| Photos (see all 15 | slideshow) |
| John Wayne | ... | Sam McCord | |
| Stewart Granger | ... | George Pratt | |
| Ernie Kovacs | ... | Frankie Canon | |
| Fabian | ... | Billy Pratt | |
| Capucine | ... | Michelle Bonnet 'Angel' | |
| Mickey Shaughnessy | ... | Peter Boggs 'Boggsy' | |
| Karl Swenson | ... | Lars Nordquist | |
| Joe Sawyer | ... | Land Commissioner | |
| Kathleen Freeman | ... | Lena Nordquist | |
| John Qualen | ... | Logger Judge | |
| Stanley Adams | ... | Breezy | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Mark Bailey | ... | Norseman Logger (uncredited) | |
| Rayford Barnes | ... | Gold buyer (uncredited) | |
| Oscar Beregi Jr. | ... | Captain (uncredited) | |
| Peter Bourne | ... | Olaf (uncredited) | |
| Alan Carney | ... | Bartender (uncredited) | |
| Lilyan Chauvin | ... | Jenny Lamont (uncredited) | |
| Richard Collier | ... | Steambath - Skinny Sourdough (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Courtleigh | ... | Duggan (uncredited) | |
| Esther Dale | ... | Woman at picnic (uncredited) | |
| Maurice Dallimore | ... | Bartender (uncredited) | |
| Richard Deacon | ... | Angus, hotel desk clerk (uncredited) | |
| Douglas Dick | ... | Lieutenant (uncredited) | |
| Tom Dillon | ... | Barber (uncredited) | |
| Joey Faye | ... | Sourdough / Artist (uncredited) | |
| Frank Faylen | ... | Arnie (uncredited) | |
| Fortune Gordien | ... | Logger (uncredited) | |
| Sol Gorss | ... | Gunman at Arnie's Claim (uncredited) | |
| James Griffith | ... | Salvation Army leader (uncredited) | |
| Arlene Harris | ... | Queen Lil (uncredited) | |
| Max Hellinger | ... | Everett 'Bish' Bishop, the waiter (uncredited) | |
| Marcel Hillaire | ... | Jenny's husband ('butler') (uncredited) | |
| Pat Hogan | ... | Saloon Brawler (uncredited) | |
| Roy Jenson | ... | Ole, Logger punched by Sam (uncredited) | |
| Johnny Lee | ... | Coachman (uncredited) | |
| Paul Maxey | ... | Fat Sourdough (uncredited) | |
| Kermit Maynard | ... | Wagon Driver (uncredited) | |
| Jerry O'Sullivan | ... | Sergeant (uncredited) | |
| Ollie O'Toole | ... | Mack (uncredited) | |
| Tudor Owen | ... | Purser (uncredited) | |
| Pamela Raymond | ... | Pony Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Charles Seel | ... | Gold buyer (uncredited) | |
| Milton Selzer | ... | Salvation Army player (uncredited) | |
| Harry Tenbrook | ... | Bag Porter (uncredited) | |
| Dale Van Sickel | ... | Saloon Brawler (uncredited) | |
| Patty Wharton | ... | Specialty Dancer (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Henry Hathaway | |||
Writing credits | ||
| John Lee Mahin | (screenplay) & | |
| Martin Rackin | (screenplay) and | |
| Claude Binyon | (screenplay) | |
| Ladislas Fodor | (play "Birthday Gift") (as Laszlo Fodor) | |
| John H. Kafka | (idea) (as John Kafka) | |
| Ben Hecht | uncredited and | |
| Wendell Mayes | uncredited | |
Produced by | |||
| Henry Hathaway | .... | producer | |
| Charles K. Feldman | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
| John Lee Mahin | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Lionel Newman | |||
| Cyril J. Mockridge | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Leon Shamroy | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Dorothy Spencer | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Duncan Cramer | |||
| Jack Martin Smith | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Stuart A. Reiss | |||
| Walter M. Scott | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Bill Thomas | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Ben Nye | .... | makeup artist | |
| Helen Turpin | .... | hair stylist | |
| Web Overlander | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Stanley Hough | .... | assistant director | |
| Richard Talmadge | .... | second unit director | |
Art Department | |||
| Don B. Greenwood | .... | property master (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Alfred Bruzlin | .... | sound | |
| Warren B. Delaplain | .... | sound | |
Special Effects by | |||
| L.B. Abbott | .... | special photographic effects | |
| Emil Kosa Jr. | .... | special photographic effects | |
| Barney Wolff | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| John Epper | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Sol Gorss | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Fred Graham | .... | stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited) | |
| Tom Hennesy | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Loren Janes | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Roy Jenson | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Kermit Maynard | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Bob Morgan | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Boyd 'Red' Morgan | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Harvey Parry | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Jack Perkins | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| George Robotham | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Richard Talmadge | .... | stunt coordinator (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Clyde Taylor | .... | gaffer (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Bernard Mayers | .... | orchestrator | |
| Urban Thielmann | .... | orchestrator | |
| Irving Gertz | .... | composer: additional music (uncredited) | |
| Arthur Morton | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Edward B. Powell | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Josephine Earl | .... | dance stager | |
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| The Carson City Kid | The Lone Defender | The Naked Hills | The Far Country | Heir to Trouble |
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Stewart Granger in his memoirs said he was very glad to receive the role of George Pratt when he did and was always grateful to John Wayne who got him cast in the part. He had just left MGM and offers were not piling up. Granger's career was in a transitional stage and he would soon take off for Europe and all kinds of spaghetti westerns. Right at that point he needed a paycheck.
Granger and Fabian play the brothers Pratt, George and Billy and John Wayne is their partner Sam McCord in a gold claim that's just hit it big. He's got to buy mining equipment in Seattle and Pratt's fiancé Jennie is there too. Wayne's to bring back both the equipment and Jennie.
But Jennie has off and got herself married. So Wayne in a moment of alcoholic brilliance spots another girl with a French accent in a pleasure palace called the Birdcage and decided to take her back to Alaska for Granger. She's played by Capucine. But things don't quite work out.
Of course there's another kind of claim jumping going on led by no-good cynical gambler Ernie Kovacs. All kinds of problems for the McCord-Pratt partnership.
If you like your comedy broad and unsophisticated North to Alaska is your kind of film. The Duke has some of his funniest screen moments in this film. There's a whole routine with Granger and Capucine trying to make Wayne jealous and with Fabian serving as a straight man to Wayne, it's a pretty funny bit of business. Wayne's facial expressions are alone worth seeing the movie.
John Wayne was always shrewd in marketing his films and he sought to woo a younger audience by having current teenage idols in his films around that time. He had Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo and Frankie Avalon in The Alamo and now Fabian in North to Alaska.
I saw an interview with Fabian some years ago where he said Wayne was a formidable presence on the set of his film. He was great when you got to know him and he accepted you. But you did things his way or it was the highway, no questions asked.
Fabian has some moments too as a 17 year old whose hormones get going at the sight of Capucine. He sings a song in the film, If You Only Knew. But the real song hit is the title tune sung by Johnny Horton over the title. It was a big hit for Horton in his short and tragic career. Frankie Laine also sold a few platters with this song.
If your taste is sophisticated drawing room comedy, this ain't your film. But fans of the eternal Duke will love it.