Call of the Wild **** (1935, Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Jack Oakie, Reginald Owen, Frank Conroy, Sidney Toler) – Classic Movie Review 5497

Producer Darryl F Zanuck at the Twentieth Century studio sidelines much of the incident of Jack London’s famous great outdoors action-adventure novel in favour of Clark Gable romancing Loretta Young. But this robust and lusty Alaskan Western is chock full with tasty ingredients like gold prospectors (Gable, Jack Oakie), grasping baddies (particularly Reginald Owen as Mr Smith) and a lovable part wolf sled dog called Buck.

Gable is on top form as gold prospector Jack Thornton in William Wellman’s 1935 movie, based on screen-writers Gene Fowler and Leonard Praskins’s script. Jack heads for the Yukon with ‘Shorty’ Hoolihan (Oakie) and on the way rescues Claire Blake (Young), sparking a fine romance.

[Spoiler alert] Gable’s character was originally killed off, but, after poor reactions at preview screenings, the ending was hastily re-shot, with the new upbeat ending helping to turn the movie into a big hit.

It is the last Twentieth Century film before the studio’s merger with Fox to become 20th Century Fox.

Also in the cast are Frank Conroy, Sidney Toler, Katherine DeMille, James Burke, Charles Stevens, Russ Powell and Herman Bing.

It runs only 89 minutes, is shot in black and white by Charles Rosher and scored by Alfred Newman.

It was remade as Call of the Wild in 1972 with Charlton Heston and Michèle Mercier. Other versions: in 1976 with John Beck; in 1992 with Rick Schroder; and in 2009 with Christopher Lloyd, Timothy Bottoms, and Veronica Cartwright.

Producer Darryl F Zanuck greenlit a follow-up at 20th Century Fox, White Fang (1936).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5497

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