Spawn of the North

Fishermen buddies Henry Fonda (Jim) and George Raft (Tyler) meet up in Alaskan waters when Raft gives Fonda a business proposition to move away from fishing Alaskan salmon and join him for bigger profits. Raft is set on buying a bigger boat and just needs to make the purchase. However, Fonda has settled into his own business and is now very much part of the Alaskan village community. Raft needs to make money fast - he wants his new boat. Akim Tamiroff (Red) is the Russian bad guy who steals fish from everyone else's traps and George Raft allies himself with this evil-doer. This brings him into conflict with Fonda.

The film is ok. It is also too long and a bit boring and we've seen the story before - a buddy-buddy movie where friends fall out. The best in the cast is Tamiroff followed by barmaid Dorothy Lamour (Nicky) who is Raft's girlfriend. Raft and Lamour are a more interesting couple than Fonda and snooty Louise Platt (Di). John Barrymore is also put into the mix as Platt's father and pretty much plays an old drunkard who thinks he's eloquent. The standout moment for me comes one evening when the Alaskan Indians perform a salmon ceremony to encourage a good fishing season. The chanting is quite haunting and provides a memorable occasion.

At the film's start, we see a documentary montage showing the wildlife - salmon and bears - as well as the fishing vessels carrying out their tasks for this particular industry. It ends with a climax - literally - as we see the salmon reproductive process and lots of sperm. I mean spawn. It's a fish porno. What a horrid title for a film and what a horrid word 'spawn' is. Spawn. Say it again. Spawn. See what I mean?