Voices from the Flats – This Movie Was Shot in Alaska
There certainly is a lot of happy excitement around town during the shooting of the feature film Everybody Loves Whales starring Drew Barrymore and Ted Danson. Lots of Alaskans have landed parts in the movie, and there are “Whale Sightings” reported on a regular basis.
I had jury duty last week while the film was shooting down at the port of Anchorage, and if they had looked up during our breaks, they would have seen a whole bunch of eager faces pressed against the window trying to get a look at what was going on.
I even had my own brush with greatness just yesterday. I was leaving one of my favorite lunch places, and as I was leaving I passed someone coming in the door as I was going out. “Do you know who that was?” my lunch companion asked. “No,” said I completely oblivious. “That was Drew Barrymore.” I had no clue. It made me wonder how many other brushes I’ve had and never even knew.
All this said, I’ve been wondering how many other films have been shot in Alaska before. I knew there were a few. And then I found out that I’m not the only one who wondered. Matt Shields not only wondered, but he actually set about finding out the answer. Enjoy his guest post below!
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Matt Shields has worked as a firefighter/EMT in Alaska and Antarctica, and in various aspects of film production in Los Angeles, New York, and Alaska. Currently he is concentrating on writing screenplays and has plans to produce his second independent feature in Alaska.
~Scouting a location in Turnagain Pass for a future project
Since we’ve been on the subject of Alaska creating a tax-incentive to bring more ‘Hollywood to Alaska’ I decided to look into what has actually been filmed in Alaska over the years.
I started with a visit to the internet movie database (IMDb) and searched ‘locations’ for any project listing Alaska as a shooting location. There turned out to be thirteen pages of project titles. These included movies, television, and documentaries.
Many of these projects were not shot entirely in Alaska, but Alaska did serve as a location – sometimes just for a scenic (2nd unit) shot of a glacier, river, or mountains.
Alaska Film Office
The Alaska Film Office has been brought back to life to join in the tax-incentive game some states are offering in order to entice the money and jobs a Hollywood production can drop in your lap.
Though it is not uncommon for a film to have locations in multiple states, the tax incentive is based on shooting the bulk of the production in the state in which it is offered. Essentially, the more money you spend here, the more we will return to you.
Part of the argument presented by Alaskan-based film production people who worked to get a tax incentive approved was that: We are tired of seeing Alaska as the subject of a movie that wasn’t even shot here! If it takes place in Alaska, shoot it in Alaska! We have qualified people too, and we’d like those jobs!
And with the current production Everybody Loves Whales shooting entirely (I think) in Alaska, that is a big step towards that goal. There have been local hires, and money is definitely being spent in businesses around Anchorage.
Alaska Irony
The ironic thing is that if Alaska succeeds in establishing itself as an offshoot of Hollywood, as Louisiana, New Mexico, and North Carolina have, it will mean movies that aren’t based in Alaska will be shot here as well. Those other states have all doubled for other locales because their incentive programs were attractive to the bottom line. It didn’t matter where the movie was supposed to take place.
A friend of mine recently had a feature film he wrote shot in New Orleans even though the story was originally set in Philadelphia. In this case New Orleans did not actually double as Philadelphia, instead the story was re-written to take place in New Orleans. Shows you how powerful the tax incentive money carrot can be.
In the past, Hollywood has used Canada and (the former) Yugoslavia in much the same way. If the language is dollar-saving, anyplace can be made to look like anywhere.
We may soon see Alaska doubling for Minnesota, New England, Washington…
Alaska’s Film History (User Notes)
Listed are some of the projects that have been shot in Alaska (whether the entire project, or simply a scenic shot of a tree). I say ‘some’ because when we shot Misty Isle Out in 1995 I did a little research to see if an independent film had already been shot in Alaska… Turned out a few had been, but never saw the light of a projector, and some were never really documented in press or otherwise.
Much of the information gathered is from IMDb.
Next to each title I put the type of project, where in Alaska it was filmed (when available), and the occasional bit of trivia. If an exact location isn’t listed I use ‘AK’.
Alaska became a state in 1959, so many of the titles listed pre-statehood may be of interest to Alaskana connoisseurs in terms of historical content.
The earliest noted film is from 1898 – the documentary Pack Train at Chilkoot Pass, and the most current listed production is Universal Pictures’ Everybody Loves Whales starring Drew Barrymore and slated for release in 2012.
As one might guess (since we are talking about Alaska’s film history) most of the titles are documentaries, but there are a number of lower-budget features listed I had not heard of being shot up here.
To help see what has been shot in Alaska, next to each title I put:
- ‘feature’ – feature films
- ‘doc’ – documentaries
- ‘TV’ – television (doc or episodic)
- ‘short’ – short subjects
Some of the titles really invite you to track down a video copy and make a big bowl of popcorn, such as, Attack of the Flesh Devouring Space Worms from Outer Space (1998), or, Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey (1994).
By far my favorite year for titles is 1903…
These short-documentary titles are both intriguing, such as, Working A Long Tom Rocker on Bonanza Creek, and tell you exactly what you’re getting, for instance, A Sleigh Load of Squaws.I had personal interest in films shot in Ketchikan, Alaska, as that is where I first resided when we moved to this state in 1975. There are quite a few, probably the most well known of which is the 1954 feature Cry Vengeance, shot entirely in Ketchikan and showing off a historical view of the town.
Ketchikan also served as location for my independent film Misty Isle Out, as well as Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay… Never thought I’d see those two titles in the same sentence.
I also seem to remember an episode of Love Boat being shot in Ketchikan, but it is not listed here.
As mentioned before not every project shot in Alaska has been documented, so if you know of any others (especially independent features, of which I suspect there are a few more out there) please leave a note in the comment section.
Now, make a pot of coffee, sit back, and enjoy Alaska’s film history…
2011
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue – AK; promo for Disneyland/Star Wars attraction
On the Ice – feature; Barrow; based on short ‘Sikumi’ which won Sundance Jury prize in 2008
2010
A Traveler’s Guide to the Planet – TV doc; Barrow
The Nine Muses – doc; AK
Christmas with a Capital C – feature; Seward; stars Daniel Baldwin of Baldwin brothers
Voyage to the Planets – TV doc; Barrow
Miracles – TV; AK
Moose Attack – TV (reality); Anchorage
Terra Infirma – feature; AK; director has lot of credits, my favorite title is ‘Tyrannosaurus Azteca’
The Recruit – short; Anchorage; says was written, shot, edited in 8 days
Smokejumpers – doc; AK
Junk Dreams – doc; AK; this sounds cool: 2 brothers in their 70s sail Chinese Junk from WA to AK
Norte a Sur: Una Ruta, 5 experiencas – TV (reality); Anchorage
Mnemosyne – doc; AK
Jack London: Twentieth-Century Man – doc; AK
Echoes of Creation – TV movie; AK
Alaska’s Amazing Calving Glaciers – doc (short); AK
Kids Quest – Anchorage; not sure what this is, follows kid agents on adventures submitted by other kids
Alaska’s Scenic Byways: Bigger Than Your Imagination – doc; Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Haines, Homer, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Valdez
Native Time – short; Anchorage
A Traveler’s Guide to the Planets: Jupiter – TV doc; Barrow
Naked Science: Surviving Ancient Alaska – TV doc; Denali Park, Lake Clark, Fairbanks
2009
Godspeed – feature; Anchorage, Palmer, Wasilla
Paddle to Seattle: Journey Through the Inside Passage – doc; Haines, Juneau
Disaster on K2 – TV (doc); AK; Alaska’s own ‘Ascending Path’ listed as one of production companies
Hindsight and foresight: 20 Years After the Exxon Valdez Spill – doc short; Prince William Sound
Ice Bears of the Beaufort – doc; Barter Island, Kaktovik
Dancing with Gaia – doc; AK
Beautiful Islands – doc; Shishmaref; explores islands shaken by climate change
Man Made: Alaska’s Extreme Machines – doc; AK
I Love Alaska – doc; AK; this one looks interesting, worth looking up to read full details
How to Survive – feature; Kodiak; this appears to be an Alaskan indie feature
Jeff Corwin’s Wild Life – TV (reality); Kaktovik
Dynasty – doc (sport); AK; Warren Miller Entertainment produced, so…
Icebound – doc; Anchorage, Fairbanks, Galena, Juneau, Nenana, Nome, Unalakleet; Recounts 1925 serum run to Nome
Are We Alone? – AK
The Woods Between – short; Anchorage
Finding Their Own Dance – doc; AK
Hitting the Outdoors – TV (reality); AK
Mercury – feature; AK; listed as still ‘in development’
The Wonders of Alaska – doc; AK
Sizzling Pleasures – short; Anchorage
2008
That’s It, That’s All – doc (sport); Valdez; snowboarding
Deep Winter – feature; AK
Chronic Town – feature; Fairbanks
Jack and Jill – feature; AK
Killer Tumbleweeds – feature; AK; People of middle America are being attacked by tumbleweeds!
The Wendigo – short; AK
The Massive – short; Haines
The Man Who Lives with Bears – doc; AK; the Charlie Vandergaw story
The Last Days of Shishmaref – doc; AK
Red Gold – doc; Anchorage, Bristol Bay; documentary on Sockeye salmon fishery (yum!)
Sikumi (On the Ice) – short; Barrow; Jury Prize at Sundance, turned into the feature ‘On the Ice’
The Calling – doc; AK
Alaska – AK; travel guide
Breath of Fresh Air – doc; AK
Heart of Alaska – doc; Anchorage, Denali Park, Fairbanks, Kenai Lake
Alaska Oilmen: Gamble on the Ice – doc; AK
Coffee Culture USA – doc; Anchorage
Mustard Seed – Anchorage; appears to be locally made feature, running time not listed
Susitna Story – short; Anchorage
Final Round – feature; Anchorage
MythBusters: Alaskan Special – TV doc; AK
Nova: Arctic Dinosaurs – TV doc; AK
The Amazing Race: The Final Push – TV; Anchorage, Girdwood, Twentymile
2007
Transformers – feature; Columbia Bay
Into the Wild – feature; Anchorage, Cantwell, Copper River, Denali Park, Fairbanks, Healy
Ice Road Truckers – TV (reality); Deadhorse, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay
Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 – feature doc; Sitka; I would love to check this out
The Call of the Wild – doc; Fairbanks, Healy
Hers – feature; Hope
Alaska: The Tracy Arm Experience – short; AK
Arctic Diamond – doc; AK
The Vessel – feature; AK
Cope – feature; Kodiak; made by same guy who did ‘How To Survive’
Polarized – short; Shishmaref
Arctic Circle: Mile 115 – short; AK
Sporting Fly: Kenai River, Alaska – doc; AK
Surviving Sounds of Haida – short; Kasaan, Ketchikan
All My Crazy Friends 3… Live Fast Die Fat – AK; Absolutely no idea what this is
Believe – doc short; Haines
Pushin’ Forward – doc short; AK
The Girls Next Door: Half-Baked Alaska – TV (reality); Craig, Ketchikan; Hef and his bunnies
Dirty Jobs: Wild Goose Chase – TV (reality); Yukon Delta wildlife refuge
2006
The Guardian – feature; AK
The Last Winter – feature; AK; with Ron Perlman and indie-star James LeGros
Treasure Hunters – TV (reality); AK
Red White Black & Blue – doc; Anchorage, Attu, Kodiak; Anything shot on Attu I want to see
4 Elements – doc; AK
Location Scouting with Peter Lamont: Die Another Day – doc short; Spencer Glacier, Kenai Fjords
Baranov’s Castle – TV movie; Homer, Nikiski, Cooper Landing; tagged ‘Puppet movie event of the year!’
Top of the World – doc; Valdez
Theatrical Makeup Design Interactive – doc; Fairbanks
5 Takes: USA – TV (reality); Anchorage
Turned – short; Anchorage
Seeking 1906 – TV (history); Anchorage
Oceans 8: Birthplace of the Winds – TV doc; AK; Kayaking adventure
The Amazing Race: 5 Continents, 10 Countries, and More Than 59 Thousand Miles! – TV; Anchorage
Man vs. Wild: Alaskan Mountain Range – TV (reality); AK; Bear Grylls in Alaska
2005
Grizzly Man – feature doc; Katmai; Werner Herzog continues to entertain; See this one if you haven’t
The Big White – feature; Skagway; Stars Robin Williams
Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing in Alaska – TV (reality); AK
A Thousand Roads – feature; Barrow; from the director of ‘Smoke Signals’
Henry Wood Elliott: Defender of the Fur Seal – short; Pribilof Islands
Ultimate Playground – TV; AK
A Cemetery Special – doc; Fairbanks; About historic cemeteries in the U.S.
When the Season is Good: Artists of Arctic Alaska – doc; Anchorage, Barrow, King Island, Nome, St. Lawrence
Inside Passage – TV (reality); Glacier Bay, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka
Adieu – short; AK
Waiting Game – doc (sport); Valdez
The Eskimo and the Whale – doc; AK
AK and Beyond – doc short; Valdez
X-Quest – doc; AK
In Our Own Image – doc; Anchorage
2004
50 First Dates – feature; Blackstone Bay
Long Way Round – TV doc; Anchorage, Fairbanks; Fun with Ewan, Charlie, and motorcycles!
Alone in the Wilderness – doc; Twin Lakes, Lake Clark National Park
13 Lakes – doc; Lake Iliamna
The Dating Scene – doc short; Blackstone Bay; Drew Barrymore, Dan Aykroyd, and Sean Astin
Oil on Ice – doc; AK; Peter Coyote narrates
2 Stroke Cold Smoke: Crash! Man Down! – doc (sport); AK
Ten Adventures of a Lifetime – doc; Glacier Bay National Park, Gustavus
A Voice Out of the Cold: Vivica Genaux – doc; Fairbanks; Opera
Naked Science: Alien Contact – TV doc; Fox
Naked Science: Angry Earth – TV doc; Anchorage
2003
Wildboyz – TV; Juneau, Nome; ‘Jackass’ spin-off
Cheerleader Massacre – feature; Anchorage; Title says it all
Chimera – short; Fairbanks, Poker Flat Research Range; Horror
The Standard Snowboard Show – doc; Valdez
The Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced – TV doc; Eagle River, Little Diomede, Glacier Bay, Gustavus, Ketchikan, Pribilof Islands, Seward, Sitka, Whittier
Crown of the Continent – doc short; Wrangell St. Elias National Park
Klondike: The Quest for Gold – doc; AK
Crittercam – TV series doc; Chatham Straight; Also shot in Antarctica!
2 Stroke Cold Smoke VI – doc (sport); AK
Salmon Run – doc short; Naknek
Insomniac with Dave Attell: Anchorage – TV; Anchorage
2002
Insomnia – feature; Hyder, Valdez, aerial of AK; stars Al Pacino & Robin Williams
Storm – doc (sport); Cordova, Valdez
An Enraged New World – short feature; Fairbanks, Murphy Dome, Paxson; 50 minutes, adventure sci-fi
Ski Movie III: The Front Line – doc (sport); Cordova, Haines
Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska – TV (reality); Girdwood (Alyeska Resort); I remember when this came to town. The producers asked the fire department if they could fill the hot-tub they had constructed outdoors.
Crossing the Rubicon – feature; Anchorage
Gasaaaan xaadas guusuu – short; Ketchikan; Haida elders
2 Stroke Cold Smoke V – doc (sport); AK
Ice Challenger – doc; AK; crossing the frozen Bering Strait
The Amazing Race: Follow That Plane! – TV; Anchorage, Big Lake, Hurricane Gulch
2001
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – feature; Glacier Bay National Park, Gustavus
Out Cold – feature; Denali National Park; I like the fact that Lee Majors is in this
Dr. Dolittle 2 – feature; Wrangell
Winged Migration – doc; Haines; Alaska portion shot at Chilkat Bald Eagle preserve
Kevin of the North – feature; Nome
Further Tales of the City – TV mini-series; Sitka
Bears – doc short; AK
Brother Born Again – doc; Hoonah
Unparalleled 2: Free World – Haines
Mountain Men – TV doc; Fairbanks, Denali
Mayday! Lost at Sea – TV doc; AK
Kusah Hakwaan – feature; AK; Horror film featuring Tlingit and English language
Send Word, Bear Mother – doc; AK
2 Stroke Cold Smoke IV – doc (sport); AK
Spiritual Outdoor Adventures – TV series; AK
Hunting for Oil – doc; AK
Eventyrerne – doc (travel); AK
Trex – doc; AK
The Amazing Race: Race to the Finish: Part 1 & 2 – TV; Anchorage, Denali, Matanuska Glacier, Talkeetna, Takosha Lodge
2000
The Tony Blair Witch Project – feature; Fairbanks
The Frozen Inferno – short; Fairbanks; same folks as ‘Tony Blair Witch Project’
The Waterkeepers – doc; Cook Inlet
2 Stroke Cold Smoke III – doc (sport); AK
Horizon: Mega-Tsunami: Wave of Destruction – TV; Juneau, Lituya Bay
1999
Limbo – feature; Juneau; John Sayles shoots in Alaska
Wolves – doc short; AK; Robbie Robertson (of The Band) narrates
Fifty – doc; Chugach Range
Global Storming – doc; Valdez; snow sports
Forever After – Anchorage; can’t tell if it’s a short or feature
Escape from Chernobourg – feature; Fairbanks, Valdez
1998
The Life of Birds – TV series doc; AK
Robin Hood – short; Fairbanks
Avalanche – feature; Palmer, Sheep Mountain; poster shows an early title as ‘Escape From Alaska’
Earth Story – TV series doc; AK
Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay – TV; Juneau, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay, Gustavus
Freeriders – doc (sport); Valdez
Attack of the Flesh Devouring Space Worms from Outer Space – short feature; Fairbanks; extraterrestrial worms reanimate dead bodies (in case you wondered)
Rencontres avec les balienes du Saint-Laurent – doc; AK
Three Great American Adventures – TV doc; Glacier Bay, Gustavus
Los patiperros – TV series doc; AK; shows Chilean people living around the world
Wild Life Adventures: Alaska’s Bush Pilots – TV; Wrangell St. Elias Nation Park; produced by Alaska’s own ‘SprocketHeads’
1997
Misty Isle Out – feature; Ketchikan, Prince of Wales Island; shot entirely in Alaska with Alaskans
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild – doc short; Denali Park; narrated by Charlton Heston
Whales: An Unforgettable Journey – doc short; Petersburg; Patrick Stewart narrates
Snowriders II – doc (sport); Girdwood (Alyeska), Valdez
Skroner om en slaedehund – TV series doc; AK
1996
Adventures of the Quest: White Rock Blue Ice – TV doc; AK
Adventures of the Quest: The Cold Sea – TV doc; AK
Yukon Gold – doc; Ruby
In the Wild: Whales with Christopher Reeve – TV; St. Lawrence Island
1994
North – feature; AK
On Deadly Ground – feature; Nome, Valdez, Worthington Glacier; I remember my father telling me he was offered job as standby medic for this, but turned it down because ‘They weren’t offering much.’
The Endless Summer II – feature doc; AK
Globe Trekker – TV; Chicken, Eagle, Seward
Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey – feature; AK
Gutta pa tur – TV; AK
1993
Arizona Dream – feature; White Mountain
Braving Alaska – TV ; AK
1992
Carving the White – doc (sport); Valdez
Ryska Alaska – TV doc; Sitka
1991
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – feature; Knik Glacier, Chugach State Park
White Fang – feature; Haines, Skagway
Salmonberries – feature; Kotzebue; k.d. lang’s character is also named Kotzebue
Just Visiting This Planet – doc; AK
1990
The Hunt for Red October – feature; Port Valdez (opening sequence)
Blue Planet – doc short; AK; IMAX film
Northern Circle: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Plays Alaska – TV; AK
Sport Fishing with Dan Hernandez – TV series; AK
1989
Cops – TV (reality); Anchorage
Uksuum Cauya: The Drums of Winter – doc; Emmonoak
1988
Brian Boitano: Canvas of Ice – TV movie; AK
Black Tide – TV doc; AK
1987
National Geographic Specials: The Grizzlies – TV doc; AK
1985
Runaway Train – feature; Whittier; This movie features the old Girdwood Fire Dept. trucks!
Cloudwalker – doc; AK (Ruth Gorge; with Jim Bridwell and Jeff Lowe (for you climbing enthusiasts)
1984
The Night They Saved Christmas – TV movie; Barrow; fun cast includes Art Carney
1983
Never Cry Wolf – feature; Nome; classic mice-eating scene!
The Golden Seal – feature; Aleutian Islands
1982
The Thing – feature; Juneau; the original was shot in a Los Angeles cold storage and Glacier National Park, Montana, the 1982 version was mostly Canada with some in Alaska, and another remake is currently in production shooting in Canada
1980
Raise the Titanic – feature; Valdez
Cosmos – TV mini-series doc; AK
Day of Resurrection – feature; AK; also shot in Antarctica; aka ‘Virus’
The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog – TV movie; Hyder, Juneau, Tok
1979
Bear Island – feature; Glacier Bay National Park, Gustavus; stars Donald Sutherland
1978
The Sea Gypsies – feature; AK
1977
Claws – feature; Juneau; aka ‘Grizzly II’ but has no connection to the original ‘Grizzly’
1976
Heart of Glass – feature; AK; yes, Herzog has been to Alaska before ‘Grizzly Man’. I once met Wim Wenders, and when I told him I was making a film in Alaska he said “You know, Werner Herzog wanted to be dropped off in the middle of Alaska with just a camera a make a movie there’. I have no idea if he was referencing ‘Heart of Glass’, but sounds like Herzog
1975
Savage Man Savage Beast – doc; AK; actual footage of people being killed and eaten by animals, the reviews say it’s extremely graphic
Challenge to Be Free – feature; AK; story of the famous ‘Mad Trapper of Rat River’ which happened in Canada, but is some great folklore!
Timber Tramps – feature; Wrangell, also rumored shot at logging camps near Ketchikan
1974
Kodiak – TV series; AK; about an ‘Alaska State Patrolman’
International Crook – feature; AK; appears to be from Bollywood
Vanishing Wilderness – doc; AK
Year of the Caribou – doc; AK
At the Time of Whaling – short; Gambell
1971
America – TV series; Juneau (Tongass National Forest), Kotzebue
Eskimos: A Changing Culture – doc short; Nunivak Island
1970
Snow Bear – feature; Point Barrow
1969
This Is My Alaska – doc; AK
Animal World: Seals of Pribilof – TV; Pribilof Islands
1963
Trail of the Hunter – doc; AK
1960
Ice Palace – feature; Petersburg; stars Richard Burton
1958
White Wilderness – doc; Denali National Park
1957
Polar Outpost – doc short; Point Barrow; about ‘distant early warning system’
1956
Alaska Lifeboat – doc short; Haines; about medical services ship that stops in Haines
Lento yli Pohjoisnavan – doc short; Anchorage
1954
Cry Vengeance – feature; Ketchikan; not only shot in Ketchikan, but set there as well. Dave Kiffer’s favorite
1953
The Sea Around Us – doc; Pribilof Islands
1950
The Flying Saucer – feature; Juneau
1948
Harpoon – feature; Kodiak, Skagway
Seal Island – doc short; Pribilof Islands; Walt Disney Productions
Alaska: A Modern Frontier – doc short; AK
Alaska: Global Crossroads – doc short; AK
1947
Alaska – doc short;
1945
Alaskan Grandeur – doc short; AK
1943
Report from the Aleutians – doc; Adak; John Huston narrates about U.S. forces in Aleutians. I have a personal fondness for the area, both my father and I have worked there, very beautiful!
1941
The Inside Passage – doc short; Annette Island, Attu, Cordova, Ketchikan, Skagway; this one looks interesting, explores possible future of Alaska pre-statehood
Scenic Grandeur – doc short; Columbia Glacier
Alluring Alaska – doc short; AK; shot by James A. FitzPatrick who made over a hundred travel docs
1940
Mechanix Illustrated No. 3 – short; AK; about Alaska salmon industry
Orphans of the North – short feature; Taku River; was originally called ‘Taku’, footage was added and it was re-released as ‘Orphans of the North’; shot in Alaska with locals as actors
1939
Land of Alaska Nellie – doc short; Kenai Lake, Lawing, Seward; I had to look up Lawing
1938
Spawn of the North – feature; Ketchikan; credits say the ‘salmon run’ was shot in Ketchikan
1937
Taku – short feature; Taku River; more footage was added and re-released as “Orphans of the North; shot in Alaska with locals as actors
Giants of the North – doc short; AK
1936
Alaska’s Silver Millions – doc short; AK
1933
Eskimo – feature; Teller (exteriors)
1932
Alaska Love – short; AK; comedy
Dangers of the Arctic – doc; AK
1931
Explorers of the World – doc; AK
1930
The Silver Horde – feature; Ketchikan
1928
The Trail of ’98 – feature; AK, Chilkoot Pass; budget estimated at two-million which seems a lot for a movie in 1928
1926
Rocking Moon – short feature; Sitka; listed as a ‘7 reel’ film, reminds me of being a projectionist!
Med ‘Maud’ over Polhavet – doc; Nome, North Pole; Roald Amundsen
Luftskibet ‘Norge’s flugt over polhavet – doc; Nome, North Pole; Roald Amundsen
1925
Santa Claus – short; location listed as ‘Northern Alaska’
1924
The Chechahcos – feature; Chilkoot Pass, Cordova; 8 reels
1923
Med Roald Amundsens Nordpolsekspedition til forste vinterkvarter – doc; Point Barrow, Nome
1921
The Birth of an Iceberg – doc; AK
1920
Way Up Yonder – doc short; AK
1919
Chilkat Cubs – doc short; AK
Lure of Alaska – doc short; Yukon River; boat trip down Yukon and Whitehorse rapids
1917
Alaska – doc short; AK
Alaska Wonders in Motion – doc short; Child’s Glacier, Copper River, Kodiak, Miles Glacier, Roosevelt, Valdez
1915
The Lure of Alaska – doc; AK
1912
Atop of the World in Motion – doc; Nome, Bering Strait
The Alaska-Siberian Expedition – doc; AK; 6 reels
1903
First Snow Storm of the Season, Valdez – doc short; Valdez (McKinlet Street)
1000 Mile Ride Over the Ice on a Bicycle – doc short; Dawson (pre-statehood that area may have been considered Alaska, today Dawson is officially in Canada); footage of Dr. Richardson on his famous bike ride; interestingly, it was reported that a Mr. Ed Jessen rode a bike along the frozen Yukon from Dawson to Nome in 1900 – just goes to show, ‘it’s all been done before!’
$25,000 Clean Up on No. 16 Eldorado – doc short; Bonanza Creek
Sluice Mining on Gold Hill in the Klondike, Hutchison and Johnstone’s Claim of No. 6 Eldorado – doc short; Bonanza Creek
Working A Long Tom Rocker on Bonanza Creek – doc short; Bonanza Creek
Working the Rocker, Called a Jigger, on Poverty Bar, Fourteen Below Discovery Bonanza Creek – doc short; Bonanza Creek
The Ice Breaker – doc short; Kootenai River; I think this river is in British Columbia, but since this is all pre-statehood a lt of the area may have been consisdered ‘Alaska’
Pack Train Leaving Valdez for Copper Mines – doc short; Valdez
Dog Baiting and Fighting in Valdez – doc short; Valdez
Winter Sport on Snake River, Nome – doc short; Nome
Race Between Dog Team, Bicycle and Cutter – doc short; Dawson City (again, pre-statehood, now Canada)
Horses Swimming Copper River – doc short; Copper River
Leaving Skagway for the Golden North – doc short; Skagway
Panorama of Miles Canyon – doc short; Miles Canyon on Upper Yukon; shows a scow full of men hurlign past waving their hats
Panorama of Kennicott Glacier Port Hole – doc short; Kennicott Glacier; all of this 1903 footage must be amazing!
United States Mail Leaving Dawson City for White Horse – doc short; Dawson City
Steamer ‘Yukoner’ Leaving Dawson – doc short; Dawson City
Steamer Susie Excursion to Moosehide – doc short; Dawson City
Through White Horse Rapids – doc short;White Horse rapids on Yukon River
Finding the Royal Salute at Dawson City by the Northwest Mounted Police – doc short; Dawson City
Dawson City Fire Department Going to a Fire – doc short; Dawson City; reported to be 45 below zero
A Sleigh Load of Squaws – doc short; Dawson; returning to Moose Hide village on the Yukon
Mule Pack Train Taking Gold Dust to Dawson City – doc short; Grand Forks (?)
Blasting the Treadwell Mines – doc short; Douglas Island
1901
Burro Pack Train on the Chilcoot Pass – doc short; Chilkoot Pass
1898
Pack Train at Chilkoot Pass – doc short; Chilkoot Pass; stationary camera, review says great composition showing length of pack train
And there you have it.
re: 1975–Mad Trapper — was that Dick North? Would be interested in knowing the source ….
Hey, you missed me! I was on Ice Road Truckers in 2010!!! HAHAHAHAHA! (yes, really.)
I know Dick North wrote a book about the Mad Trapper, but according to wiki, “Challenge To Be Free” was a movie ‘loosely’ based on the famous events, directed by Tay Garnett.
Did I miss Alex-the-Moderator’s documentary of the Iditerod on that list?
Not sure it’s been released yet, as I think it’s premiering at the Anchorage Film Festival next month. (M*U*S*H*)
It is, here is a link to the site for a schedule:
http://www.anchoragefilmfestival.org/2010/film/festival-selections/
*Alex has put a preview of his fantastic documentary on the Forum, check it out:
https://themudflats.net/forum/index.php/topic,10779.0.html
WOW! I had forgotten all about Cry Vengence, shot in Ketchikan when I was in 8th grade there….we couldn’t WAIT to see that movie when it came out. I wonder where I can find a copy of that movie now!! Although there was little hype while the movie was being shot, there was lots of publicity about it after the fact.
In 2008 I found a super-favorite reeeeeeeally old movie* for my b-i-l’s Christmas from a fellow named Raphael Delon. He sells on eBay and has, literally, thousands of listings. The movie was on [copied to] DVD and cost $14 – with $2 shipping, a total of $16; Delon PayPals. From the time I ‘found’ him, to the time I had the DVD in hand, was a mere two weeks.
I don’t know if he’s still in business, but if there are any old (or obscure) movies you’re a’hunting, you might want to give him a shot. Since he has so many titles (gobs from the ‘early’ days of movies, too — I’ve seen a partial inventory) he doesn’t list them, but if you want to check to see if has a particular one you want, you can reach him at: Reggietaco@aol.com [or at least, you could, 24-months ago.] beth.
–*I even had the title wrong…he was able to figure out what the correct title was. Not bad for a movie from 1936. b.
Very interesting…The National Review’s take on DWTS’s credibility with the additional of Bristol:
http://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/253685/bristol-palin-derangement-syndrome-has-dancing-lost-its-ballroom-cred-thanks-bristol
Will Mama Griz attack?
Palin’s Alaska brings a backlash of sorts against the state and its citizens. Is this what she meant when she claimed at her resignation that she would be working harder for Alaskans?
http://blogs.ajc.com/cynthia-tucker/2010/11/22/sarah-palins-alaska-is-a-welfare-state/?cxntfid=blogs_cynthia_tucker
maybe someone can help me out here… I remember seeing a B&W documentary about a guy who gets dropped out somewhere at a remote Alaskan lake… he goes thru building a cabin by hand, planting a garden, and surviving a winter. etc. looks like it’s all done with a hand held 8 mm film camera. it’s filmed , I think in the late 40’s, early 50’s as he’s a young man then, and at the end says he lived out there until he was in his 70’s, his cabin and land is turned over to the state as state site. Was a VERY interesting film…amazing what he could do with some simple tools to build things out of wood….shows a bush float plane bringing him some supplies, Just an amazing story of self reliance… when I think of Alaskan spirit and fortitude …THAT’S the example I think of….
Ben – that was a most wonderful movie and book! What a coincidence – I was just thinking recently about how that fellow would feel about SP and all her antics. The book would make a great read for you this winter. “One Man’s Wilderness” by Richard Proeneke is a classic, and very inspiring. He moved there in his 50’s, and lived there until his 80’s. H left at age 82 to live with his brother in CA in 1999. If I’m not wrong, he went there in the late 60”s No TV, phone, etc. Really, his only contact was the pilot who brought his supplies and mail. (Babe died not too long ago). Richard died in 2003 at the age pf 86. The book has lots of neat pix, too.
PBS shows it a lot, especially when gthey are soliciting funds. His house belongs to the National Park Service. My son works for NPS, and I’ve alerted him to take lots of pix if he ever gets down that way.
Happy reading!
There was also a follow-up to the original that gets shown on our PBS station here occassionally too. Oh, here’s the link to all of them! http://www.dickproenneke.com/
Santa brought my youngest the Proeneke DVD and book a couple of Christmases ago. Proeneke and Bob Ross are said son’s ‘wind down’ when the world gets a might heavy. beth.
Thanks !!! I saw your reply earlier, but was at work… I can see but not reply from there…Thanks again for the info !!
Perhaps “Alone in the Wilderness” – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437806/
Another great Alaska movie:
Alaska Far Away: The New Deal Pioneers of the Matanuska Colony (documentary, 2008)
IMDB also doesn’t seem to have the numerous documentaries the Machetanzes (Fred and Sara) filmed for Disney in the 50s. There’s some in the UA library system. They made their living filming out in the Bush and traveling the lower 48 giving lectures, before Fred became recognized as an artist and was able to paint full-time.
Thank you all for your comments! I knew there were more films out there that readers could bring to light.
As many of you are aware info gathered via IMDB is sometimes limited as to who, where, and what is given credit on a particular project. I will do additional research on your titles and update the list on my blog as new ones pop up.
Another Southeast AK feature, Raven’s Blood (1997). It was shot in the Juneau area. Chuck Keen (mentioned in comments above) was cinematographer, director was Molly Smith. An inadvertent omission as I did some work on this at the negative-cutting house I worked for in Seattle at the time. My bad.
I’m in one of those movies!
AKaurora – Thank you for mentioning Sourdough. My dad, Lewis (Neal) Turner, was a scriptwriter for it. I can remember finding the video at the rental stores into the late ’80’s, but haven’t seen it since.
The actual location is:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111036/
Sorry about the additional “c” at the end.
Can’t miss Running Free from 1994. Local talent was used in this film as well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111036/c
Thank you for your wonderful comments….I enjoy reading them all!
sppsd to read …’subdiv’.
another thing to understand is, there arent that many places remaining, to film ‘open space’.
when ken burns was trying to film his west series, they had to HUNT for places for shots
that werent next to homedespot or tacebell…or a subvid.
that didnt have high elec wires towers etc.
they have to mix it up when filming things, from season to season and space to space.
Don’t see anything from KYUK in Bethel and their extensive video catalog of productions ranging from Mike Martz’s recent Duty Bound which followed Yup’ik National Guardsmen (including my son-in-law) to Kuwait in 2007 to Platinum Dreams which tells the story of the mine in the village of the same name at the mouth of Kuskokwim Bay, not to mention wonderful video work at the annual Camai Dance Festival and a whole lot more.
If you haven’t seen any of KYUK’s excellent work, please, peruse their site and consider buying a video or two! They do make wonderful Christmas gifts to show off Alaska 🙂
Quyana!
Mark Springer
Bethel
Hey, Mark – As a former Bethelite, I hope that you don’t mean “Don’t see anything from KYUK in Bethel”!
I’d love to see “Alaska: A Modern Frontier” – 1948.
My son has been in two National Geographic documentaries. The first was shot near Sheep Mountain Lodge and was about Susan Butcher. I believe that was in 2005. The other was about the Alaska State Troopers and was shot in 2009.
The two Alaskan full-length features that I most remember aren’t even on the list.
Joniko and the Kush Ta Ka (1969) is a tale of a Tlingit boy who must overcome the spirit of fear to save the life of an injured geologist while on a wilderness expedition. The boy must set off alone to seek his father’s help, encountering grizzlies, whales, and icy seas., the boy begins to fear the evil spirits that live there. Still he persists, overcomes the power of Kush Ta Ka, finds his father and saves the geologist. A flawed film, but unique in its day.
Sourdough (1977) tells the story of a fur trapper saddened by the rapid changes brought on by the pipeline boom who retreats into the breathtaking beauty of Alaska’s wilderness. Old time Alaskans will recognize many sites in this film. A budget film produced locally (producer’s son was one of my students at the time), I recommend it if you can find it.
I should have said that Imdb didn’t list the filming locations for that movie – I like it that they usually list them for most movies.
My other whinge on the day is that when a movie is set in a place where I’ve actually been, I’d like to see that place rather than somewhere else.
The original black and white version of “In Cold Blood” was not only filmed on location in my home town of Garden City, Kansas, and the town of Holcombe where the Clutter family lived, but the scenes in the house were filmed in their house. Knowing all those places well made the movie have an even greater impact, as did seeing some local folks in the crowd and court room scenes. When they did a remake of the movie it was filmed in Texas which doesn’t look anything like southwest Kansas. I think it really took something away from understanding the horror of those murders. The actual house is down a tree lined lane just on the outskirts of the small town – easily within walking distance. In the remake they seem to be out on the wide open prairie and farther from everyone else. Just not the case and it just didn’t ring true.
Oops, check that spelling of Holcomb – no “e” on the end. Sorry.
Just rechecked where the TV version of In Cold Blood was filmed. Wasn’t Texas after all – it was Alberta. Most definitely not like southwest Kansas.
Except maybe for the endless flat terrain! 🙂 I find it such a lonely feeling looking at a horizon that is just way out there with nothing interesting like mountains, hills, trees, etc. to break it up and make it interesting. Must be why I love Washington state.
Alberta looks a lot flatter than where I lived. There are parts of Kansas that are flat, but mostly there are rolling hills, especially to the east of us and to the northeast. And there was one particular hill just outside Garden City known as Thrill Hill. The challenge was to see how fast you could go on that dirt road when you went over the hill. No seat belts, of course. I bumped my head in my friend’s VW bug once (shhh, don’t tell her dad), and I think we caught some air once when I was driving the Plymouth Valiant. Scared us so much we didn’t do it any more. So, not so flat.
Maybe it’s because I grew up where you could go out to the country and look across a wheat field, but I loved seeing that far with just a few hills in the mix. There is a distinct lack of trees, however. I still marvel at all the trees in western Washington – my favorite thing, even more than being close to Puget Sound.
I thought that the Clutter family lived on a farm….boy, the passing years have done a number on my memory..!
They did live on a farm, but the house is just barely outside of Holcomb. My friend and I decided to drive down the lane to see the house after the filming of the movie was done – what a dumb idea that was. By then, someone had bought the house and was living there (THAT was just creepy thinking about it). It was so eerie and when we got up in the drive to the house a dog started barking and we got out of there as quickly as we could. What surprised me was that it just wasn’t that far out of town. Of course, Holcomb wasn’t very big then – a very tiny town surrounded by farms.
Excellent business development –
Have to wonder if SP’s Alaska counts as reality (the producers state) vs
a Palin 8 hr political show / infomercial (as she seems to acknowledge).
Perhaps the state may have a problem in refunding (tax credit / whatever)
of cost percentage if the show is determined to be “political infomercial”
I think you need to add Disneynature’s Earth (2007). Imdb doesn’t list filming locations, but part of it talks about Alaska and I would guess that part was filmed there as well.
It’s great that Alaska is getting all this movie business going their way, but I’m a little more than irritated whenever I watch a movie that is supposed to be in Seattle or Washington state and it clearly wasn’t filmed there. Usually there are somewhere in British Columbia and Vancouver, in particular. It’s not the same. If they want to film there, then set the story there. Just a pet peeve of mine. When we first moved here in 1980, there were movies being filmed here quite often. I liked that they did it and liked the idea that I could run into someone famous. I, like you, AKM, don’t really pay attention to celebrities and would probably pass them on the street without knowing they didn’t belong here. My guess is that most celebs would appreciate that, rather than being mobbed all the time.
Great list, Matt.
Like any list of this sort, there are inevitably some omissions. Among the most recent films omitted in the list is the 2010 educational, dramatized documentary, For the Rights of All – Ending Jim Crow in Alaska.
It is an important civil rights film. Some of us are pushing for it to be included in Alaska state history curriculum, particularly in Alaska bush communities where the example of Elizabeth Peratrovich can be very uplifting for young people.
yes, this is an excellent film and should be shown in schools.
Being from Juneau – there was a feature film done in the 1960’s by Chuck Keen (deceased) that had Charles Branson/Brunson in it, but I cannot recall the name of it! Chuck was from Juneau – I remember going to the premier of the film all those years ago.
Are you thinking of the movie “Timber Tramps”, shot in SE Alaska in the summer of 1972? I was living in Juneau that summer and remember that it was a big deal when the movie company came to shoot a few scenes.
Local hero Chuck Keen was the producer and he had called in a few favors from his Hollywood friends. Actors in the movie included Claude Akins and Cesar Romero. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070804/
IMDB says the movie was released in 1975, but I distinctly remember seeing it in the spring of 1973 in Puyallup, WA. 1973 was the only year I ever lived in Puyallup.
I remember a nice moment from that summer. It was one of those perfect evenings – quiet, warm, sunny, with a few white puffy clouds in the blue sky. I was walking downtown, enjoying the weather, and as I approached the Baronof Hotel I saw a Cesar Romero standing alone outside. He, too, seemed to be just enjoying the quiet evening. He looked up me and our eyes met for a second. Not wanting to ruin the quiet peaceful time for either of us, I merely nodded towards him and he nodded back.
No – it seems the name of it was “Kushdaka” (native word) or something similar. I would have sworn it premiered in the 60’s because I left Juneau for Anchorage in 1969 and have been here ever since. And, Charles Bronson was the main star….he is deceased now as well as Chuck Keen. Chuck did produce more films after the one I saw.
Charles Bronson?
Fascinating list, great research! Thanks – will look up some of these to see if they can be ordered from Netflix or our library.
AKM – I know what you mean when you say you wonder how many times have we not known when we’re near someone famous – though when I worked retail in college, I often wondered how many people I met were top scientists, authors, research doctors, et cetera. It gets even more intriguing when you interact with the elderly because so many of them have withdrawn from the public eye or were never in it that you never know their stories unless they tell you. We are surrounded everyday with amazing possibilities, amazing people with unbelievable back stories and adventures. We just don’t know or take the time to find out (or they stay private on purpose). Your discussion did make me stop and think about these points that were once on my mind all the time when I was younger. Funny how a busy life can distract you from wondering and paying attention.
Of course, you’d never have to wonder if you were anywhere near a Palin – because they’d make sure you knew and paid attention (or got frisked). hehe
Glad to hear the movie :”Chronic Town” is out on DVD.
Um, what about the Simpson’s movie? 😀
Ha!