Northern (genre)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Northern is an American and Canadian genre in literature and film. It is similar to the Western genre but the action occurs in the Canadian North and typically features Mounties instead of, for example, Cowboys or Sheriffs. The genre had some popularity in the inter-war years of the twentieth century (1920s, 1930s & 1940s).
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[edit] Common Themes
Northerns are frequently based around the concept that "The Mounties Always Get Their Man". Frequently this is a prolonged chase where the Mounty ends up catching the criminal through courage and tenacity. The landscape and countryside itself can often be the main obstacle facing the hero.
[edit] Common Features
- Mounties
- Trappers
- Lumberjacks
- Prospectors (from the Klondike Gold Rush)
- First Nations/"Indians"
(Note: "Half-Breeds" and French-Canadians are often either outright villains or simply undesirables.)
[edit] Examples of Northerns
[edit] Poetry
- The Spell of the Yukon by Robert W. Service, including "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee"
[edit] Pulp Magazines
- North West Stories (Originally published in 1925)
- North West Romances
[edit] Comics
- King of the Royal Mounted
- Dick Daring
- Jim Canada
- North of the Yukon (Scrooge McDuck)
[edit] Books
- Susannah of the Mounties
- The Scarlet Riders, a collection of stories previously printed in Pulp Magazines
[edit] Radio
- Challenge of the Yukon (1939-1955) featuring Sergeant Preston
[edit] Serials
- The Mystery Trooper (1931)
- Clancy of the Mounted (1933)
- The Mysterious Pilot (1938)
- King of the Royal Mounted (1940)
- Perils of the Royal Mounted (1942)
- King of the Mounties (1942)
- The Royal Mounted Rides Again (1945)
- Dangers of the Canadian Mounted (1948)
- Canadian Mounties vs Atomic Invaders (1953)
- Gunfighters of the Northwest (1954)
- Perils of the Wilderness (1956)
[edit] Television
- Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
- Dudley Do-Right, a parody of melodrama and silent films using the genre
[edit] Movies
- The Riders of the Plains (1910)
- Flower of the North (1921)
- The Flame of the Yukon (1926)
- The Lodge in the Wilderness (1926)
- Tiger Rose (1929)
- O'Malley Rides Alone (1930)
- Men of the North (1930)
- The River's End (1931)
- Riders of the North (1931)
- Mounted Fury (1931)
- Mason of the Mounted (1932)
- Honor of the Mounted (1932)
- Mckenna of the Mounted (1932)
- The Trail Beyond (1934)
- The Fighting Trooper (1934)
- Courage of the North (1934)
- Undercover Men (1934)
- Silent Code (1935)
- Northern Frontier (1935)
- Timber Terrors (1935)
- Wilderness Mail (1935)
- Fighting Shadows (1935)
- The Red Blood of Courage (1935)
- Border Brigands (1935)
- Code of the Mounted (1935)
- Trails of the Wild (1935)
- His Fighting Blood (1935)
- Skull and Crown (1936)
- Rose Marie (1936)
- Caryl of the Mountains (1936)
- O'Malley of the Mounted (1936)
- The Country Beyond (1936)
- Phantom Patrol (1936)
- Secret Patrol (1936)
- King of the Royal Mounted (1936)
- Wildcat Trooper (1936)
- Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (1937)
- Death Goes North (1938)
- On the Great White Trail (1938)
- Heart of the North (1938)
- Crashing Thru (1939)
- North of the Yukon (1939)
- Blue Montana Skies (1939)
- Susannah of the Mounties (1939)
- Outpost of the Mounties (1939)
- Yukon Flight (1939)
- Man From Montreal (1939)
- Fighting Mad (1939)
- Murder on the Yukon (1940)
- Danger Ahead (1940)
- Sky Bandits (1940)
- River's End (1940)
- North West Mounted Police (1940)
- The Royal Mounted Patrol (1941)
- North of the Rockies (1942)
- Northwest Rangers (1942)
- Riders of the Northwest Mounted (1943)
- Law of the Northwest (1943)
- Northern Pursuit (1943)
- Northwest Trail (1945)
- Neath Canadian Skies (1946)
- North of the Border (1946)
- Where the North Begins (1947)
- Trail of the Mounties (1949)
- Trail of the Yukon (1949)
- Wolf Hunters (1949)
- Mrs Mike (1949)
- Snow Dog (1950)
- North of the Great Divide (1950)
- Call of the Klondike (1950)
- Gene Autry and the Mounties (1951)
- Yukon Manhunt (1951)
- Northwest Territory (1951)
- The Wild North (1952)
- Border Saddlemates (1952)
- Yukon Gold (1952)
- Pony Soldier (1952)
- Blue Canadian Rockies (1952)
- Fangs of the Arctic (1953)
- Fort Vengeance (1953)
- Northern Patrol (1953)
- Yukon Vengeance (1954)
- Rose Marie (1954)
- Saskatchewan (1954)
- The Canadians (1961)
[edit] Porn
- Many of Tom of Finland's stories are set in the North
[edit] References
- "The Scarlet Riders: Action-Packed Mountie Stories from the Fabulous Pulps" edited by Don Hutchison. A collection of Northern stories from the Pulp magazines. (ISBN 0889626472)
[edit] External Links
- "Looking for Dudley Do-Right" at Pulp and Dagger Fiction
- Northern Romances Editorial at Pulp and Dagger Fiction
- "Romancing the Redcoat: A Canadian Hero Lost in Hollywood" at Canuxploitation
- The RCMP in Popular Culture
- The Mountie Films at B-Westerns
- Hollywood's View of Canada (list of films)
- The Force in the North - Myths at Virtual Museum Canada