Monday, January 11, 2016

The Alaskans: Appalling or Adorable?

 
 
In recent years, Warner Brothers has endeavored to release almost all of their old classic television series. Maverick, following the adventures of a family of gamblers, remains one of the most well-known and well-loved of Warner's series. On the other end of the spectrum, The Alaskans is unavailable in any official form. It's not on television, it's not released to DVD. Why? Star Roger Moore has called the series "appalling". Is it?

I don't want to put words or intentions in Roger's mouth, but I can't help wondering if perhaps he was referring more to how it was made, rather than the episodes themselves. Some of his horror stories of filming certainly do sound appalling. Filming outside in Los Angeles as though it's Alaska sounds highly miserable. Worse, the fake snow often got in the cast members' eyes and it was so bad they had to have their eyes flushed out every two hours by a nurse on the set! Appalling indeed.

As for the series itself, well, that's another matter.

I never thought I would get to see the series. I also figured it wasn't anything special. But I wanted to see the episode where Simon Oakland guest-stars, and then since I am unashamedly a Roger Moore fangirl, I wanted to see him.

Recently I was given the chance. I discovered four random episodes floating around and curiously and hopefully watched them. One was the pilot, the other three are assorted episodes from the series' one-season reign.


The basic plot involves three get-rich-quick schemers up in Alaska during the Gold Rush. Some summaries of the show make them sound rather like crooks, but from what I could gather over four episodes, their plans are never outright dishonest and they never intend to actually hurt anyone. Instead, in the course of enacting their relatively honest plans, they come in contact with and have to tangle with those operating in Alaska and the Yukon who are dishonest and foil their plans. The only times they seem to stoop to slightly illegal behavior are when they're trying to stop the utterly dishonest from preying on the innocent. Sound familiar? I would venture to say that it's basically Maverick in Alaska. This really isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The characters are quite lovable. Silky Harris is a lot like Beau Maverick, understandably. He's a smooth-talking wanderer who hates hard work, loves to come up with easier ways to make money, and sometimes gambles. He seems to be more extroverted than Beau, however. While Beau usually likes to come into a town, gamble, and quietly get out without calling a lot of attention to himself, Silky sometimes comes up with money-making plans that involve him loudly promoting whatever it is.

His friend Reno McKee is a tough guy, but he isn't all brawn and no brains. Reno can think things out and sometimes is more down-to-earth and practical than Silky. If he doesn't like a particular plan of Silky's, he will say so and try to convince Silky not to go through with it. On the other hand, sometimes he relishes his participation in certain schemes, such as when he recruited five guys to help him lift a crook's safe out of a hotel in order to blow it up and retrieve the stolen deed for the rightful owner.


Rocky Shaw is the female member of the group. She is sharp, quick on the draw, and usually turns out a tune or two in her capacity as a saloon girl. She comes to care about both Silky and Reno as her friends, even though at first she wasn't sure if she trusted them. They in turn care about her and treat her as an equal; Silky brings back presents for her when he goes wandering and Reno sweeps her up in his arms when they meet after a time apart. She may carry more romantic feelings for Silky, but this doesn't seem to go further than her seeming frustrated jealousy when Silky pays attention to a girl they're taking to an acting job.

Together they make a very effective and formidable team against the mobsters, cheaters, conmen, and other criminals who really are out to hurt people. Even when they're threatened, they don't turn tail and run, although they may try to convince their enemies they're going to comply. The bad guys never know what's going to hit them!

Of course, as with all Warner Brothers series, some scripts were recycled from other shows. The key signal that a script was not original was the writing credit of "W. Hermanos." Heh, good one, Warner. Of the four I saw, one carried this telltale sign. However, I don't know what other series used the storyline and I quite loved The Alaskans treatment of it. But regardless, the other three were all original scripts created for this short-lived series.

The plots of the episodes I saw are as follows:

Gold Sled - The Pilot A man dies saying something about the treasure he's accumulated. The sound quality wasn't as good on this one, but from what I could hear, Rocky Shaw has a legitimate claim to his treasure. She meets Silky Harris and Reno McKee in town and decides to team up with them to get what's rightfully hers, with the condition that they'll all get a cut. She doesn't trust them at first, but by the climax, when they're dealing with crooks as well as the elements, they prove themselves honorable and their team stands strong, even though they aren't able to get the fortune. Perhaps they've found a better treasure in each other.

The Petticoat Crew The team is working to get actresses to a new job, but their ship reservations are cancelled and they are forced to make other arrangements. They end up sailing on a broken-down old tub along with old enemy Nifty, who wants the girls to work for him. Chaos ensues.


Big Deal The team conspires to break up a meeting of the most dangerous criminals in Alaska, as well as to restore ownership of a hotel to the rightful party.

Calico The recycled script. Silky is traveling alone in this one and gets accused of murder, just like poor Beau Maverick always does. Calico, a mute young woman Silky befriends, is the only one who holds the key to proving him innocent. This is very much like some Maverick episodes. Silky's kindness towards Calico and his forward thinking in getting help for her so she can recover from her trauma and speak again is very touching to see.

I found each one of the episodes quite enjoyable, with my favorite probably being Big Deal. The way John Dehner and Jesse White react to the continuing chaos that interrupts their crooked meeting is absolutely priceless, as is Silky's reaction when he sees Reno and some other guys carrying a safe with the stolen deed in it. I also discovered in this episode that Roger Moore can sing and play the guitar. I was rather unaware he had these talents. I especially assumed, after hearing him do a recitation on the Warner Brothers Stars Christmas album, that he wasn't musically inclined.


So, is the series anything special overall? Well, the stars have excellent chemistry with each other and their characters are all fairly likable. The storylines are similar to what you can find in other Western shows of the era, particularly Maverick. The setting of Alaska, no matter how manufactured in reality, is quite unique.

Frankly, I would say that there are a lot of worse things out there that you could be watching. I'd rather see The Alaskans over some other classic television shows, and that's not just because I'm nuts about Roger Moore. I believe I prefer The Alaskans over Darren McGavin's vehicle Riverboat, or at least, I certainly prefer it over the second season of Riverboat, when adventure declined and romance rose in the scripts and the supposed friend of Darren's character continually tried to backstab him and gain complete control of the boat. The dynamic of the three-character main cast in The Alaskans is a unique feature, especially among Warner Brothers shows. Most of these typically featured one main character per episode (or per series). I find the interaction between the main characters very refreshing. The way the female member of the group is treated is very refreshing. And I love that they are all friends, instead of love triangles interfering and messing everything up. Also, from what I've seen, they share and share alike, rather than try to cheat each other. There was one little bit in the pilot where Silky and Reno had a bit of trouble, but I didn't see anything like that in the other episodes, and anyway, pilots usually are a bit different regarding characterization than a series proper.

I would say that The Alaskans does have unique things to offer, even if not always in its storylines. For the interaction between the main characters, yes, it's something special. Appalling? Hardly. This series is quite adorable. Fans of Maverick may very well be charmed by it for its similar plotlines, but in the close bond between the main characters, I might even say it has a depth present to it that Maverick, with its mischievous family of gamblers taught by the family patriarch to even cheat each other, rather lacks. (Although it should be pointed out that thankfully, the Mavericks do have each other's backs when it counts.)

Of course, coming from only seeing four episodes, perhaps my opinion wouldn't hold up upon seeing the others. But I hope that instead, what I saw was typical of this sadly short-lived series. And I hope that Warner will get around to releasing it, just as it has released its other old series. I would totally buy it! And judging from the high user rating it holds on IMDB, there are quite a few people who remember it fondly.

Bring back The Alaskans!