Customer Reviews

Clark Gable in Jack London's Call Of The Wild (Region One USA DVD)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sadly this DVD of William Wellman's 1935 version of The Call of the Wild is only the cut (by some 14 minutes) wartime reissue version rather than the original. Any resemblance to anything written by Jack London is purely coincidental: it's set in the Yukon, and there's a dog called Buck in it who has to pull a thousand pound weight in one scene for a bet, but that's about it. But this Buck is a huge St Bernard and he's only a bit player in a gold rush romp tailored for Clark Gable - but then at the height of his popularity, audiences would probably have burned the theatres to the ground if he'd played second fiddle to a hound. More famous for Gable and co-star Loretta Young emerging from the snowed-in on-location shoot with an illegitimate child, it's an enjoyable enough yarn even in the abridged reissue cut that now seems to be the only version surviving, although it shamefully throws away Reginald Owen's excellent villain, who deserves a much better exit than he gets here.

A decent extras package includes an audio commentary by Darwin Porter; stills gallery, restoration comparison, reissue trailer, and trailers for The Tall Men and Soldier of Fortune.

The DVD edition - to me - is very good. Course it is B&W - but one admires the quality of the photography. I wanted it more for my grandchildren than anything else. I want them to appreciate how good an old fashion movie can be without the modern inability to express ones' thoughts and actions without explicatives and being undressed.

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation presents "CALL OF THE WILD" (1935) (95 min/B&W) -- Starring: Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Jack Oakie, Reginald Owen, Frank Conroy, Katherine DeMille, Sidney Toler, James Burke, Charles Stevens

Directed by William A. Wellman

The plot and story line has Clark Gable and Jack Oakie headed for gold in them thar hills. Gable purchases a sled dog Buck who is part wolf and saves his life once or twice during the film. Loretta Young is searching for her husband Frank Conroy who leaves her to search for another clear vein of gold. A closeness develops between Gable and Young during the journey, when Gable realizes he must help find her husband and makes things right.

The interaction between Gable, Young and Oakie has a moral and lifting ingredient not found in todays films.

Once again Gable steals the scenes as part hero, devil may care and honorable character that he is.

BIOS:
1. . William A. Wellman [Director]
Date of Birth: 29 February 1896 - Brookline, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 9 December 1975 - Los Angeles, California

2. Clark Gable
Date of birth: 1 February 1901 - Cadiz, Ohio,
Date of death: 16 November 1960 - Los Angeles, California

3. Loretta Young (aka: Gretchen Young)
Date of birth: 6 January 1913 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Date of death: 12 August 2000 - Los Angeles, California

5. Jack Oakie (aka: Lewis Delaney Offield)
Date of birth: 12 November 1903 - Sedalia, Missouri
Date of death: 23 January 1978 - Los Angeles, California

4. Jack London (aka: John Griffith Chaney) (Author)
Date of birth: 12 January 1876 - San Francisco, California,
Date of death: 22 November 1916 - Glen Ellen, California

* Special footnote: -- actor Clark Gable was signed in 1930 by MGM's Irving Thalberg. Joan Crawford asked for him as co-star in "Dance, Fools, Dance" (1931) and the public loved him manhandling Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul" (1931) the same year. "The Painted Desert" (1931). His unshaven lovemaking with bra-less Jean Harlow in "Red Dust" (1932) made him MGM's most important star --- "Dancing Lady" (1933) Gable refused an assignment and the studio punished him by loaning him out to (at the time) low-rent Columbia Pictures, which put him in Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night" (1934), which won him an Oscar,

Gable was quoted "The only reason they come to see me is that I know life is great - and they know I know it, I'm no actor and I never have been, what people see on the screen is me." --- it was fellow friend and actor Spencer Tracy who dubbed Gable as "The King".

** Also available in this collection -- Clark Gable Collection (Call of the Wild / Soldier of Fortune / The Tall Men)

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 95 min on DVD ~ Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation ~ (August 15, 2006)

.....Gable is in his element as the macho rugged outdoorsman and adventurer ...Loretta Young is captivating as the conflicted woman loved by two men ...the chemisty between Gable and Young came through the screen and was probably fueled by their real life affair while shooting the movie ...the ending had a Casablanca flair with the two lovers going separate ways because of commitment to principles and honor ...this is a five star gem and movie worth watching over and over.

This review refers to the DVD version of the 1935 Call of the Wild film starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young.

First, the movie: as well as I can recall the book, this film deviates from it in several areas (so should be considered to be "based on" it), with excellent performances by the major players. Buck (the dog) is portrayed by a St Bernard, as he was supposed to be a St Bernard cross.

Second, the DVD: The DVD was either transcribed from a pristine copy of the film, or a fair bit of restoration was done. It is VERY clean, free of vertical (film gate) scratches and other artifacts.

In all, a pleasure to watch. Clark Gable in Jack London's Call Of The Wild (Region One USA DVD)

I had been looking for this and finally found it at Amazon it was a great movie with Clark Gable and Loretta Young they conceived a child they were snowed in for several weeks she went away until after the baby was born and pass it off as adopted he seen her once. It was never told until she died and a autobiography was released. I would love to know the childs name.

this is a very good clark gable movie but this is the cut verison 81 min. the uncut version runs for 95 min.i wish fox studios would put out the 95 min. version but they didnt this is still a very good movie to watch. i enjoy watching these old black an white movies keep bring more of these kind of movies out on dvd.

This is a great movie. Fast shipping, Saturday night at the movies "nice" Thanks , keep up the great movie. And in B&W Thanks Again.

The reason I purchased this movie was it was not available for rental. I was curious to see if the movie's stars, Gable and Young displayed any romantic chemistry. Many years after he had passed on, Young admitted that she and Gable had an affair while making this movie. The book was more about the dog than the humans. Gable and Young were excellent actors but this was not their best work. The dog and the second banana, Oakie stole most of the scenes. Back in the 1930's all these actors worked under contract for the big studios and ground out movies like this all the time.
The ending was silly, almost like the director said to the screen writer,"how do we end this turkey".

Loved this movie. Give u an insight of how thing were in Alaska in the early 1900. Great story line the movie will keep your interest. Enjoyed the commentary. From this Movie the daughter of both actors was conceived.