THE CALL OF THE WILD, Jack London’s 232-page 1903 novel has been done more than a half dozen times on film since the silent era, the best-known and still most atmospheric and entertaining version coming in 1935. Directed by no-nonsense William A. Wellman, it stars Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Jack Oakie and a darn impressive St. Bernard named Buck, as the immortal ‘Buck’ of London’s classic story.

“Quiet everybody! Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please! You’re about to take your last look at Mr. Thornton’s handsome smiling face! So make the most of it you weasels!”  The first line in the movie, challenged out by Gable’s ‘Jack Thornton,’ in a rowdy Skagway barroom in 1900. The rough & ready Gold Rush atmosphere is immediately locked in: those old-time directors (Wellman, Ford, Hawks & brethren) could stage wild frontier saloon scenes as works of testosteronal art.

Having blown his winnings at poker (a he-manly thing, in this instance) Jack’s at loose ends until amiable fellow prospector ‘Shorty Hoolihan’ (Oakie) reveals a map to a distant strike and a handshake partnership to get there. They procure a dangerous brute of a dog for their sled team, a snarling St. Bernard named Buck. En route to their hoped-for pot of yellow moola Jack tames and bonds with Buck, and the guys come across beautiful ‘Claire Blake’, alone in the wilderness and bereft, her husband lost and likely a goner. After some initial friction between Jack and Claire, the trio (and Buck) combine forces and go for the gold. Obstacles include cruel competitor ‘Mr. Smith’ (Reginald Owen) and his scurvy minions, and the ‘call of the wild’ in the form of wolves, one of whom brings out the alpha in Buck. Cabin fever of a warmer—if still primitive—kind weaves a spell over Jack & Claire.

The adaptation by Gene Fowler and Leonard Praskins plays fast & loose with London’s storyline, so literary purists may bark at the Hollywood moon, but the star chemistry, bracing scenery (that great ‘sense of being there’ element) and the rowdy adventure tone make for a good, old-fashioned entertainment. The production was decamped in Washington State around Mount Baker (in December and January, double brrr..) and Lake Chelan, in California (Mammoth Lakes, Big Bear and Feather River) and in Nevada by Lake Tahoe.

Gable, 34, is in his comfortably virile element, whether facing down adversaries (Owen is a quite nasty bad guy), roistering with joker Oakie, spatting and sparking with lovely Loretta, or playfully tussling with king-sized Buck (movie star & co-mutt hit it off). Young, 22, is fresh, beaming and bright (though one wonders where the makeup and extra garments came from–hey, it’s a movie, not a documentary). Oakie, 31, is asked to push the comedy relief button too often, but he’s good at it, so damage is minimal. There are  exciting passages of river crossings and raft & canoe calamities, some too-close-for-comfort moments with big irate canines and the famous scene of Buck heroically dragging a 1,000 pound sled 100 yards to win a crucial bet for Jack.

At the box office the outing did okay, $2,500,000 and 51st place. Gable fans had a bonus that year, with adventures Mutiny On The Bounty (#1) and China Seas (#5) and After Office Hours, a mystery-comedy tagging 61st. Young likewise had her full slate with The Crusades (#9), Clive Of India (#66) and Shanghai, trailing at 145th. We’ll leave the covered-up Clark+Loretta tale for others to wag.

95 minutes, with Frank Conroy, Katherine DeMille, Sidney Toler, James Burke, Charles Stevens and Lalo Encinas.