North to Alaska
Encyclopedia
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
.
The movie featured Johnny Horton
's song of the same name
, sung during the opening titles.
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.
having become the 49th State during 1959, the location was being publicized. The movie's working title
was Trail of the Yukon, 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. Spyros Skouras
wanted the budget of the film reduced; that Hathaway did by reducing location shots.
Most of the movie was filmed in Point Mugu, California, not Alaska, 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)
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
comedic
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
movie directed by Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
and John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
(uncredited). It starred Wayne along with Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old...
, Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
, Fabian
Fabian
-People:*Fabian Månsson, , Swedish socialist*Fabian , , 1950s American teen idol and singer*Fabian Bachrach, an American photographer*Fabian Cancellara, , Swiss professional road cyclist...
and Capucine
Capucine
Capucine was a French actress and fashion model best known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther and What's New Pussycat? . She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990...
.
The script is based on the play Birthday Gift by Ladislas Fodor and set in Nome, 1900
Nome Gold Rush
-Beach:Claim jumping was mostly a problem before the beach gold was found, since it could not be claimed and there was plenty of it. As a matter of fact, the beach gold seems to have been more important than the claimed gold in the creeks. The mining of Nome beach is a good example of gold rushes...
.
The movie featured Johnny Horton
Johnny Horton
John Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
's song of the same name
North to Alaska (song)
"North to Alaska" is a 1960 hit song by Johnny Horton which featured in the movie of the same name. Though Horton had sung several popular movie tie-in songs, this was the first one that was sung over the opening titles....
, sung during the opening titles.
Plot
After finding goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, George Pratt (Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old...
) sends partner Sam McCord (John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
) to Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
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
Capucine
Capucine was a French actress and fashion model best known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther and What's New Pussycat? . She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990...
) 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
Fabian (entertainer)
Fabiano Anthony Forte , known as Fabian, is an American teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand. Eleven of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing.-Early life:Fabian was the son of Josephine and Domenic...
) is definitely interested. Meanwhile, con man and saloon owner Frankie Cannon (Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
) 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 John Wayne Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height... |
Sam McCord |
| Stewart Granger Stewart Granger Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old... |
George Pratt |
| Ernie Kovacs Ernie Kovacs Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident... |
Frankie Canon |
| Fabian Fabian (entertainer) Fabiano Anthony Forte , known as Fabian, is an American teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand. Eleven of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing.-Early life:Fabian was the son of Josephine and Domenic... |
Billy Pratt |
| Capucine Capucine Capucine was a French actress and fashion model best known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther and What's New Pussycat? . She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990... |
Michelle "Angel" |
| Mickey Shaughnessy Mickey Shaughnessy Joseph Michael "Mickey" Shaughnessy was an Irish American character actor who specialized in playing lovable, but not-too-bright lugs... |
Peter Boggs |
| Karl Swenson Karl Swenson Karl Swenson was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, Swenson made several appearances with Pierre-Luc Michaud on Broadway in the 1930s and 40s, including the title role in Arthur Miller's first production, The Man Who... |
Lars Nordquist |
| Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman was an American film, television, and stage actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed tart maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors, almost invariably to comic effect.-Early life:Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois... |
Lena Nordquist |
| John Qualen John Qualen John Qualen was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles.... |
Logger |
| Stanley Adams Stanley Adams (actor) Stanley Adams was an American actor and screenwriter.-Career:Born in New York City, Adams had his first film role in 1952, when he played the bartender in the movie version of Death of a Salesman... |
Breezy |
| Stephen Courtleigh | Duggan |
| Lilyan Chauvin Lilyan Chauvin Lilyan Chauvin , born Lilyan Zemoz, was a French-American actress, television host, director, writer, former Vice President of Women in Film, author, teacher and private coach.... |
Jenny Lamont |
Production
North to Alaska was the first in a three-movie contract for Wayne with 20th Century Fox. AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
having become the 49th State during 1959, the location was being publicized. The movie's working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
was Trail of the Yukon, the first choice of director by Wayne and Fox was Richard Fleischer
Richard Fleischer
-Early life:Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie and animator/producer Max Fleischer. He started in motion pictures as director of animated shorts produced by his father including entries in the Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman series.His live-action film career began in 1942 at the RKO...
. However, Fleischer attempted to end his involvement, disliking the script and fearing he would be blamed for a Wayne box office failure. Spyros Skouras
Spyros Skouras
Spyros Panagiotis Skouras was an American motion picture pioneer and movie executive who was the president of the 20th Century Fox from 1942 to 1962...
wanted the budget of the film reduced; that Hathaway did by reducing location shots.
Most of the movie was filmed in Point Mugu, California, not Alaska, 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
Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain is a lava dome complex west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest of Madera County and Mono County. It is home to a large ski area on the Mono County side....
. Mt. Morrison
Mount Morrison (California)
Mount Morrison is located in the Sierra Nevada, in the Sherwin Range. It rises south of Convict Lake near the town of Mammoth Lakes.-History:The mountain was named for Robert Morrison, a merchant in the town of Benton, who was killed near Convict Lake on September 23, 1871 while was acting as...
appears in the background of many views. This location was also used for True Grit (1969 film)