North to Alaska is a 1960 American comedy Western/Northern film directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited).

[7] The film featured Johnny Horton's song "North to Alaska", sung during the opening titles, setting up an introduction to the story.

In 1900, after finding gold while panning in Nome, Alaska, on their claim, brothers George and Billy Pratt and partner "Big" Sam McCord have become rich.

Sam is disgusted by marriage, which he considers tantamount to slavery, and cannot understand why George would willingly seek matrimony, but he reluctantly agrees.

Frankie Cannon, a recently arrived conman, runs into Sam in town and attempts to swindle him out of some of his money before he leaves.

After arriving in Seattle and finding that George's girl has already married another man, Sam brings back prostitute Michelle "Angel" Bonnet as a substitute, giving her the gifts originally intended for Jenny.

Upon his return to the claim, George rejects Angel outright, while Sam throws Billy into the river to sober up after a night of drinking.

The boat for Seattle has come early, and Angel decides to leave; however, she is convinced to stay once Sam yells out publicly that he loves her.

He had a commitment to direct Woman Obsessed, however, and was replaced by Richard Fleischer, who had a contract with 20th Century Fox and had just made the successful Compulsion (1959).

He says a prime force behind the film was the agent Charles Feldman, who represented production head Buddy Adler, Wayne, Rackin and Mahin, and whose girlfriend Capucine was to play the female lead.

[11] Hathaway says the original script was full of cliches from every Alaska gold rush film ever made, adding "I should know, I worked on two versions of The Spoilers."

[13] The movie spent a long time in pre-production (during which it was also known as Go North)[14] and was delayed by the writers strike and Wayne's involvement in making The Alamo (1960), a passion project of his that ended up costing the actor millions of his own money.

Gary Crosby was reportedly cast as Granger's brother until replaced by Fabian, a pop singer who 20th Century Fox had just tried to turn into a film star with Hound Dog Man.

[18] The Wayne and Granger "honeymoon" cabin scenes were filmed along steaming Hot Creek near volcanic Mammoth Mountain.

Henry is a fine director, but he shouldn't have to be making up scenes ... Of course Marty Rackin and John Mahin, who were supposed to produce and who worked on the script, left the picture to do television.

"[20] Capucine filmed a realistic no-foam bath while being serenaded by Fabian: this scene sneaking through nearly 3 years before Jayne Mansfield officially broke the mainstream nudity ban.

The theme song's lyrics during the opening titles provide a back story for the point where the film begins: Sam McCord left Seattle in 1892 with George and Billy Pratt, "crossed the Yukon river" and "found the bonanza gold below that old white mountain just a little southeast of Nome."

Horton had previously topped the country charts with his song "When It's Springtime in Alaska" in 1959 and with his monster hit of the same year, The Battle of New Orleans.