The Call of the Wild (1935)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Jack London (story)
Gene Fowler (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 August 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

An Epic Novel . . . An Epic Picture !

Plot:

Jack Thornton has trouble winning enough at cards for the stake he needs to get to the Alaska gold fields...

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Wolf | Alaska | Dog | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Jack Thornton
Loretta Young	...	Claire Blake
Jack Oakie	...	'Shorty' Hoolihan
Reginald Owen	...	Mr. Smith
Frank Conroy	...	John Blake
Katherine DeMille	...	Marie
Sidney Toler	...	Joe Groggins
James Burke	...	Ole
Charles Stevens	...	Francois
Lalo Encinas	...	Kali
Thomas E. Jackson	...	'Tex' Rickard (as Tommy Jackson)
Russ Powell	...	Bartender
Herman Bing	...	Sam
George MacQuarrie	...	Mounted Policeman (as George McQuarrie)
Buck	...	Himself

Runtime:

95 min (original release) | USA:81 min (re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #777) | Norway:A

Filming Locations:

Lake Chelan, Washington, USA

Company:

20th Century Pictures

Trivia:

Madeleine Carroll was originally set for the female lead, but it was eventually given to Loretta Young.

Quotes:

[Shorty is followed into the cabin by a heavily laden Native American woman]
Jack Thornton: What's that?
Shorty Hoolihan: That's our new cook.
Jack Thornton: Where'd you get it?
Shorty Hoolihan: I won it in a crap game.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Only the Lonely (1991)

Action, Adventure & Romance In The Yukon

The Yukon Gold Rush: A savage dog and a lonely man each respond to THE CALL OF THE WILD, that primordial release of primitive urges, in their own way.

It should be understood immediately that this movie only borrows the title and a few incidents from Jack London's classic novel. And at that point the comparison between the two should end. This film, rousing & adventurous, is able to stand on its own merits. An excellent cast, fine production values (notice particularly the care with which Skagway & Dawson are depicted) and location shooting in Washington State are the film's strongest assets. The plot, meant solely for entertainment, is pure hokum...

Clark Gable brings his trademark masculinity to a role that didn't require a lot of stretching of his thespian muscles. But in essentially playing himself he is perfectly cast. One cannot overcome the suspicion that London's original story was reworked for the star. Gable had been through this before - remote setting, forces of nature, beautiful woman, adultery. Think RED DUST in the snow.

Loretta Young is the beautiful woman. From scene to scene, no matter what the hardship, she remains living proof that a first class Hollywood makeup job can withstand the worst ravages of the Klondike. This is perhaps too harsh. Like Gable, little more is required of her than to exude physicality. She is indeed a treat to the eyes, even if her inclusion in the plot is patently ludicrous. (The on screen attraction between Gable & Young wasn't faked. A daughter, ostensibly 'adopted' by Young in France, would be the result.)

As Gable's sidekick, comic Jack Oakie has one of his best screen roles. Getting to play most of his scenes strictly for laughs, he adds chuckles to the story which, one assumes, would have outraged London.

Twisting his usual pomposity to a sinister bent, English character actor Reginald Owen is memorable as the film's villain. Dangerously wicked, he makes us want to know more about this man called Smith, with money to burn and a raging temper. The screenplay, wisely, leaves his biography up to the imagination of the viewer.

Sidney Toler & Herman Bing are very good in small roles. Movie mavens will recognize Arthur Housman, veteran of many Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts, as a Skagway drunk with a surprisingly mean punch.

The affection between Gable and Buck, the great St. Bernard with whom he shares so many scenes, is obvious.