North To Alaska is John Wayne’s “western” which pairs him up with television comedic pioneer Ernie Covacs. Alright, so in the film Wayne’s Sam McCord is actually partnered with Stewart Granger’s George Pratt. The two are mining in Alaska and after striking gold George stays to guard the mine while Sam heads to Seattle to get supplies and get George’s fiancé. Only that fiancé went ahead and got married, so Sam brings back a substitute instead. Add into the mix is pop star Fabian as George’s younger brother, French model Capucine as the substitute fiancé and Ernie Kovacs as a conman trying to steal Sam and Georges claim.
For some reason the film runs a full two hours. It’s as if North To Alaska doesn’t know if it wants to be a rugged action film or a romantic comedy. You can tell the producers and screenwriters were throwing virtually everything they could at the screen. Thankfully the film is lighthearted enough and the leads are all pleasant enough to watch. It may be predictable and overly long, but this is entertainment, and that’s what movies were meant to be.
John Wayne isn’t a great comedic actor, but he can be a serviceable straight man. He didn’t do many comedies, and it’s easy to see why. His chemistry with Capucine is not very clear and Fabian made a lot of movies but he’s known for his musical contributions for a reason. It might seem that there’s a lot working against the film, and there is, but for some reason North To Alaska is enjoyable despite itself – if you know what you’re getting yourself into.
A lone newsreel clip about the film’s opening is the only special feature on this Blu-ray. Previously available as part of a John Wayne box set on DVD there isn’t a heck of a lot of reason to upgrade, unfortunately. If you don’t have it and are a fan of John Wayne, then you will want this.