Arctic Flight

"Nanook of the North" (1922) was a huge box office hit, that led to Eskimo pies (now sold as Klondike bars), so it's easy to see why Monogram Pictures hoped that this low budget film might do well. It's a mystery that wonderful Lola Albright is here rather than in a series of A list pictures, but this show offers a panoply of 1950s obsessions. Big Wayne Morris sweeps her up into his arms as she kicks her legs reflexively, ready to run if her feet hit the ground, and he ties her to a dogsled, advising her to "Relax and enjoy the trip:" the caveman prevails. A Russian spy is subdued by a one-armed, red-blooded, all-American hero, a myth that continues to resonate about a nation, we're reminded, that borders our own. Reds are poised on the frozen tundra, ready to shoot anything that moves. Sitting in a heated movie theatre, watching people cope with "60 below zero" is another pleasure.