
The Secret History of FRISCO
Join us on a cinematic journey through the last wild years when San Francisco was still wide-open. The cops ran the town in the Thirties and Bones Remmer ran the town in the Forties.
Battles raged between the factions of dark and light in the hidden realms of San Francisco’s power elite, behind the headlines, from the celestial dominions of Nob Hill eateries and private clubs down to the nether depths of the dive bars in the heart of the Tenderloin, up to the Barbary Coast and jazz joints of North Beach and over to the banks and brokerages in the Financial District …
FRISCO will bring alive that wild and bygone era of the Cool Grey City of Love that seduced the world.
Podcasting since 2025 • 4 episodes
The Secret History of FRISCO
Latest Episodes
Ep. 2 ~ The Hawaiian Princess Who Wanted To Sing
I have a wonderful episode for you today, the story of the Hawaiian princess who came to San Francisco to open a nightclub where she could sing. We will again encounter lawyer Jake Ehrlich, of course. The McDonough Brothers, who controlled all ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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37:13

Bonus Episode No. 1—Call It Frisco!
This episode explores the long and often contentious history of the nickname "Frisco" for San Francisco. Despite the strong disapproval of many, including Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, the term has deep roots stretching back to the Gold Rush e...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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26:14

Episode 1: Vice Defined San Francisco's DNA At Its Inception
Welcome to The Secret History of Frisco, a podcast peeling back the layers of San Francisco's vibrant and often illicit past during its last wide-open era, 1934 to 1953. Join host Knox Bronson as we journey through the city's smoky backrooms, b...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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43:03

When Gamblers and Newspapermen Ruled The Cool Grey City of Love
Ever wondered who really pulled the strings in San Francisco during its post-war golden age? It wasn't the mayor or the board of supervisors.When the war ended in 1946, San Francisco experienced an unprecedented boom. Servicemen who'd f...
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10:14
