The Jack London Story (TV)

La mia grande avventura – Italian title

Jack London - La mia grande avventura – Italian title

L’avventura del Grande Nord – Italian title

Dobrodružství dalekého severu – Czechoslovakian title

Lumikenttien kutsu – Finnish title

Abentreuer im hohen Norden – German title

Aventuras en el Gran Norte – Spanish title

The Jack London Story – English title

A 1973 Italian, Yugoslavian television co-production [RAI (Rome), Radiotelevizija (Belgrade)]

Producer: Aleksandar Milovic

Director: Angelo D’Alessandro

Story: Jack London

Teleplay: Angelo D’Alessandro, Piero Pieroni, Antonio Saguera (Gaetano Suriano)

Photography: Mario Sanga [Eastmancolor, CinemaScope]

Music: Mario Pagano

Song: “I Wanna Go” sung by Orso Maria Guerrini

Running time: 7 episodes x 54 minutes

Cast:

Jack London - Orso Maria Guerrini

Fred Thompson – Arnaldo Bellofiore

Matt Goodman/Gustavson – Andrea Cheechi

Jim Goodman/Gustavson – Husein Cokie (Husein Coccie)

Merrit Sloper – Carlo Gasparri

Buvk – Buck

With: Bruno Arie, Miha Baloh, Luigi Antonio Guerra, Dusko Janicijevic (Dusan Janicikevic), Andrea Keki, Manca Kosir, Giuseppe Mattei, Vasa Pantelic (Vasilijhe Pantelic), Clemente Ukmar, Janez Vrhovec, Damianovic Caslav

In 1897, Jack London joins the Klondike gold rush and takes part in an expedition funded by several capitalist backers.  Jacob, however has a weak heart and must leave his companions when he realizes the difficulty during the marches in the mountains near the Canadian border to the Klondyke is too strenuous for him. Jack, stays with Fred Thompson, Jim Goodman and Merritt Sloper, along with the extravagant cook and cobbler old Matt Gustavson.  Some men, who already owned Buck, a wolfdog is adopted by the group.  As the months pass and the coming of the approaching winter, the expedition must stop in a small village where Buck has a way of making raids and causes great damage.  Matt, feeling responsible for the misconduct of the quirky friend, tries to reach the Klondike alone, walking in the middle of winter to the city of Dawson and dies.  The old man and the dog even after many years after still talked about by local residents and have become legends.

This 1973 production was a 7 part mini-series made for RAI Italian television. It was released in 1974 as a feature length film assembled from various episodes of this mini-series.

Opening credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r01eV5Avzj4