Johnny Horton's North to Alaska — Part Two

The Gold Rush continues in NORTH TO ALASKA — PART 2! Johnny Horton knew something about the North. Before becoming one of America’s great “saga song” performers, he spent time working in Alaska’s fishing industry. His hits included “The Battle of New Orleans,” “Sink the Bismarck” and “When It’s Springtime in Alaska.” “North to Alaska” became the theme song for the 1960 John Wayne comedy of the same name. Curiously, although the story takes place around Nome during the Alaska Gold Rush, none of the movie was filmed in Alaska. California locations including Point Mugu, Big Bear Lake and Hot Creek stood in for the frozen North, with additional filming listed in Canada’s Yukon. Horton’s recording plays over the movie’s opening titles and tells the story behind the film: Big Sam McCord leaves Seattle with George and Billy Pratt, crosses the Yukon River and strikes it rich near Nome. Tragically, Johnny Horton was killed in a car crash on November 5, 1960—just days before the John Wayne movie opened. He never lived to see “North to Alaska” become one of his greatest successes, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 4 on the American pop chart. In Part 2, Rupert Flange and his energetic company of prospectors and saloon girls continue our imagined cruise-ship production show—proving our opinion that this rip-roaring classic still deserves a place on an Alaska cruise stage! Inspired by the true cruise adventures in the nonfiction books HIGH SEAS LOW COST and DON’T MISS YOUR SHIP! More adventures with Rupert Flange and The Editor: https://www.amazon.com/author/johngriffiths Yukon River footage: Klondike Gold Rush, U.S. National Park Service. Original video material and stage-show treatment © 2026 John Griffiths. Song, recording and credited archival footage excluded. #NorthToAlaska #JohnnyHorton #JohnWayne #AlaskaCruise #GoldRush #RupertFlange #CruisingWithRupertFlange