Themes: Cons and Scams, Going Straight, Romantic Betrayal
Main Cast: Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore, Charles Winninger, William Marshall
Release Year: 1944
Country: US
Run Time: 83 minutes
Plot
Belle Of The Yukon is standard backstage musical fare, featuring Randolph Scott as a reformed con man who has fled north from the law and opened a successful dancehall/ gambling establishment in the upper reaches of Malamute. Meanwhile, his former lover Belle (Gypsy Rose Lee), who he deserted when he went on the lam, arrives as part of a new show troupe and finds her ex-boyfriend's new ways powerfully attractive. But Lettie Candless (Dinah Shore) also has designs on our hero. A thin plot and light characterizations are kept afloat by bouncy performances, glitzy production, and the usual clutch of sprightly musical numbers. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
Review
Belle of the Yukon is a tired, and sometimes tiring, hybrid of a musical, Western and romantic comedy. It doesn't succeed as any of them, but it does have a few noteworthy assets. Probably the one that will interest most people is the presence of legendary ecdysiast Gypsy Rose Lee. Lee keeps her clothes on, but even draped she's got a physical presence that holds some interest. Of greater importance, she has a very winning way with a wisecrack and a quip. Her performance as a whole is somewhat lacking, but when she feels at home with a rejoinder, she does know how to make it hit home. Dinah Shore's singing is also quite welcome, although her dramatic performance is rather listless. Blame for this may charitably but reasonably be assigned to the lifeless script. Finally, Yukon also benefits from the truly lovely song "Like Someone in Love," one of the finest long-lined ballads James Van Heusen ever penned and one of the simply loveliest melodies ever warbled on the screen. Many others will also be glad that "Sleighride in July" is on hand; certainly it does offer a respite from the annoying dialogue, the disjointed plot, the unimaginative direction of William Seiter and the inept performance of Randolph Scott. The film also has some great costumes and a generally good look; but there's precious little real gold in this Yukon. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
