North to Alaska

North to Alaska is a 1960 comedic Western/Northern film directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). The picture stars Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian, and Capucine. The script is based on the 1939 play Birthday Gift by Ladislas Fodor and is set during the Nome gold rush. The film featured Johnny Horton's song "North to Alaska", sung during the opening titles, setting up an introduction to the story. Plot In 1901, after finding gold while panning in Nome, Alaska, on their claim, brothers George and Billy Pratt and partner Sam McCord have become rich. Sam plans to travel to Seattle, to purchase mining equipment; George also asks Sam to bring back his fiancée, Jenny Lamont, a French girl whom George has never met but has corresponded with for three years. Sam is disgusted by marriage, which he considers tantamount to slavery, and cannot understand why George would willingly seek matrimony, but he reluctantly agrees. Frankie Cannon, a recently arrived conman, runs into Sam in town and attempts to swindle him out of some of his money before he leaves. After arriving in Seattle and finding that George's girl has already married another man, Sam brings back prostitute "Angel" as a substitute, giving her the gifts originally intended for Jenny. However, Angel misunderstands Sam's intentions, believing that Sam's offer is for her to be with Sam; during a reunion picnic of Sam's old logging friends the following day, Angel becomes enamored of Sam, who treats her like a respectable lady. On the boat trip, Angel learns of the misunderstanding. Sam intends for her to return to Seattle, but she disembarks at Nome, and plans to stay at the hotel until the return boat arrives. Since Sam has been gone, Frankie has become the owner of the hotel, having won it from the previous owner in a game of cards. It is revealed that Frankie and Angel know each other from their past lives, and that Angel was formerly Frankie's girl. Refusing to stay in the hotel and become Frankie's girl again, Angel stages a fake fight, storms out of the hotel, and travels with Sam to the homestead where he and the Pratts live.