John Wayne starred alongside Stewart Granger in the 1960 Western, North to Alaska, which proved to be the funniest movie of his career, but also often underrated. Recognized as one of the most successful actors to ever emerge from Hollywood’s Golden Age, John Wayne made a name for himself in the movie industry for his roles across the war and Western genres, from his first leading role in The Big Trial (1930), all the way through to his final movie, The Shootist (1976). Some of John Wayne’s best movies include Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and The Quiet Man (1952).
Although he did appear in several dramas and starred alongside Maureen O’Hara in five movies across the romance and comedy genres, the actor arguably found his biggest success in the Western genre — John Wayne starred in more than 80 Westerns across a 53-year-long career. John Wayne’s most career-defining movies in the Western genre include Ford Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956), and True Grit (1969), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor and established him as a legendary Hollywood star. Many of John Wayne’s movies achieved box office success and were critically acclaimed, but this 1960 movie stands out as his best comedic performance.
How North To Alaska Is Different From Most John Wayne Westerns
North To Alaska Was Directed By Henry Hathaway
Directed by Henry Hathaway, North to Alaska stars John Wayne as “Big” Sam McCord, who strikes it rich in Alaska with his business partner, George Pratt (Stewart Granger). Their financial success results in George sending Sam to Seattle to collect his long-time fiancé, Jenny. Upon discovering Jenny is already married, Sam decides to bring another woman, Angel (Capucine), in her place but soon questions his own feelings for her. Meanwhile, Sam and George must fight to keep their newly acclaimed riches from falling into the hands of Frankie Cannon (Ernie Kovacs), a conman who wants their money for himself.
What makes North to Alaska stand out among John Wayne’s list of Westerns is that the movie presents itself as a romantic comedy as opposed to a serious Western movie. Unlike other Westerns, it is more light-hearted and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Director Henry Hathaway explained that he wanted North to Alaska to offer something different to viewers than was seen in previous Westerns and chose to remove all melodramatic moments from his original script and add more humor and emphasis on the characterization, stating that “the situations [became] funny within the legitimate story” (via Variety).
John Wayne Proved His Talent For Comedy In North To Alaska
North to Alaska Stood Out Among Wayne’s Other Western Movies
Although John Wayne’s performances in the Western genre solidified him as one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars, he faced some criticism for what many perceived as the same character throughout all of his movies. One notable example was when Wayne played the character, Stoney Brooke, eight times across The Mesquiteers franchise in a span of two years. Wayne responded to the criticism in a 1969 interview, saying “they give me that John Wayne stuff so much, claim I always play the same role” while also highlighting he played different characters in The Quiet Man and Yellow Ribbon (via Roger Ebert).
The movie North to Alaska allowed him the opportunity to further expand his ability to play the romantic lead, as seen through Wayne’s movies with Angie Dickinson, and explore his comedic skills through his overly dramatic and self-referential portrayal of “Big” Sam McCord. Wayne’s comedic timing throughout the movie was widely praised, with critics pointing out that his performance “subtly parodied his distinctive mannerisms and the way he played a Western hero” (via Movie Metropolis). While significantly underrated compared, North to Alaska allowed John Wayne to portray somebody different from his more serious Westerns.
Sources: Variety, Roger Ebert, Movie Metropolis
