco.
San Fierro features Rockstar's interpretations of the Haight-Ashbury district ("Hashbury"), the Castro district ("Queens"), Chinatown, and the Golden Gate Bridge ("Gant Bridge"), as well as the city's prominent cable cars and hilly terrain. Several other familiar landmarks have been recreated, from the Embarcadero clock tower and the Transamerica Pyramid ("Big Pointy Building") to Lombard Street ("Windy Windy Windy Windy Windy Street"), and Scottish landmarks such as the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge. There is a district known as "Garcia", a tribute to Grateful Dead frontman and San Francisco native Jerry Garcia, and San Fierro's City Hall closely resembles San Francisco's ornate city hall.
[edit] Advertising
- Rice-a-Roni
- The famous jingle touted the product as the "San Francisco treat"