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Call of the Wild

Play trailer Poster for Call of the Wild Released Aug 9, 1935 1h 25m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
This early adaptation of the classic Jack London novel follows Jack Thornton (Clark Gable) as he travels across Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. When he finds another Yukon-bound man, who treats his sled dogs cruelly, Jack purchases a dog named Buck, who leads the way toward the gold. But Jack reconsiders his journey when he finds Claire Blake (Loretta Young), a woman recently abandoned by her husband in the Alaskan wilderness, and the couple develops a romance.
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Call of the Wild

Critics Reviews

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Pare Lorentz McCall's Considering the rip-roaring Northwest epics of the old silent days, you would reasonably expect The Call of the Wild to be a robust spectacle... It falls so short of being even faintly wild, however, that it has a peculiar charm about it. Oct 30, 2023 Full Review Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine Slightly preposterous, but good entertainment. Aug 1, 2019 Full Review Helen Brown Norden Vanity Fair I don't know whether or not Darryl Zanuck meant it that way, but Twentieth Century's production of The Call of the Wild is certainly a comedy. At any rate, Jack London must be whirling in his grave. Jun 12, 2019 Full Review James Plath Movie Metropolis Jack London's The Call of the Wild has been a difficult book to adapt to film, but this William Wellman-directed entry is still the best. It's probably one of the more interesting films from the first half of the '30s. Rated: 7/10 Dec 10, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Max W Although it veers far from the themes intended in the original novel, the chemistry between Clark Gable and Loretta Young, along with Jack Oakie's brilliant performance, bestows this romantic comedy with commendable aspects in devoting more screen time to character development. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/29/23 Full Review Steve D I hate The Call of the Wild. Good thing this is nothing like it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Clark Gable is the perfect actor for this part. He inserts himself, no attempt at upstaging, he brings all of the rest of the cast into the story. This is REAL acting. As though it was in front of a live audience. We do not see this in today's movies. Princess Leah is dead, but she lives on in CGI. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member 170401: Not as impactful as I had hoped. Remember reading the book when I was young and it was so good. This film version, not so much. The story is not focused on Buck but rather buddies Jack Thornton (Clark Gable) & Shorty Hoolihan (Jack Oakie) and their experiences during the Klondike Gold Rush. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member this was pretty good... Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched this American adventure film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Clark Gable, Loretta Young, and Jack Oakie, before and decided to revisit it and write this review. Based on Jack London's novel of the same name, the film omits all but one of the book's story lines! This was the third screen version of the popular Jack London's classic adventure story but the first with sound. And where you find Clark Gable, it was impossible not to have a love story (which wasn't in the book). A prospector heading for the Alaska gold fields loses most of his money gambling. His luck changes when he pays $250 for a sled dog to keep him from being shot by an arrogant Englishman, who is also headed for the Yukon. The prospector and his friend head off for the Yukon with a map showing the location of a major gold mine. Along the way, they rescue a woman whose missing husband owned the original map. After the dog wins them a thousand dollars used to purchase supplies, the three continue north in search of the gold mine. There was a lot of real drama connected to this film. This was the last film released under the 20th Century Pictures' banner before it merged with Fox Film Corporation to create 20th Century-Fox, and during the filming of The Call of the Wild, Clark Gable and Loretta Young had an affair that resulted in Young's hushed-up pregnancy and the birth of their daughter Judy Lewis (1935-2011). The film doesn't even come close to the book in quality and excitement, but it is a solid piece of work from its time... especially the first half hour of it! If you want to see a little bit more about the life on the frontier in the US around 1900, not bad for beginners! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Call of the Wild

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Movie Info

Synopsis This early adaptation of the classic Jack London novel follows Jack Thornton (Clark Gable) as he travels across Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. When he finds another Yukon-bound man, who treats his sled dogs cruelly, Jack purchases a dog named Buck, who leads the way toward the gold. But Jack reconsiders his journey when he finds Claire Blake (Loretta Young), a woman recently abandoned by her husband in the Alaskan wilderness, and the couple develops a romance.
Director
William A. Wellman
Producer
Darryl F Zanuck
Screenwriter
Gene Fowler, Jack London, Leonard Praskins
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
20th Century Fox
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 9, 1935, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 20, 2015
Runtime
1h 25m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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