Call of the Wild (1935)

During the Klondike Gold Rush, a traveler purchases a dog to lead the way toward the treasure, but reconsiders his journey when he finds a jilted married woman.

Director:

William A. Wellman (as William Wellman)

Writers:

Jack London (story), Gene Fowler (screenplay)

Stars:

Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Jack Oakie

Cast

Complete credited 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	...	Buck

Storyline

Jack Thornton has trouble winning enough at cards for the stake he needs to get to the Alaska gold fields. His luck changes when he pays $250 for Buck, a sled dog that is part wolf to keep him from being shot by an arrogant Englishman also headed for the Yukon. En route to the Yukon with Shorty Houlihan -- who spent time in jail for opening someone else's letter with a map of where gold is to be found -- Jack rescues a woman whose husband was the addressee of that letter. Buck helps Jack win a $1,000 bet to get the supplies he needs. And when Jack and Claire Blake pet Buck one night, fingers touch.

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Plot Keywords:

yukon | gold | map | dog | alaska | 

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Taglines:

An Epic Novel . . . An Epic Picture !

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

Why call this a goof? It's just a funny way of saying he'd knife someone.

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Quotes

Mr. Smith: Once in a while people do laugh at me. But very briefly.

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Alternate Versions

Originally released at 95 minutes; later cut to 81 minutes for a re-issue. For many years only the cut re-issue version was available for television showings, and it is also the version released on DVD in 2006 as part of the Clark Gable Collection. The original length version remained unseen until it was released on blu-ray in 2013.

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Connections

Featured in Only the Lonely (1991)

User Reviews

as long as you don't mind that it's not really CALL OF THE WILD, you are fine

If you are a lover of Jack London's CALL OF THE WILD, then you probably should skip this film, as it takes a lot of liberties with the book. In many ways, the original story is really forgotten and it's only a very rough approximation of the book. So, as a rendition of the original it stinks. BUT, if you ignore the book and just watch it for the fun of it and let go of your preconceptions, it's a wonderful film for anyone except Literature teachers.

Clark Gable is at his best and Loretta Young is absolutely beautiful in the film. While I never thought she was one of the prettiest actresses, the cinematographer really did his work and make her look radiant (I mean that in a good way--not in the CHARLOTTE'S WEB way). Jack Okie is fine as the loyal friend and the movie strongly concentrates on people and not the dog--now that's an interesting choice, huh? Overall, one of the better adventure films of the era and well worth watching.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Call of the Wild

Filming Locations:

Mammoth Lakes, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min (original) 81 min (re-release) 79 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1