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Emperor of the North ()

Emperor of the North Pole (original title)
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In 1933, during the Depression, Shack the brutal conductor of the number 19 train has a personal vendetta against the best train hopping hobo tramp in the Northwest, A No. 1.
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79 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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A No. 1
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Shack
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Cigaret
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Cracker
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Hogger
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Policeman
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Coaly
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Yardman's Helper
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Yardlet
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Gray Cat (as Elisha Cook)
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Dinger (as Joe di Reda)
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Smile
Diane Dye ...
Girl in Water
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Conductor
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Fakir (as James Goodwin)
Raymond Guth ...
Preacher (as Ray Guth)
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Grease Tail
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Pokey Stiff
Edward McNally ...
Yard Clerk
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Stew Bum
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Yardman
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Groundhog
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Blackman ...
Old Shine (uncredited)
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Dispatcher (uncredited)
Richard Daughty ...
The Cub (uncredited)
Bennie E. Dobbins ...
Mechanic (uncredited)
Dennis Falt ...
Hobo camp occupant (uncredited)
Joe Haworth ...
Ash Eater (uncredited)
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Railroad Worker (uncredited)
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Elder (uncredited)
Bern Hoffman ...
Halfy (uncredited)
James Kingsley ...
Machinist (uncredited)
George McFadden ...
Prairie Special Engineer (uncredited)
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Alkee Stiff (uncredited)
Hal Jon Norman ...
Hobo (uncredited)
Danny 'Big Black' Rey ...
Hobo (uncredited)
Wayne Sutherlin ...
Gink (uncredited)
Forrest Wood ...
Station Agent (uncredited)

Directed by

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Robert Aldrich

Written by

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Christopher Knopf ... (written by)
 
Jack London ... (short story) (uncredited)

Produced by

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Stan Hough ... producer
Kenneth Hyman ... executive producer

Music by

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Frank De Vol ... (as Frank DeVol)

Cinematography by

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Joseph F. Biroc ... director of photography (as Joseph Biroc)

Editing by

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Michael Luciano

Editorial Department

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Frank Capacchione ... associate editor
Roland Gross ... associate editor
Willie Navarro ... assistant film editor (uncredited)

Casting By

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Jack Baur

Art Direction by

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Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by

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Raphael Bretton ... (as Rafael Bretton)

Makeup Department

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William Turner ... makeup artist

Production Management

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Saul Wurtzel ... unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Malcolm R. Harding ... assistant director (as Malcolm Harding)
Michael D. Moore ... second unit director
Larry Powell ... second assistant director
Barry Steinberg ... second assistant director

Art Department

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John La Salandra ... construction coordinator
Ygnacio Sepulveda ... property master
Maurice Larson ... painter (uncredited)
Stuart MacKenzie ... greensman (uncredited)
Tom Pedigo ... leadman (uncredited)
Dominick Williams ... prop assistant (uncredited)

Sound Department

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William Hartman ... sound effects
Don Isaacs ... sound effects
Godfrey Marks ... dubbing dialogue editor
Richard Overton ... sound mixer
Edward Rossi ... sound effects
Theodore Soderberg ... re-recording mixer
Don S. Walden ... sound effects (as Don Walden)
Don Parker ... sound recordist (uncredited)
Howard Wilmarth ... boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Henry Millar Jr. ... special effects
Tom Fisher ... special effects (uncredited)
Jack Monroe ... special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by

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L.B. Abbott ... visual effects

Stunts

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Bennie E. Dobbins ... stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin ... stunt double: Ernest Borgnine (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward ... stunts (uncredited)
James Kingsley ... stunt double: Keith Carradine (uncredited)
Walter Scott ... stunt double: Lee Marvin (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Joe Jackman ... camera operator
Kenneth Peach Jr. ... camera operator (as Ken Peach Jr.)
Robert Bells ... lamp operator (uncredited)
Ray De La Motte ... first assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Duggan ... dolly grip (uncredited)
Robert Duncan ... dolly grip (uncredited)
John Flanagan ... best boy (uncredited)
Don Gerrard ... lamp operator (uncredited)
Paul Gilbert ... generator operator (uncredited)
Orville Hallberg ... camera operator (uncredited)
Bill Hannah ... gaffer (uncredited)
O.T. Henderson ... grip (uncredited)
Roy Hogstedt ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Edward Morey III ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Jack Richter ... key grip (uncredited)
Phillip R. Sarabia ... second grip (uncredited)
Paul Schwake Jr. ... dolly grip (uncredited)
Orlando Suero ... still photographer (uncredited)
Joseph E. Thibo ... first assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Woodside ... lamp operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Ed Wynigear ... wardrobe
Richard La Motte ... wardrobe assistant (uncredited)

Music Department

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Israel Baker ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Arnold Belnick ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Frank De Vol ... conductor (uncredited)
Carl Fortina ... musician: accordion (uncredited)
Richard Nash ... musician: trombone (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Howard Hohler ... script supervisor

Transportation Department

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Chris Haynes ... driver
Kelly Aldrich ... driver: camera car (uncredited)
Aram Betkijian ... transportation captain (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Walter Blake ... title designer
Dave Davies ... unit publicist
Robert Sherman ... dialogue supervisor
Betty Berry ... production secretary (uncredited)
Ernie Fuentes ... first aid (uncredited)
Richard Menchaca ... craft service (uncredited)
Carl Skelton ... auditor (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

During the Great Depression, the US is full of people who are now homeless. These people, commonly called "hobos," are truly hated by Shack (Borgnine), a sadistic railway conductor who swore that no hobo would ride his train for free. Well, none by "A" Number One (Lee Marvin), who is ready to put his life at stake to become a local legend--as the first person to survive the trip on Shack's notorious train. Written by Brian Peterson calyooper@email.com

Plot Keywords
Taglines Only one man can be ... "Emperor of the North Pole" See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Emperor of the North (United States)
  • El emperador del norte (United States, Spanish title)
  • Emperor of the North (Canada, English title)
  • Emperor of the North (United Kingdom)
  • L'empereur du Nord (France)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 118 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $3,705,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia The title refers to a joke among hobos during the Great Depression that the world's best hobo was Emperor of the North Pole, a way of poking fun at their own desperate situation since somebody ruling over the North Pole would be ruling over a wasteland. See more »
Goofs The switch is not thrown for the mail express train to pass by Shack's train as it just enters the junction. In those days, not having the switch thrown would have derailed the mail train. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Means of Survival: Christopher Knopf on Robert Aldrich's 'Emperor of the North' and Writing in Hollywood (2017). See more »
Soundtracks A Man and a Train See more »
Quotes A no. 1: [At the end of the movie, A No. 1 throws Cigaret off of the train, into a pond, and shouts to him from the train] Hey kid you got no class. Hit the bums, kid. Run like the devil. Get a tin can and take up mooching. Knock on back doors for a nickel.
A no. 1: Tell them your story. Make 'em weep. You could have been a meat-eater, kid. But you didn't listen to me when I laid it down.
A no. 1: Stay off the tracks. Forget it. Its a bum's world for a bum. You'll never be Emperor of the North Pole, kid. You had the juice, kid, but not the heart and they go together. You're all gas and no feel, and nobody can teach you that, not even A-No.1. So stay off the train, she'll throw you under for sure. Remember me for that. So long, kid.
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