Arctic Flight

This B-movie rises above it's limitations to make an exciting, unusual thriller Set in in Alaska, with at least some location work, surprising for a Monogram picture, it feels cold just watching it. The background is populated with Eskimos/Inuits which helps, although the story involves white people. Reliable Wayne Morris is a freelance pilot, hired by jolly Alan Hale to help help hunt down a polar bear, for sporting reasons. With many references to how close Russia is, and with the Cold War in full flow, it isn't a shock when the plot turns into a spy thriller Lola Albright, always underused by Hollywood, is a feisty frontier gal, who loves Morris The most alarming scenes involve the polar bear hunt, as the beast is ruthlessly shot down and skinned, it's remains discarded on the ice, as Hale claims his trophy. Harsh scenes for modern viewers. But the rest is mostly a fine, tense thriller, directed by veteran Lew Landers, with a sure hand

"Nanook of the North" (1922) was a huge box office hit, that led to Eskimo pies (now sold as Klondike bars), so it's easy to see why Monogram Pictures hoped that this low budget film might do well. It's a mystery that wonderful Lola Albright is here rather than in a series of A list pictures, but this show offers a panoply of 1950s obsessions. Big Wayne Morris sweeps her up into his arms as she kicks her legs reflexively, ready to run if her feet hit the ground, and he ties her to a dogsled, advising her to "Relax and enjoy the trip:" the caveman prevails. A Russian spy is subdued by a one-armed, red-blooded, all-American hero, a myth that continues to resonate about a nation, we're reminded, that borders our own. Reds are poised on the frozen tundra, ready to shoot anything that moves. Sitting in a heated movie theatre, watching people cope with "60 below zero" is another pleasure.

Wayne Morris is a bush pilot up around where the US and the USSR are separated by the couple of miles between Little Diomede Island (the US) and Big Diomede Island (The USSR); from December until June the sea freezes and you can walk between the two. Morris explains all this to Lola Albright, the new schoolteacher on Little Diomede, and they wrangle a bit about his dislike of the Russians and other stuff. But enough of this movie courtship! He has a job flying Alan Hale Jr. Hale wants to shoot a polar bear for a rug.

It's not a great movie, but producer Lindsley Parsons flew the cast and crew up to Little Diomede for some location work. Most of the outdoors stuff has been covered by other movies, but there's some interesting byplay between the old-timers and the natives in a relaxed way. Director Lew Landers directs his performers in a low key fashion that works well.

Wayne Morris (Mike) is a pilot who provides a service on the US side of the arctic zone to those northernmost communities. However, stray a little too far and he could venture into the Russian zone. If this happens, he is dead. Morris is a cautious pilot and does not risk deviation from his flight route. School teacher Lola Albright (Martha) and polar bear hunter Alan Hale Jr (Wetherby) both use his services in this film. You know that something will go wrong but what...?

The film has a good setting amongst the remote Eskimo settlements and it is interesting to note that people live in these places. It also has cool places to go - they have a bar! It advertises itself as a cocktail bar but realistically, you can only get whiskey. And the film's highlight occurs at this bar when we see the Eskimos partying. And it's authentic. They all sit around singing the same rhythm whilst a few of them get up on the dancefloor and cut some shapes. What you are watching is an Eskimo rave - check out the moves. All without jukebox music - they make their own.

The film trucks along but there is a lack of excitement. It is a spy story and whilst the cast do ok, Albright is a horrible character. She put me off the film and certainly doesn't invest you in the boy/girl romance that she is involved in. We also get some gratuitous fighting in scenes that should be over in seconds but are strung out unrealistically.

It's an ok film. I'm glad I've seen it but don't intend to watch it again. A better film that is set amongst Innuit communities in the Arctic is 'The White Reindeer' from the same year. It's a Finnish film and involves the supernatural.

Mike Wien (Wayne Morris) is a bush pilot in Alaska. He's contracted to fly Martha Raymond (Lola Albright) out to Little Diomede Island. She's the new teacher for the small native community right next to the Russians on Big Diomede Island. Everybody is worried about the Russians. Wien's next client is wealthy John W. Wetherby (Alan Hale Jr.) on a polar bear hunt. It turns out that he's a Russian spy.

This movie faces the difficulty of faking the Arctic Circle. To be fair, it does do a lot of filming at the location, but that's why the studio work looks so fake. None of the interiors look lived in. The bar may as well be in a western. It is a B-movie after all. That can't be helped. I do wonder about recording dialogue outside in the snow. It may be something technical or budgetary that they have to add that stuff later. As for the story, it moves a little too slow for my taste. It's a romantic melodrama for the most part with Wetherby sticking his nose into the couple's lukewarm flirting. The movie does have a lot of native people doing background work and that's fine for its times. I would prefer to have Wetherby outed much earlier and this movie turning into a thriller, a mano a mano in the snow.