William Wellman almost always delivered well-crafted films that were a cut above the usual studio fare. Call of the Wild is no exception, with its meticulous recreation of mining towns, exceptional outdoor photography in rugged locations, and carefully developed relationship between Clark Gable and his dog, Buck.
I'll offer two caveats. One is in response to the numerous reviews citing Gable and Loretta Young's "torrid love affair" behind the scenes. In her later years, according to family members, Young said Gable had raped her. If this is true, and there seems no reason to doubt it, then the "torrid love affair" was actually an abusive situation. Perhaps Young's uneasiness in her early scenes with Gable reflects her offscreen feelings more accurately than her flirtation later on.
The other caveat involves the film's ending. It's abrupt, too upbeat for the rest of the picture, and offers a disappointing racial slur, as both Gable and Jack Oakie refer to an Indian woman as "it." ("I won it in a card game.") After a story arc that stresses Gable's gradual humanization, it's baffling that the character would revert to his old, shallow ways just to give the audience a cheap laugh.
I've read that this scene was filmed at the last minute after a preview audience rejected a more downbeat ending in which Oakie died, but I can't confirm this. I hope it's true, because I'd prefer to think the ending was forced on Wellman by the studio. It takes the movie down a notch, but Gable's Alaska adventure is still a trip worth taking.
I'll offer two caveats. One is in response to the numerous reviews citing Gable and Loretta Young's "torrid love affair" behind the scenes. In her later years, according to family members, Young said Gable had raped her. If this is true, and there seems no reason to doubt it, then the "torrid love affair" was actually an abusive situation. Perhaps Young's uneasiness in her early scenes with Gable reflects her offscreen feelings more accurately than her flirtation later on.
The other caveat involves the film's ending. It's abrupt, too upbeat for the rest of the picture, and offers a disappointing racial slur, as both Gable and Jack Oakie refer to an Indian woman as "it." ("I won it in a card game.") After a story arc that stresses Gable's gradual humanization, it's baffling that the character would revert to his old, shallow ways just to give the audience a cheap laugh.
I've read that this scene was filmed at the last minute after a preview audience rejected a more downbeat ending in which Oakie died, but I can't confirm this. I hope it's true, because I'd prefer to think the ending was forced on Wellman by the studio. It takes the movie down a notch, but Gable's Alaska adventure is still a trip worth taking.