In keeping with the film character Gilda being " the ultimate femme fatale " , the song sung by her in two scenes facetiously credits the amorous activities of a woman named " Mame " as the true cause of three well-known cataclysmic events in American history : The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 , the Great Blizzard of 1888 in New York City and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Mame is also credited with causing the fictional shooting of Dan McGrew during the Yukon Gold Rush , an event derived from a short narrative poem published in 1907 by Robert W. Service
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Put the Blame on Mame