Talk:Death Hunt

Book? 4-26-09

Does anyone know if this movie was based upon a book? If so, does anyone know what the book is called and the author? Please and thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Roxi1rocks (talk • contribs) 17:42, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Not directly, but Canadian author Dick North (one of the great living experts on this incident) wrote The Mad Trapper Of Rat River in 1972. In it, he presented the theory that the gold filling-stealing "mad trapper" was NOT the "Albert Johnson" of this shootout but instead another, legitimately crazed trapper (whose name I forget).

I asked Dick North about this directly while spending time with him in 1992 - had he considered suing the producers of the movie for copyright violation? He told me that he had not seen the movie but knew it was being produced (much of it shot in Alaska, not North's and Johnson's native Canada) - North said that his children recommended suing because other elements of the movie were also taken from his book. But North at that time was far more interested in pursuing the identity of Johnson and did not.

Which is all saying that much of the film is based on Dick North, The Mad Trapper Of Rat River (1972), still available on Amazon the last time I checked. Sensei48 (talk) 19:22, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

The 2003 printing is available as a preview here. The other trapper that he names, I believe, is Arthur Nelson....I wonder if he was excluded through the DNA testing that has excluded all the other named potentials.
⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 01:42, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

Hmmm...I didn't see the Discovery thing, but I believe you edited into the AJ article that the DNA evidence excluded all previous candidates...was that you? I would have figured that Nelson would have been among them. If memory serves, according to North, he was from Sweden and thus less likely than a cornbelt American. I'll check the refs. BTW - I want to tweak your article edit slightly - I think "resemblance" might be clearer, and I've always seen "Mountie" as a proper noun, derived as it is from the formal RCMP in which it is capitalized. regards, Sensei48 (talk) 03:43, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

Yes, that's me. :) The book that followed the Discovery documentary is now available in preview here. I can't remember whether they stated results specifically related to Nelson. I do remember (and it's written in the book) that they made the sweeping statement that none of the previous named candidates matched. Nelson is mentioned in the book but not in the free part...however, they have Dick North as having made the deduction that it was Johnny Johnson from North Dakota (from page 141 on) and he is ruled out. I haven't read North's book...so am a little confused as to whether Nelson is supposed to be J. Johnson or he changed his theory or I misread that Nelson was his man in his original.

On semblance, it is the same thing - check definition, and another version...my paper copy of Webster's has resemblance as the second definition.

On Mountie vs. mountie, I'm finding mixed results. Since I wouldn't attribute any other type of law officer slang or nicknames as being proper (i.e. cops, deputies, border patrol), it would strike me as odd if this one were...especially without the object being identified. Mountie Millen as a title, maybe but Millen was a Mountie looks odd. If we substituted cavalryman in place of mountie, would you capitalize it? Btw, this is just academic interest to me and I would like to know the answer for future editing purposes but I don't mind if you want to change it. I can compromise. :)
⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 05:05, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

Well, we can leave the edit alone - I'll see if I can get used to "mountie."  :) Regarding North - he actually wrote three books about AJ over a period of about 30 years. The Mad Trapper of Rat River was in 1972; it is a great read and is based largely on interviews with participants in the events, a mere 40 years before. In it, North feels the evidence pointed to Nelson, who was a sketchy character who had spent a year prior to the incidents in Dease Lake, BC - photos of him there bear a striking resemblance to the death photos of AJ. Parenthetically, elements of this book (including the supposition of a second nutty trapper murdering his fellows and stealing their gold fillings) became the uncredited basis for plot points in this film. In about 1992, North published Trackdown: The Search For The Mad Trapper - it was a very limited hard cover edition, long out of print. I only perused a copy of it in the early 90s when I stumbled onto North while visiting the Jack London cabin in Dawson City, YT. As I recall, it was in this book that North (with 20 years more investigation) made the Johnny Johnson conclusion - and he may have suggested that Nelson was an alias. About six years ago, North published The Man Who Didn't Fit In, which is a reconstruction of the life of Johnson. I'd be interested to read that and compare it to Mad Trapper - which I just noticed I had autographed by North, along with Arctic Exodus. I'd better take a look at that Discovery thing to see why some of these folks are excluded. regards, Sensei48 (talk) 06:07, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

Opening scene

The opening scene is a shameless copy of Weedon Scott taking White Fang from Beauty Smith at a dogfight. (Part IV, Chapter IV - The Clinging Death, White Fang - Jack London).
⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 02:07, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

One of many shameless thieveries in the film. Sensei48 (talk) 06:18, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

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