Emperor of the North Pole: Difference between revisions
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A-No.1 hops the train and does everything he can to steer clear of Shack, pulling a series of [[pranks]] with the help of other hobos, such as running Shack's train into a siding. He tries to rid himself of the company of Cigaret, who tags along and makes a general pest of himself. Shack succeeds in ejecting the two, but they board a fast passenger train which overtakes Shack's train and ride it to [[Salem, Oregon]]. |
A-No.1 hops the train and does everything he can to steer clear of Shack, pulling a series of [[pranks]] with the help of other hobos, such as running Shack's train into a siding. He tries to rid himself of the company of Cigaret, who tags along and makes a general pest of himself. Shack succeeds in ejecting the two, but they board a fast passenger train which overtakes Shack's train and ride it to [[Salem, Oregon]]. |
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There they have several farcical encounters, including one with a [[policeman]] who chases the two into the Salem hobo jungle, accusing them of stealing a turkey. They also encounter a [[Holiness movement|Holiness]] minister holding an outdoor [[baptism]] service. |
There they have several farcical encounters, including one with a [[policeman]] who chases the two into the Salem hobo jungle, accusing them of stealing a turkey. They also encounter a corrupt [[Holiness movement|Holiness]] minister holding an outdoor [[baptism]] service. |
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The two hobos reboard Shack's train after it arrives in Salem. The story ends with a climactic fight, involving heavy chains, planks of wood and an ax. A-No.1 ultimately has the bloodied Shack at his mercy, but instead of killing him, he just throws him off the train. He then tosses Cigaret off for bragging about how "they" defeated Shack, telling the kid he could have become a good bum but he's got no class. |
The two hobos reboard Shack's train after it arrives in Salem. The story ends with a climactic fight, involving heavy chains, planks of wood and an ax. A-No.1 ultimately has the bloodied Shack at his mercy, but instead of killing him, he just throws him off the train. He then tosses Cigaret off for bragging about how "they" defeated Shack, telling the kid he could have become a good bum but he's got no class. |
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Revision as of 01:39, 20 March 2011
| Emperor of the North | |
|---|---|
 original film poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Aldrich |
| Screenplay by | Christopher Knopf |
| Story by | Jack London (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Kenneth Hyman Stan Hough |
| Starring | Lee Marvin Ernest Borgnine Keith Carradine |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
| Edited by | Michael Luciano |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
Production companies | Inter-Hemisphere 20th Century Fox |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox (USA, theatrical) Fox-MGM (West Germany) ABC USA TV airing |
Release date | 1973 |
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Emperor of the North Pole is a 1973 American film starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, and Keith Carradine. It was re-released under the shorter title Emperor of the North, and is better known under the latter name.
The film is about hobos during the 1930s and is set in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is based, in part, on the books The Road by Jack London and From Coast to Coast with Jack London by "A-No.-1" (the pen-name of Leon Ray Livingston), although both of those books predate the 1930s by a few decades. Carradine's character, Cigaret, uses the same moniker that Jack London used on the road, and like London, is portrayed as a young traveling companion to the older A-No.-1 (played by Marvin), but that is otherwise where the similarity between Carradine's character and Jack London ends, as Cigaret is portrayed in the film as immature, loud-mouthed, and none too bright. The title is a reference to a joke among hobos during the Great Depression that the world's best hobo was "Emperor of the North Pole", a way of poking fun at their own desperate situation since somebody ruling over the North Pole would reign over a wasteland.
Plot
Shack is a sadistic and corrupt railroad conductor who takes it upon himself to forcibly remove any hobo who tries to ride on his train. Shack has an assortment of makeshift weapons: a hammer, a steel rod, and a chain.
A hobo who is a hero to his peers, A-No.1, manages to hop the train with the younger, less-experienced Cigaret not far behind. At the next stop, A-No.1 evades Shack and escapes into the hobo jungle, but Cigaret is caught. Shack threatens to kill Cigaret, who is bragging that he and he alone got a free ride.
Shack is distracted when he gets the message that A-No.1 (whom he knows by reputation) has announced that he will become the first hobo to ride Shack's train all the way to Portland.
The other hobos agree that the first who can successfully ride Shack's train will have earned the title "Emperor of the North Pole." Railroad workers place bets whether A-No.-1 can do it, spreading the news far and wide over the telegraph, Shack being widely known and disliked.
A-No.1 hops the train and does everything he can to steer clear of Shack, pulling a series of pranks with the help of other hobos, such as running Shack's train into a siding. He tries to rid himself of the company of Cigaret, who tags along and makes a general pest of himself. Shack succeeds in ejecting the two, but they board a fast passenger train which overtakes Shack's train and ride it to Salem, Oregon.
There they have several farcical encounters, including one with a policeman who chases the two into the Salem hobo jungle, accusing them of stealing a turkey. They also encounter a corrupt Holiness minister holding an outdoor baptism service.
The two hobos reboard Shack's train after it arrives in Salem. The story ends with a climactic fight, involving heavy chains, planks of wood and an ax. A-No.1 ultimately has the bloodied Shack at his mercy, but instead of killing him, he just throws him off the train. He then tosses Cigaret off for bragging about how "they" defeated Shack, telling the kid he could have become a good bum but he's got no class.
Cast
- Lee Marvin as A-No.-1
- Ernest Borgnine as Shack
- Keith Carradine as Cigaret
- Charles Tyner as Cracker
- Matt Clark as Yardlet
- Liam Dunn as Smile
- Simon Oakland as The Policeman
- Malcolm Atterbury as Hogger
- Elisha Cook, Jr. as Gray Cat
- Harry Caesar as Coaly
- Vic Tayback as Yardman
- Hal Baylor as Yardman's helper
- Joe Di Reda as Ringer
- Diane Dye as Girl in water
- Robert Foulk as Conductor
- James Goodwin as Fakir
- Raymond Guth as Preacher
- Sid Haig as Grease Tail
- Karl Lukas as Pokey Stiff
- Edward McNally as Yard Clerk
- John Steadman as Stew Bum
- Dave Willock as Groundhog
- Lance Henriksen as Railroad worker (uncredited)
- Don Blackman as Old Shine (uncredited)
- Jack Collins as Dispatcher (uncredited)
- Richard Daughty as The Cub (uncredited)
- Bennie E. Dobbins as Mechanic (uncredited)
- Joe Haworth as Ash Eater (uncredited)
- Harry Hickox as Elder (uncredited)
- Bern Hoffman as Halfy (uncredited)
- James Kingsley as Machinist (uncredited)
- George McFadden as Prairie Special engineer (uncredited)
- Ralph Montgomery as Alkee Stiff (uncredited)
- Hal John Norman as Hobo (uncredited)
- Danny 'Big Black' Rey as Hobo (uncredited)
- Wayne Sutherlin as Gink (uncredited)
- Forrest Wood as Station agent (uncredited)
- Tarry Cluff as Railroad Yard Worker (uncredited)
Filming location
The film was shot in and around the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon along the right-of-way of the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway (OP&E).[1] Willis Kyle, President of the OP&E in 1972, allowed the film company unlimited access to make the film.[citation needed] Oregon, Pacific and Eastern's rolling stock, including two steam locomotives (one of these being #19, a type 2-8-2 Mikado), appear in the film.[1] Also featured in the film is the Dorena Reservoir, located about 10 miles east of Cottage Grove,[2] and OP&E's railyard in downtown Cottage Grove.
Home media
The film was released in North America on DVD on June 5, 2006 under the title Emperor of the North. The Region 2 version became available under general release in the UK from September 3, 2007 under the same title.
Soundtrack
On June 16, 2008, Intrada Records released the only commercial CD version of composer Frank De Vol's soundtrack to the public, 35 years after the film's release. The CD, limited to 1,200 copies, immediately sold-out. Featuring several unused score cues, it was learned that Bill Medley, one-half of the Righteous Brothers, had originally recorded the vocals for the film's score, but was replaced at the last minute and for unknown reasons by Marty Robbins.
The theme ballad, "A Man and a Train", written by Frank De Vol with lyrics by Hal David and sung by Marty Robbins, appears on his album All-Time Greatest Hits (Catalog# 77425), and the CD The Best of Marty Robbins released by Curb Records in January 2006, both featuring a second verse not used in the film.
Trivia
- The part of "Hogger" was veteran actor Malcolm Atterbury's final film role. His father was once president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
- The 1915 Baldwin 2-8-2 No. 19 steam locomotive so prominent in the film still operates pulling the "Blue Goose" excursion train on the Yreka Western Railroad between Yreka and Montague, California.
- The remains of the caboose are located at Silverbend Farms outside of Sacramento, California.
References
- ^ a b "Oregon, Pacific & Eastern Railway". Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Row River Trail: Harms Park". City of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
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