CALL OF THE YUKON (1938) Richard Arlen & Beverly Roberts | Action, Adventure, Drama | B&W

Call of the Yukon is a 1938 American action adventure film produced and released by Republic Pictures, directed by John T. Coyle and B. Reeves Eason and starring Richard Arlen, Beverly Roberts and Lyle Talbot. The film features extensive Alaskan location shooting by Norman Dawn who shot several films there. The film is based on the 1926 novel Swift Lightning A Story Of Wildlife Adventure In The Frozen North by Northern genre writer James Oliver Curwood. The film's working titles were Thunder in Alaska and Swift Lightning.

SYNOPSIS
A fur trader guides a writer and her animals to safety in the Yukon territory when wolves are about to attack.

Adventuring author Jean Williams is living in the wilds of Alaska alongside the Eskimo people gathering material for her novel. She befriends several animals who become her loyal friends such as a pair of bear cubs whose mother has been killed by hunter Gaston Rogers, a talking raven and the bereaved collie Firefly who will not leave the grave of her master, a game warden killed in the line of duty.

The community is imperiled by a pack of wolves and wild dogs, led by a wild dog called Swift Lightning, who are killing all the reindeer. With the supply of fresh meat gone, the Eskimos are migrating to lands with more food. Hunter Gaston agrees to take Jean to Nenana, Alaska, along with his furs by dog sled. Jean, who despises Gaston as being more savage and bloodthirsty than the four-legged predators, is followed by her loyal animals.

The pair face attacks by wolves, an avalanche, and being trapped on a river whose ice floes are melting.

CAST & CREW
Richard Arlen as Gaston Rogers
Beverly Roberts as Jean Williams
Lyle Talbot as Hugo Henderson
Mala as Olee John
Garry Owen as Conner
Ivan Miller as O'Malley
Billy Dooley as Watchman
Al St. John as Joe
Emory Parnell as Swenson
Swift Lightning
Firefly the Collie
Buck, The St. Bernard
Toughie the Bear
Roughie the Bear
Winkey the Talking Raven

Directed by John T. Coyle (co-director), B. Reeves Eason (co-director)
Written by James Oliver Curwood (novel Swift Lightning), Gertrude Orr (screenplay), William Bartlett (screenplay)
Produced by Armand Schaefer
Cinematography Ernest Miller
Edited by Howard O'Neill
Music by Alberto Colombo
Production company Republic Pictures
Distributed by Republic Pictures
Release date April 18, 1938
Running time 70 minutes
Country United States
Language English