Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure

Last updated
Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure
Directed by John Power
Written by Jacqueline Feather
David Seidler
Produced byFitch Cady
Starring Alyssa Milano
Bruce Campbell
Distributed by Walt Disney Television
Release date
  • March 8, 1998 (1998-03-08)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English

Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure is a 1998 made-for-TV adventure film directed by John Power and distributed by Walt Disney Television. The film is also known as Gold Rush!, and stars Alyssa Milano and Bruce Campbell as two people who join the dangerous gold rush in the wilderness of Alaska. The film was telecast as a presentation for The Wonderful World of Disney . [1]

Contents

Plot

The film takes place in the year 1899 and centers around a New York high society girl, Ella 'Fizzy' Fitz (Milano), who works as a typewriter and stenographer in an office. When she learns about a new sensation called the gold rush in Alaska, she immediately decides that she wants to find her luck in the dangerous and rough Alaskan area. Because a train ticket is too expensive, she assignes herself to the company of Pierce Thomas 'Pt' Madison (Campbell). Madison is keen on letting a woman in, and is enthusiastic about using her typewriter skills to their advantage in the wilderness. Fizzy has difficulty convincing her mother (Garber) to allow her to join the group of 24 men in an 18-month expedition; a formal introduction to Madison does not convince her either. Fizzy is determined to go, and through her persistence she is finally able to find her mother's approval.

During the journey, the other men are wary of Fizzy's presence, and especially Barry Keown (Flemming) feels that a woman who can not do a man's job should be paid the equal amount of money. Keown immediately opts to vote her out of the expedition, but Madison is determined to give Fizzy a chance to prove herself. In Alaska, Fizzy wants to join the men on the mining, but Madison decides to set her up in an office. Fizzy is unable to find employment, though, because every company is already staffed. When a stenographer is fired for being a drunk, Fizzy is granted a position, and she stands her own by accepting the job on her own high conditions, thereby earning the respect of others. On her first day, she finds out that the powerful men of the Alaskan village are crooks and frauds, and she accuses them during a court hearing.

Disgusted by the immorality, Fizzy wants to return to New York, but Madison informs her that she does not have enough money for a train ticket and should wait until the company finds gold. To speed the process, Fizzy joins the men on the dangerous expedition in the freezing temperatures. She almost freezes to death, but is encouraged by the other men to not give up. After traveling for weeks, the food supply almost runs out and Madison admits that he does not know how long the journey will last. Fizzy tries to keep up the spirit and starts a snow fight, but this leads to an avalanche killing Pratt (Turner), one of the men. Sometime later, they reach the cabin they were heading to after months of traveling, only to find out that the supply they were promised never arrived. Fizzy accepts a typewriter job only to earn enough money for the company to supply themselves, but makes clear to Madison that she will mine gold with them eventually. Fizzy and Madison then almost share a kiss, until they are interrupted.

After a while, Fizzy finds gold and strikes it rich. One of the men, Ed Hawkins (Cahill), who had been pursuing her for a while, proposes that they should team up together and start their own New York based company. Simultaneously, Madison tells her that they can make money with a telephone company, and that he would need her for financing. She rejects Hawkins' business offer - partly because he also proposed for marriage - and decides to go into business yet again with Madison, despite the risk that they will lose everything if they do not finish the telephone lines. They are eventually successful, though due to a clause in the contract, unnoticed because of a miscalculation by Madison, Fizzy is not able to make a profit. Disappointed, she blames Madison for being full of broken promises, and builds her own company instead: she eventually becomes a respectable miner.

Cast

Production

The story was based on actual events, though the characters have been fictionalized. [2] The film was shot on location in Alaska between April 14 and May 8, 1997. [1] [3]

Reception

A reviewer of Variety wrote that Power directed "without much excitement", though credited cinematographer Laszlo George for giving the film a "credible, gritty look" and that the contributions of production designer Michael Bolton were "helpful". [3] He continued that Milano was "the prize nugget in this gold rush" and Campbell performed "OK as the undependable entrepreneur". [3] The reviewer concluded that "scripters Jacqueline Feather and David Seidler have cooked up a mild, by-the-numbers account of the adventure in her story; fair family fare". [3]

Home video release

The film was released on VHS in 2001. Disney subsequently released a DVD-on-Demand version of this film as part of their "Disney Generations Collection" line of DVDs on June 26, 2011.

Related Research Articles

<i>Treasure Island</i> Novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, telling a story of "buccaneers and buried gold". It is considered a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sled dog</span> Working dog

A sled dog is a dog trained and used to pull a land vehicle in harness, most commonly a sled over snow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Natives</span> Indigenous peoples of Alaska, United States

Alaska Natives are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures. They are often defined by their language groups. Many Alaska Natives are enrolled in federally recognized Alaska Native tribal entities, who in turn belong to 13 Alaska Native Regional Corporations, who administer land and financial claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriman Alaska expedition</span> Research expedition

The Harriman Alaska expedition explored the coast of Alaska for two months from Seattle to Alaska and Siberia and back again in 1899. It was organized by wealthy railroad magnate Edward Harriman. Harriman brought with him an elite community of scientists, artists, photographers, and naturalists to explore and document the Alaskan coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inside Passage</span> Shipping route along the northwest coast of North America

The Inside Passage is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United States, through western British Columbia in Canada, to northwestern Washington state in the United States. Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean and may visit some of the many isolated communities along the route. The Inside Passage is heavily travelled by cruise ships, freighters, tugs with tows, fishing craft, pleasure craft, and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway, BC Ferries, and Washington State Ferries systems. Coast Guard vessels of both Canada and the United States patrol and transit in the Passage.

<i>The Journey of Natty Gann</i> 1985 film by Jeremy Kagan

The Journey of Natty Gann is a 1985 American adventure film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The film introduced Meredith Salenger and also starred John Cusack, Lainie Kazan and Ray Wise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Togo (dog)</span> Sled dog who ran in the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska

Togo was the lead sled dog of musher Leonhard Seppala and his dog sled team in the 1925 serum run to Nome across central and northern Alaska. Despite covering a far greater distance than any other lead dogs on the run, over some of the most dangerous parts of the trail, his role was left out of contemporary news of the event at the time, in favor of the lead dog for the last leg of the relay, Balto, whom Seppala also owned and had bred.

<i>The Far Country</i> (film) 1954 film by Anthony Mann

The Far Country is a 1954 American Technicolor Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Walter Brennan, John McIntire and Corinne Calvet. Written by Borden Chase, the film is about a self-minded adventurer who locks horns with an evil, corrupt judge while driving cattle to Dawson, Yukon Territory. It is one of the few Westerns to be set in Alaska — others include The Spoilers (1955) and North to Alaska (1960) — although it was not filmed there. This was the fourth Western film collaboration between Anthony Mann and James Stewart. The supporting cast features Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, Steve Brodie, Robert J. Wilke, Chubby Johnson, Royal Dano and Jack Elam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Alaska</span> History of the US state of Alaska

The history of Alaska dates back to the Upper Paleolithic period, when foraging groups crossed the Bering land bridge into what is now western Alaska. At the time of European contact by the Russian explorers, the area was populated by Alaska Native groups. The name "Alaska" derives from the Aleut word Alaxsxaq, meaning "mainland".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rex Beach</span> American writer and water polo player

Rex Ellingwood Beach was an American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern (genre)</span> Multimedia genre set primarily in Northern Canada and Alaska

The Northern or Northwestern is a genre in various arts that tell stories set primarily in the late 19th or early 20th century in the north of North America, primarily in western Canada but also in Alaska. It is similar to the Western genre, but many elements are different, as appropriate to its setting. It is common for the central character to be a Mountie instead of a cowboy or sheriff. Other common characters include fur trappers and traders, lumberjacks, prospectors, First Nations people, settlers, and townsfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Yukon</span>

The history of the Yukon covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians through the Beringia land bridge approximately 20,000 years ago. In the 18th century, Russian explorers began to trade with the First Nations people along the Alaskan coast, and later established trade networks extending into Yukon. By the 19th century, traders from the Hudson's Bay Company were also active in the region. The region was administered as a part of the North-Western Territory until 1870, when the United Kingdom transferred the territory to Canada and it became the North-West Territories.

To Brave Alaska is a 1996 American made-for-TV adventure film directed by Bruce Pittman. Based on a true story, the film stars Alyssa Milano and Cameron Bancroft as a young couple who attempt to survive in the rough Alaskan wilderness.

The Klondike Gold Rush is commemorated through film, literature, historical parks etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josefa Segovia</span> American lynching victim

Josefa Segovia, also known as Juanita or Josefa Loaiza, was a Mexican-American woman who was executed by hanging in Downieville, California, on July 5, 1851. She was found guilty of murdering a local miner, Frederick Cannon. She is known to be the first and only woman to be hanged in California.

<i>Flora & Ulysses</i> 2013 American childrens novel

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures is a children's novel by American author Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by K.G. Campbell, published in 2013 by Candlewick Press. It tells the story of Flora Belle Buckman and a squirrel named Ulysses.

<i>Togo</i> (film) 2019 American historical adventure film

Togo is a 2019 American historical adventure film directed by Ericson Core and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film centers on Leonhard Seppala and his titular sled dog in the 1925 serum run to Nome to transport diphtheria antitoxin serum through harsh conditions during an epidemic of diphtheria. The film stars Willem Dafoe, Julianne Nicholson, Christopher Heyerdahl, Michael Gaston, Michael McElhatton, Jamie McShane, Michael Greyeyes, Thorbjørn Harr, Shaun Benson, and Nikolai Nikolaeff. It was released on Disney+ on December 20, 2019. The movie received generally positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Campbell Besley</span> Australian adventurer and charlatan

James Campbell Besley also known as "Handsome Jim" Besley, "Captain James Campbell Besley", "Captain Jim", "Captain Besley", "Colonel Besley" was an Australian explorer, amateur anthropologist, film producer, mine owner, polo player, rancher and entrepreneur who traveled the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lael Morgan</span> American journalist and author

Lael Warren Morgan was an American journalist, author and historian who wrote books about Alaska's history and people.

References

  1. 1 2 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES Turner Classic Movies
  2. Review summary The New York Times
  3. 1 2 3 4 Scott, Tony (March 8, 1998). "Review "To Brave Alaska"". Variety . Retrieved 2013-06-18.