The idea for this movie was born in the mind of a writer with the improbable name of Kafka. Wait. What was that slight thud? Oh, only Franz rolling over a bit. But it was directed by Henry Hathaway, known as "a man's director" for his impatience, vulgarity, and fondness for drink.
It's not badly done either, for what it intends to be. Wayne and Stewart Granger are partners in a successful gold mine near Nome, Alaska. Wayne takes a ship to Seattle, partly to pick up Granger's French girl friend and bring her back with him. Alas, the feckless Jennie has married a bald butler in Granger's absence, not knowing he has struck it rich. Wayne's original mission having failed, he meets the stunning Capucine and decides to bring her back as a substitute for Granger's lost love, Lenore. Wayne shows more than his usual insight into the nature of femininity.
"Women -- peculiar," he mutters at one point. And then, "A Frenchie broke George's heart, a Frenchie can FIX it." Capucine misunderstands, thinks that Wayne himself is interested in her, and therein lie the grounds for later contretemps that are finally solved to everyone's satisfaction.
The movie was clearly influenced by the success of Wayne's previous Western, "Rio Bravo." "Rio Bravo" had one dud in the casting of the principles but it was overcome by craftsmanlike direction and a solid script. The problem is that Hathaway is no Howard Hawks and the script itself is deliberately loony, so the dud stands out.
"Rio Bravo" had Ricky Nelson, a reigning heart throb of the late 1950s. "North to Alaska" has Fabian, captured here in the final seconds of his fifteen minutes. Everyone has been told to overact. You can see it in Wayne's shouting and Granger's wild un-English gesticulations. But you can't tell it with Fabian because acting and overacting are the same to him. He drools with lust. His face turns into that of a chubby, pop-eyed gargoyle. And when he croons a tender love song to Capucine, well -- you know how YOU sound when you sing? Not at your best, but at your most mediocre? Well, that's better than Fabian.
There are too many fist fights to count. They take place among dozens of rolling beer barrels spouting shifting cones of foam, among vast seas of mud, among drenching waterfalls from demolished sluices. When a bar tender is punched in the face, his hat pops up a foot in the air and settles quickly back on his head. When Ernie Kovacs punches Wayne, Wayne's toupee flies off and no one bothers to correct the error. At times it all feels too forced, leaving the viewer feeling like a Strasbourg goose.
Yet, it's kind of fun too. Everyone seems to be on vacation. Nothing is held back. And if you're in the right mood, you'll get a kick out of it. Capucine is exquisite and a fine actress. Wayne gets to climb a tall tree, and when punched in the nose he gets to look cross-eyed before falling flat on his back. Nobody gets killed. It's a movie in which a Donneybrook can flatten a saloon but from which all blood is banished.
Of course, if you're NOT in the right mood, you may feel like the only sober guest at the party.
It's not badly done either, for what it intends to be. Wayne and Stewart Granger are partners in a successful gold mine near Nome, Alaska. Wayne takes a ship to Seattle, partly to pick up Granger's French girl friend and bring her back with him. Alas, the feckless Jennie has married a bald butler in Granger's absence, not knowing he has struck it rich. Wayne's original mission having failed, he meets the stunning Capucine and decides to bring her back as a substitute for Granger's lost love, Lenore. Wayne shows more than his usual insight into the nature of femininity.
"Women -- peculiar," he mutters at one point. And then, "A Frenchie broke George's heart, a Frenchie can FIX it." Capucine misunderstands, thinks that Wayne himself is interested in her, and therein lie the grounds for later contretemps that are finally solved to everyone's satisfaction.
The movie was clearly influenced by the success of Wayne's previous Western, "Rio Bravo." "Rio Bravo" had one dud in the casting of the principles but it was overcome by craftsmanlike direction and a solid script. The problem is that Hathaway is no Howard Hawks and the script itself is deliberately loony, so the dud stands out.
"Rio Bravo" had Ricky Nelson, a reigning heart throb of the late 1950s. "North to Alaska" has Fabian, captured here in the final seconds of his fifteen minutes. Everyone has been told to overact. You can see it in Wayne's shouting and Granger's wild un-English gesticulations. But you can't tell it with Fabian because acting and overacting are the same to him. He drools with lust. His face turns into that of a chubby, pop-eyed gargoyle. And when he croons a tender love song to Capucine, well -- you know how YOU sound when you sing? Not at your best, but at your most mediocre? Well, that's better than Fabian.
There are too many fist fights to count. They take place among dozens of rolling beer barrels spouting shifting cones of foam, among vast seas of mud, among drenching waterfalls from demolished sluices. When a bar tender is punched in the face, his hat pops up a foot in the air and settles quickly back on his head. When Ernie Kovacs punches Wayne, Wayne's toupee flies off and no one bothers to correct the error. At times it all feels too forced, leaving the viewer feeling like a Strasbourg goose.
Yet, it's kind of fun too. Everyone seems to be on vacation. Nothing is held back. And if you're in the right mood, you'll get a kick out of it. Capucine is exquisite and a fine actress. Wayne gets to climb a tall tree, and when punched in the nose he gets to look cross-eyed before falling flat on his back. Nobody gets killed. It's a movie in which a Donneybrook can flatten a saloon but from which all blood is banished.
Of course, if you're NOT in the right mood, you may feel like the only sober guest at the party.