Review of Klondike Annie (1936) by Donald W — 29 Jun 2015
This movie is a standard Mae West formula movie. She plays a Saloon singer named Doll in San Francisco's China Town during the Alaska gold rush. Although the title of the movie says Klondike she never goes to the Klondike.
The Klondike is in Canada. In the movie Mae West's character goes to Nome, Alaska. Nome is at the western tip of Alaska just across the Bering Straight from Russian Siberia. In 1899 gold was discovered at Nome and there was a gold rush.
Gold is still mined at Nome. In the beginning of the movie The San Francisco Doll works for a Chinese gangster who owns the Saloon where she sings. He is very possessive of Annie and it begins to irritate her.
She plans an escape on board a ship going to Seattle. The gangster is murdered the same night she leaves and she is blamed for the murder. The ship's Capitan falls for her and hides her from the police in Seattle.
They also take a missionary woman named Annie on board the ship. On the way to Alaska the missionary woman gets sick and dies. The Doll takes on her identity to avoid arrest in Nome. In Nome she helps the Salvation Army mission attract the gold miners by increasing the entertainment at the mission.
A policeman in Nome falls in love with her. When he over hears that Annie is really the San Francisco Doll he is conflicted between his love for Annie and his duty as a policeman. In the end the Doll goes back to San Francisco with the ship Capitan to clear her name.
Mae West wrote the story. She likes to explore the contrast of very religious people and people with questionable morals and considered outsiders by society. There are also a lot of nostalgic songs from the 1890's sung in the old style.
The famous line from this movie is "when I have to choose between two evils I usually choose the one I've never tried before".
This review of Klondike Annie (1936) was written by Donald W on 29 Jun 2015.
Klondike Annie has generally received mixed reviews.
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