North to Alaska

North to Alaska
1960 movie poster
Directed by	Henry Hathaway John Wayne (uncredited)
Produced by	Henry Hathaway John Lee Mahin
Written by	screenplay by John Lee Mahin Wendell Mayes Martin Rackin based on a play by Ladislas Fodor
Starring	John Wayne Stewart Granger Capucine Ernie Kovacs Fabian
Music by	Lionel Newman
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Editing by	Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	November 13, 1960
Running time	120 min.
Language	English
Budget	$3.8 million[1]
Box office	$5 million[2]

North to Alaska is a 1960 comedic western movie directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). It starred Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian and Capucine.

The script is based on the play Birthday Gift by Ladislas Fodor and set in Nome, 1900.^[3]

The movie featured Johnny Horton's song of the same name, sung during the opening titles.

Plot

After finding gold in Alaska, George Pratt (Stewart Granger) sends partner Sam McCord (John Wayne) to Seattle to bring back his fiancée, a French girl whom Sam has never met.

Finding there that George's girl has already married another man, Sam brings back prostitute "Angel" (Capucine) as a substitute. There is a misunderstanding: she thinks Sam wants her for himself and begins to become enamored with him during the boat trip to Alaska, during which he treats her like a respectable lady.

An angry George rejects the girl outright, though his younger brother Billy (Fabian) is definitely interested. Meanwhile, con man and saloon owner Frankie Cannon (Ernie Kovacs) tries to steal their gold claim.

In time, George takes a liking to Angel and is willing to marry her. But once he realizes that she has fallen for his partner, he does everything in his power to coax Sam into admitting that he, too, is in love.

The story concludes with an all-out brawl in the town's muddy streets.

Cast

Actor	Role
John Wayne	Sam McCord
Stewart Granger	George Pratt
Ernie Kovacs	Frankie Canon
Fabian	Billy Pratt
Capucine	Michelle "Angel"
Mickey Shaughnessy	Peter Boggs
Karl Swenson	Lars Nordquist
Kathleen Freeman	Lena Nordquist
John Qualen	Logger
Stanley Adams	Breezy
Stephen Courtleigh	Duggan
Lilyan Chauvin	Jenny Lamont

Production

North to Alaska was the first in a three-movie contract for Wayne with 20th Century Fox. Alaska having become the 49th State during 1959, the location was being publicized. The movie's working title was Trail of the Yukon,^[4] the first choice of director by Wayne and Fox was Richard Fleischer. However, Fleischer attempted to end his involvement, disliking the script and fearing he would be blamed for a Wayne box office failure. ^[5] Spyros Skouras wanted the budget of the film reduced; that Hathaway did by reducing location shots.^[6]

Most of the movie was filmed in Point Mugu, California, not Alaska,^[7] although the landscape is evocative of old Nome and the gold fields northeast of there. The Wayne and Granger "honeymoon" cabin scenes were filmed along steaming Hot Creek near volcanic Mammoth Mountain. Mt. Morrison appears in the background of many views. This location was also used for True Grit (1969 film)

References

1. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p253
2. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p229
3. ^ TCM, North to Alaska, retrieved 2011-11-04
4. ^ http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100&content=jump&jump=article&articleID=VR1117996823&category=1924
5. ^ Fleischer, Richard Just Tell Me When to Cry 1993 Carroll and Graf.
6. ^ p. 236 Davis, Ronald L. Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne 2002 University of Oklahoma Press.
7. ^ p. 481 Roberts, Randy & Olson, James Stewart John Wayne: American 1997 University of Nebraska Press.

External links

• North to Alaska at the Internet Movie Database
• North to Alaska at AllRovi
• North to Alaska at the TCM Movie Database