Where the North Begins
Cast & Crew
Howard Bretherton
Russell Hayden
Jennifer Holt
Tristram Coffin
Denver Pyle
Steve Barclay
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Caribou, in remote northwestern Canada, greedy Mitch Arnold, who with his band of outlaws has been trading cheap, illegal whiskey to the local Indians in exchange for their valuable furs, drives yet another honest store owner out of town. At the same time, Henri, one of Arnold's men, sees a Mountie riding toward Caribou and prepares to shoot him. Before he fires, however, Henri is stopped by cohort Jeff Regan, who insists that murdering the officer will only cause more trouble for the gang. Unaware that his life has been spared, the Mountie, Sgt. David "Lucky" Sanderson, then rescues attractive Mary Rockwell from a bear trap and delivers her to her brother Jim, known as "Rocky," in town. Unknown to both Mary and Lucky, hotel owner Rocky is a member of Arnold's gang, having become entangled in his criminal activities while living in Calgary. Later, Arnold threatens to expose Rocky's participation in a Calgary bank robbery unless Rocky agrees to use Mary to trap Lucky. Following Arnold's orders, Rocky asks Mary to tell Lucky about a shipment of whiskey that will be arriving at Willow Creek, just outside Caribou. Meanwhile, Jeff, who is actually a Mountie working undercover, rides to the Indian camp where Lucky is staying and apprises him of Arnold's operation. When Mary then arrives with Rocky's "tip," Lucky agrees to investigate, and the next morning, rides to Willow Creek. Before he gets there, Jeff, who has bowed out of the ambush on the pretext that his horse has pulled a tendon, finds Lucky and warns him. Lucky decides to confront the outlaws and takes one, Fergus, by surprise. While Lucky and Fergus fight, Rocky tries to shoot Lucky, but hits Fergus instead. When Lucky then rides into Caribou with Fergus' body, Arnold deduces that the Mountie had been tipped off and inspects Jeff's horse. That night, Arnold accuses Jeff of being a Mountie and kills him. After Jeff's funeral, which is conducted by both the Indians and Lucky, Lucky accuses a shocked Mary of being in league with Arnold. Mary denies the charge and volunteers to ride with Lucky to Willow Creek, where Rocky and the outlaws are trading whiskey with the Indians. Lucky arrests Rocky, but as they are traveling back to Caribou, Rocky escapes. Lucky shoots the fleeing Rocky in the shoulder, then rescues him from a creek when he jumps in to avoid capture. Wearing Lucky's Mountie coat, the wet, wounded Rocky then returns to Caribou, where Arnold mistakes him for Lucky and shoots him. As he lays dying, a repentent Rocky tells Mary that Arnold killed Jeff. Hearing that Arnold still plans to ambush Lucky in Caribou, Mary rides off to warn the Mountie. Once again, Lucky chooses to confront the outlaws and tricks them into believing they have shot him. Lucky then instigates a gunfight and pursues the fleeing Arnold on horseback. After Lucky shoots Arnold, the outlaw falls from his horse and dies on top of Jeff's grave. Later, Lucky proposes to Mary, who happily accepts.
Director
Howard Bretherton
Cast
Russell Hayden
Jennifer Holt
Tristram Coffin
Denver Pyle
Steve Barclay
Artie Ortego
Keith Richards
Anthony Warde
Frank Hagney
Chris Willow Bird
J. W. Cody
Crew
Elizabeth Burbridge
Robert Cowan
Albert Deano
Robert Farfan
Albert Glasser
Carl K. Hittleman
Everett Israelson
Benjamin Kline
Paul Landres
Robert L. Lippert
Ray Mercer
Yolanda Molinari
Maury Nunes
Leslie Schwabacher
Ben Winkler
Alvin Wyckoff
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Code of the North. Although the name of James Oliver Curwood, who specialized in stories about Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, appears above the title in the opening credits, the film was not actually taken from any of his works but, as noted in contemporary sources, was based on original screen material. The Daily Variety review credits producer Carl K. Hittleman and Harold Klein with original story, but their contribution to the completed film has not been confirmed. Actor Tristram Coffin's first name is misspelled "Tristrom" in both the opening and end credits. Actor Chris Willow Bird's name is listed as just Willow Bird in the opening credits. A Hollywood Reporter production chart and news item lists Bill Smith in the cast, but his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. According to Hollywood Reporter, some scenes in the film were shot at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley, CA.
