Klondike Annie *** (1936, Mae West, Victor McLaglen, Phillip Reed) – Classic Movie Review 7503

Director Raoul Walsh’s 1936 musical comedy Western is Mae West’s sixth movie vehicle from the time of her unexpected huge stardom. The screenplay is by the star, based on her play Frisco Kate by Mae West, with a story by Marion Morgan and George B Dowell.

West plays singer Rose Carlton, a chantoose also called The Frisco Doll, who is on the run from the law after accidentally killing a man and hides out in the Yukon as a Salvation Army missionary, Sister Annie Alden.

Mae West is on good form and helped by co-star Victor McLaglen, who works well with her, sharing attractive oddball screen chemistry. Mae’s character is supposed to have killed her Chinese lover and to have jumped onto ship’s captain Bull Brackett (McLaglen)’s freighter. Philip Reed plays a cop, Police Inspector Jack Forrest, who is of course just as excited by Mae as McLaglen is.

Ms West ensures she has plenty of good lines and interesting situations as she wrote the script. The songs include ‘Cheer Up Little Sister’, ‘I Hear You Knockin’’, ‘It’s Never Too Late to Say No’, and ‘Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for Love’.

Also in the cast are Helen Jerome Eddy, Harry Beresford, Harold Huber, Soo Young, Lucille Webster Gleason [Lucile Gleason], Esther Howard, Soo Yong, Ted Oliver, John Rogers, James Burke, Chester Gan and Jack Daley.

Klondike Annie is directed by Raoul Walsh, runs 80 minutes, is made and released by Paramount, is written by Mae West, is shot in black and white by George T Clemens, is produced by Henry Herzbrun (executive producer) and William LeBaron, is scored by John Leipold, Tom Satterfield and Victor Young, and is designed by Hans Dreier and Bernard Herzbrun.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7503

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