The Alaskans

"The Alaskans" was one of the Warner Bros. series that flooded TV in the late '50s, such as Maverick, Cheyenne, Bronco Lane, Sugarfoot, Lawman. Except for the earlier poster, I have never come across anyone who has seen this series. The chemistry amongst Dorothy Provine, Roger Moore and Jeff York was excellant. For unknown reasons, Jeff York (most famous as Mike Fink, king of the river, in Davy Crockett episodes) disappeared from the show about halfway through its first and only year. It was never as good thereafter. I saw it in New York at 10 pm on Sunday nights.

Perhaps now with the passing of Sir Roger Moore, Warner Brothers may consider at long last, releasing the 37 episodes of 'The Alaskans' onto DVD, as it has done with most of it's other 'westerns' of the era? I fondly remember this show from when I was young, and it was probably what made me a life long fan of Roger Moore, who I thought Warners was grooming as a likely successor to Errol Flynn in the handsome hero category! I remember the show for mainly it's humour and tongue in cheek adventure, thought Jeff York and Dorothy Provine were perfect foils for Roger Moore in a great little show that should have survived longer than it did, but it would be nice to be able to collect it to enjoy over again!

I remember "The Alaskans" as not just another western but a celebration that Alaska had just been made a state back then in 1959. The show took place during the Gold Rush of the 1890's. Roger Moore played Silky as a guy who was tough enough to take everything rugged Alaska could throw at him and still be calm, cheerful, smooth, and charming. Dorothy Provine played Rocky as a woman smart enough and tough enough to run a saloon and enticing enough to attract every man in town as a customer. Hence, her saloon became a kind of focal point for both the openings and the conclusions of the episodes. By 1960 Hawaii was the new state, so the novelty of Alaska had kind of worn off. So Dorothy Provine moved her saloon to "The Roaring Twenties" TV series.

Yes, I liked it; yes, I too was very young. THE ALASKANS was yet another thing I was doing instead of homework.

It was probably the time and locale -- as opposed to just another western -- which captivated, but to be honest I cannot recall with any clarity more than a couple of episodes. A good one to my early adolescent mind was about the con man who made everyone believe Britain had entered the War with Spain. . . so he could rob a bank over in the Yukon.

The show started with period or period-looking stills, which then went into movement as if the story was coming right out of history. To this day I can still recall the theme music. Even though a commercial debacle, I consider THE ALASKANS one of the beginning of the real "golden age of television," the 1959-60 season.

Final question: Was James Coburn a regular, or am I confusing it with a contemporaneous programme?

When I saw the obit for Dorothy Provine in my local paper I immediately thought of "The Alaskans", Dorothy with fur collars, and that theme song. The lengthy obit had no mention of it! So, I go to IMDb to verify my memories. I would have been ten years old and it certainly made an impression on me. It really "stood out" from all the cowboy and Indian shows and family sitcoms of that era. Funny how I didn't remember Roger Moore in it...his careen certainly eclipsed Dorothy Provine's. I read that she was married for 42 years and that, in it's self, is a triumph for Hollywood. Now, I have a renewed interest a half century later and will attempt to rent some of her movies.