Klondike Kate (1943) User Reviews

Minor but enjoyable.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 28 April 2023]

Ann Savage plays Kathleen O'Day, a songbird who travels from San Francisco to the small Alaska town of Totem Pole, ostensibly because she's inherited the deed to a prosperous saloon. She falls in love with slick, handsome owner / operator Jefferson Braddock (Tom Neal), who is equally taken with her. When his top entertainer Lita (Constance Worth) feels that she's been thrown over for the new woman, she conspires with Braddocks' thuggish business rival Sometime Smith (Sheldon Leonard).

"Klondike Kate", inspired by the exploits of a real woman, marked the second feature-length motion picture for budding young filmmaker William Castle. A classic it most assuredly isn't, but it's quite affable, often quite humorous, and easy to take. It's mostly noteworthy for uniting Savage and Neal two years before they clicked as the stars of the film noir classic "Detour". They're ably supported by Worth, Leonard, Glenda Farrell, Lester Allen, George Cleveland (who very much steals the whole show as the crafty judge), and Dan Seymour.

Having the typically short and succinct run time of a B picture (64 minutes all told), this may therefore not boast a particularly meaty story, but it's an easygoing diversion just the same, with a raucous barroom brawl finale and a blatantly silly ending.

No matter what genre he was working in, Castle certainly knew how to make a fun movie.

Six out of 10.

Low Budget Non Star Western!

[bsmith5552 · 5/10 · 2 June 2018]

"Klondike Kate" was Director William Castle's second directing effort. Low budget to be sure, he was not given any of Columbia's name players for his cast. Tom Neal and Ann Savage played the leads but were largely unknown at this time. They would gain greater fame two years later in the cult classic "Detour".

The scene is the small town of Totem Pole (I think) somewhere in the Klondike. We have to assume that it is Alaska since this was an American film. A train arrives carrying Molly (Glenda Farrell) and her dance hall girls and straight laced Kathleen O'Dea (Savage). Saloon owner "Sometime" Smith (Sheldon Leonard) had sent for the girls but was out of town so rival saloon owner Jefferson Braddock (Neal) signs them up for a higher salary.

Kathleen mistaken at first for one of the dance hall girls, announces that she is the owner of Braddock's saloon by inheritance. She enlists the aid of "Judge" Horace Crawford (George Cleveland) to help her. Braddock is immediately attracted to Kathleen and makes no bones about it.

In a mock trial, Kathleen realizes that her claim to ownership will never be recognized in this lawless town and agrees to hire on as a singer while Braddock continues to wine and dine her much to the dismay of rival singer Lita (Constance Worth) who was Braddock's former favorite.

Smith challenges Braddock to a one card winner take all card game for the title to both saloons. Smith uses Lita to plant a marked deck which he uses to acquire Braddock's place. To prevent the two men, Braddock in particular, from going into the street to shoot it out, Kathleen devises a plan whereby if one or the other is found murdered, the other will be hung without trial.

Well...guess what? Smith turns up shot to death and the townsmen come after Braddock and...............

There's not much action in this one until the end when we are treated to a rough and tumble saloon brawl. Other than that there are several dance numbers and songs and Braddock's efforts to land Kathleen. An overweight Dan Seymour has a nice little bit as Harry the piano player.

Castle would continue to direct xthe studio's "B" product well into the fifties before emerging as a fright director with 1959"s "The House on Haunted Hill".

The Story As Given

[boblipton · 5/10 · 5 May 2020]

Ann Savage comes to the Klondike to take possession of the hotel/saloon her daddy left her on his death bed. She finds Tom Neal in possession and no intention of giving it up. So Miss Savage becomes a singer there. This makes former best girl Glenda Farrell very jealous. Sheldon Leonard also appears as a fellow who wants Miss Farrell and the hotel.

William Castle's second movie as director is a cheap, poorly put together affair, with plot twists with no explanation and large gouts of linking material strangely absent; let's be charitable and assume that editor Mel Thorson's careful work was not destroyed by later happenstance.

This utterly forgettable movie is supposedky based on the life of Kate Rockwell Matson, a dancer who rose to some fame during the actual Klondike gold rush. She was an early associate of Alexander Pantages, and at the time this movie was made, was training Hollywood dancers. She died in 1957 at an age between 77 and 83.

Fun B Western from Castle

[Michael_Elliott · 13 August 2018]

Klondike Kate (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Kathleen O'Day (Ann Savage) arrives in a small Alaskan town to claim the bar that her father left her. She soon discovers that it was bought by Jefferson Braddck (Tom Neal) and he's not willing to let it go. Soon the two go into business for each other but this doesn't sit well with Lita (Constance Worth) because she's in love with Jefferson.

KLONDIKE KATE is a low-budget Western from director William Castle and for the most part it's entertaining enough to make it worth watching. At just 64-minutes there's certainly nothing overly detailed here but that's just fine because for a "B" Western this thing works in large part to the cast that is a lot of fun.

Whenever one watches a movie like this you really can't be expecting something by John Ford. For the most part the story itself was decent if not all that original but then again it was good enough to keep you entertained by it. There are the double-crosses that you'd expect but I must say it was a bit of a mystery as to why one of them never gets solved. The film contains some rather bland musical numbers but at least the action is good and yes there's a fun brawl at the end.

The strongest aspect to the film is the cast who are a lot of fun. Savage and Neal have a great chemistry together and the two of them really sell the characters and help keep the film moving. Worth is extremely good in the role of the jealous female and Sheldon Leonard is excellent as the snake villain. You've also got Glenda Farrell in a small role.

KLONDIKE KATE isn't a masterpiece but it's at least an entertaining film that fans of the cast and director should enjoy.

What would you do for a Klondike Kate?

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 14 July 2015]

Would you acknowledge her deed as owner of a Klondike Bar? That's pretty much the plot here as "Detour's" Ann Savage arrives way up north from San Francisco with proof that she was left the very popular saloon where Glenda Farrell and her girls have showed up as performers. They were initially hired by the rather shady Sheldon Leonard to work in his saloon but ending up working for Tom Neal who refuses to acknowledge Savage's claim. Her presence incurs the wrath of the saloon's established solo singer, Constance Worth, who is in cahoots with Leonard to take over the establishment himself. A card game between Leonard and Neal leaves the future of the establishment in doubt, and when murder in the Klondike occurs, it's up to Savage and Neal (who have obviously gone past the stage of rivals to become lovers) to prove his innocence.

An acceptable semi-musical adventure, this is very remnant of both "Belle of the Yukon" and "The Harvey Girls", even though it came out first. It lacks the camp quality of director William Castle's later horror films but is certainly a curio considering its leading stars who only two years later would create screen history as very different partners in the film noir cult classic "Detour". Glenda Farrell gets in a few good bitchy lines, while George Cleveland is amusing as the attorney whom Savage hires to represent her and ironically ends up as a the judge in the case. What keeps this from being just average is the fact that its story abruptly ends without wrapping up the identity of the killer. The audience knows, but the writers don't allow the characters involved know, and that leads to a total let-down.