The Spoilers (1942)

In Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister and his partner Dextry, financed by saloon entertainer Cherry Malotte, fight to save their gold claim from crooked commissioner Alexander McNamara.

Director:

Ray Enright

Writers:

Rex Beach (novel), Lawrence Hazard (screenplay)

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Cherry Malotte
Randolph Scott	...	Alex McNamara
John Wayne	...	Roy Glennister
Margaret Lindsay	...	Helen Chester
Harry Carey	...	Al Dextry
Richard Barthelmess	...	Bronco Kid Farrow
George Cleveland	...	Banty
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Judge Horace Stillman
Russell Simpson	...	Flapjack Sims
William Farnum	...	Wheaton
Marietta Canty	...	Idabelle
Jack Norton	...	Mr. Skinner
Ray Bennett	...	Clark
Forrest Taylor	...	Bennett
Art Miles	...	Deputy

Storyline

In Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister and his partner Dextry, financed by saloon entertainer Cherry Malotte, fight to save their gold claim from crooked commissioner Alexander McNamara.

---

Plot Keywords:

miner | gold | saloon | nome alaska | alaska | 

---

Taglines:

Crashing Fists in the Gold-Crazed Alaska of '98!

---

Genres:

Drama | Western

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Only film in which John Wayne appears in blackface and only film in which he appears in ladies' clothes.

---

Goofs

(at around 45 mins) Marlene Dietrich descends the staircase of her saloon and arrives at the bottom wearing a different dress than the one she wore at the top.

---

Quotes

Alex McNamara: You promised to show me around, remember?
Cherry Malotte: I haven't forgotten. Some other time.

---

Connections

Featured in John Wayne: American Hero of the Movies (1990)

---

Soundtracks

Turkey in the Straw
(Uncredited)
Traditional
Heard as background music in the saloon

User Reviews

Knock-Down, Drag-Out "Northern"

The old Rex Beach chestnut, The Spoilers, has been filmed several times, from the early silent days to the Eisenhower fifties. A durable tale indeed. When the first version was made the Emperor Franz Josef was still on the throne in Austria. All versions feature the famous fight between McNamara and Glennister, that begins in a saloon and ends several miles down the street. Windows get shattered, tables and chairs fly through the air, and people gasp in horror.

This 1942 film, directed by the reliable Ray Enright, is actually genteel compared to the silent versions, and as much a vehicle for Marlene Dietrich as anything else. As she was riding the comeback trail, in the wake of her spectacular success in Destry Rides Again, she plays a saloon singer, which had become her specialty. A rousing "Northern" western, set in the days of the Alaskan Gold Rush (which was, incidentally, closer in historical time to the year this film was made than we are to World War II), The Spoilers has a fairly conventional plot about prospectors, claim-jumpers, and the various hangers-on, honest and crooked, that made mining towns like Nome so exciting,--and so dangerous.

Leading men Randoloph Scott and John Wayne make rugged adversaries, though I find Scott somewhat more appealing, which isn't supposed to be the case. Wayne is competent if a little anonymous here. The supporting cast includes the reliable Harry Carey, Richard Barthelmess, Samuel Hinds, and in a cameo (I'm not making this up), the poet, Robert Service, best known for "The Shooting Of Dan McGrew". I guess if you're going to cast a poet in a film like this you don't go for Edna St. Vincent Millay. Service is most appropriate casting.

The sets are quite good, and at times quite fancy; and the streets are muddy, though I seem to remember the earlier films as having a more realistic, dirty look, as Alaska here is cleaner and at least physically less forbidding than one might expect. As to the climactic fight, it is well enough done, and properly violent, though neither participant seems nearly so bloodied up as he ought to. Overall, the movie is satisfying, more routine than I expected, and yet a worthy entry in that fascinating sub-genre, the Gold Rush Western.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Spoilers

Filming Locations:

Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Frank Lloyd Productions, Charles K. Feldman Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1