Mae as Frisco Doll and Sister Annie of Nome

weezeralfalfa

There have been various movies about the Klondike gold rush, but this isn't one. Nome, of course, is nowhere near the Klondike, not even in the same country. There was a smaller gold rush to Nome at about the same time. Later, there would be a much better known movie about the Nome rush, called "The Spoilers". I liked the present film, as well. In addition to Mae, the presence of Victor McLaglen as a lead player is a major plus.

I found the song list at this site none too accurate. Most of the songs were performed at a meeting of the Nome mission with town people. Mae did sing "Little Bar Butterfly", but Gene Austin or a small group of men gathered around him, not Mae, sang "Cheer Up, Little Sister", and "It's Better to Give Than to Receive". Also, the unlisted traditional songs Auld Lang Syne" and "There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" were group sings, excluding Mae. Austin composed all the new songs and played the organ for all the songs above. In addition, Mae sang "Mister Deep Blue Sea" and "I'm an Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for Love". For this last song, she was on stage in a very fancy outfit and oriental -looking headpiece, with a big sun-like circle behind her, that served to center her.. The first song listed as sung by Mae: "My Medicine Man", I didn't detect.

The Hays Commission did at least one major disservice to the film in cutting out the scene where Mae and her master, Chan Lo, struggle with a knife and she accidentally stabs him a fatal wound in self defense. This sets the stage for the rest of the film, and we only learn about it later. The reason Chan tried to kill her was that he intercepted a note to her relating her ambition to go to Alaska and weasel some of the gold from the miners. Just how she ended up a virtual prisoner of Chan for a year is not discussed. Any way, fearing she will be charged with murder, she flees on the first ship available for Alaska, which is a freighter captained by the always interesting McLaglen, known as Bull Brackett, who takes an immediate liking to her. At first he's angry when he receives a letter saying she's wanted for murder, but he's so infatuated with her, he decides not to turn her in. The same is true of the Nome harbor inspector, who romances Mae some before he discovers she's actually the wanted Frisco Doll, suspected of having gone to Alaska. Mae decides to leave Nome with McLaglen, so that the inspector hopefully won't loose his job for failing to report her.

Between these events, to hide her identity in Nome, she switches clothes with sister Annie Alden and assumes her identity after Annie dies of a heart attack on board the ship. Mae then proceeds to make considerable progress in cleaning up the seamy side of Nome society. She wanted to stay longer, but her problem with the inspector induced her to sail with McLaglen, requesting that he take her to San Francisco to stand trial, hopefully being judged not guilty. Good luck!

As always in her films, Mae struts around like a peacock, throwing out snide remarks here and there. For example, McLaglen says "Ill be back later". Mae replies "The later, the better". When shown a Nome dance hall, she remarks "I suppose they have to dance to keep warm in Alaska".

score 7/10

weezeralfalfa 3 February 2017

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3632668/