Northern Pursuit Page #3

Synopsis: Canadian Mountie Steve Wagner captures a German Luftwaffe officer on a spy mission, who later escapes from the prison camp. To catch the spy ring, the Mounties employ a ruse so that the spies, believing Steve to be sympathetic, enlist him in their plans.
Director(s): Raoul Walsh
Production: Warner Bros.
 
IMDB:
6.6
APPROVED
Year:
1943
93 min
43 Views


- You'll have to make that two.

- I'll make it two.

- What's the matter? What's the trouble?

- Nothing, honey.

You know why I left? I was under arrest.

You were told not to tell a soul.

It's a military matter.

There was a break from the camp.

You know that Nazi I brought in?

He made a break with another man.

- Barnett brought me in for questioning.

- He had every right.

Well, I had every right

to call him a blundering idiot.

In a way,

I'm sorry those two Nazis didn't get away.

What did you say?

I said, in a way I was glad

those two Nazis got away.

Maybe Inspector Barnett was right.

Maybe you...

Wagner.

- You're under arrest.

- Just a minute, sir.

Steve just lost his head.

I shouldn't have said what I did.

- It was just a punch.

I said, arrest him.

Yeah? Well,

I'll give you something to arrest me for.

You're gonna get more

than you bargained for, Wagner.

I'm charging you

with assault upon an officer.

You will appear before the civil authorities

at Winnipeg.

- Why'd they kick you off the force?

- Is it true you helped a Nazi escape?

What caused the fight?

Did he sock you first?

What's the story of you and the Nazi?

Give us a statement.

- Yes, Wagner, give us a statement.

- Sure, I'll give you a statement.

The devil with all of you.

The devil with the Canadian police,

and the devil with Canada too.

At a time when our country is locked in

a death struggle against the forces of evil...

...a man is either for his country

or against it.

And for a man to say,

"The devil with Canada"...

...is synonymous with saying,

"Heil Hitler."

I'm going to bind you over

to the court of sessions.

Bail is set at $1000.

I declare this court closed.

God save the king.

McBain will put up no bail for a man

who would damn his own country.

Come on, Wagner, you're out.

Your lawyer posted bail.

My lawyer?

- Did you say my lawyer?

Yes.

- Those cells could stand a little heat.

- Isn't it hot enough for you now?

Here's your papers and money.

Sign this.

There's your client.

- What's this about? Who put up the money?

- What do you care?

I don't. Where do we go from here?

Look, mister, I don't care where you go.

I was hired to do a certain job, I did it.

Good day.

- Single, please.

- Yes, sir.

Come in.

- Mr. Wagner?

- Yes.

Oh, a receipt for my bail.

Did you put it up?

- Who did?

- Someone who wants to see you.

- When?

- Now.

- Where is he?

- Would you like to come with me?

Sure, let's go.

Excuse me.

Hello?

Oh, Miss McBain?

Look, tell her I've checked out, will you?

Thank you.

- Mr. Wagner, happy to meet you.

- Thanks.

- You're the gentleman who put up my bail.

- That's right.

- Why?

- You're a very direct man.

- Sure, why not?

- No reason whatsoever.

- Sit down, let's have a talk.

- Thanks.

- What about?

- About you.

Mr. Wagner, you're in trouble.

A great deal of trouble.

Yes, the judge sort of hinted that.

My lawyer tells me

that you face a sure conviction...

...which means

a term in the penitentiary if...

If you're still in Canada.

Pretty hard to get out of Canada, isn't it?

- It's been done.

- Yeah?

Well, go ahead.

I put up your bail because I like a man

who has the courage of his convictions.

You put up a thousand dollars bail

because you like my convictions?

That's one reason. There is another.

- I think I can use you.

- That's more like the real reason.

If you prefer to think so.

Why don't we cut the stalling

and tell me what you want?

I'm a mining man.

The syndicate I represent

wants property in the North Country.

Now, you know the country,

you're experienced with the dogs.

And you have courage.

That's a combination I need.

Must need it badly to put up that money.

- You can get guides a lot cheaper than that.

- Well, you...

You have special qualifications.

Oh, thank you, thank you.

You don't really expect me

to believe all this, do you?

Only a fool would.

I don't think you're a fool.

- Two to The Pas.

Yes.

- Here you go.

- That's right.

Those two men.

Where did they buy tickets to?

The Pas.

I know he registered

at the Royal George Hotel.

Yes, we know that.

He checked out

without leaving any word.

It's his privilege to go where he pleases

until the date of his trial.

- Jim, maybe you can make him understand.

- I understand.

Well, then help me.

- I feel sorry for you, Laura.

- I'm not asking for your sympathy.

I'm asking you to do something,

to help me find him.

- I know he's in trouble.

- What makes you think that?

Because I know Steve.

I know he wouldn't just disappear without

leaving some word for me somewhere.

- And I've asked everyone.

- Yes?

Always the same answer. No one knows.

I tried to find out who put his bail up.

- And did you?

- No.

I'm half out of my head with worry.

I don't know what to do.

I just don't know what to do.

- You've got to help me find him.

- Why should we?

All right, he made a mistake.

He lost his head.

He's paying for it.

What more do you want?

Nothing.

We haven't the slightest interest

in what happens to Steve any longer.

- Jim, you're his friend.

- I'm a policeman, Laura.

Well, thank you, gentlemen,

for giving me your time.

I'm sure you must have

much more important things to do.

Young lady.

You intend to continue looking for him,

don't you?

- What do you think?

- I think you're wasting your time.

It's very obvious

what's happened to him.

Rather than face trial, he jumped his bail.

We expected that.

Did you expect that too, Jim?

Yes.

I'll tell him that when I see him.

If I see him.

I wish I hadn't said that, sir.

Laura's too fine a girl

to hurt the way we did.

Perhaps, if we told her.

Steve knew how it would hurt,

and he didn't tell her.

Oh, conductor, are we on time?

Yes, sir.

Well, I think I'll go

and catch a little sleep.

You won't have time.

Why not?

- Five hours till The Pas.

- We're getting off in 10 minutes.

Ten minutes?

There's no stop between here...

The snow is soft.

Oh. Uh...

- We jump?

- Yeah.

- There's a steep grade up ahead.

- I'll wash up anyway.

We jump in 10 minutes.

It's a good job

they keep these trains warm.

- Been getting colder since we left Winnipeg.

- Yes.

- First trip north?

- Yes, yours?

No, we've made it often.

Look.

Why did you do that?

You wanted to get rid of him, didn't you?

He followed us from the hotel.

Uh-huh.

One policeman always knows another.

Let's get out of here.

How's our friend?

I pitched him a good clip. Is he all right?

He's all right.

I think I'll go and make sure

he doesn't follow us.

Don't worry, he won't.

This is where we get off.

Who is this man?

A friend.

- I was told you would be alone.

- It's all right, I'll vouch for him.

Did you bring any trail clothes?

- Yes, we got them in the duffel bags.

Better put them on.

Hello?

I wanna talk to Inspector Barnett,

Divisional Headquarters, Mounted Police.

Yes?

Oh, thank you very much, conductor.

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Frank Gruber

Frank Gruber (born February 2, 1904, Elmer, Minnesota, died December 9, 1969, Santa Monica, California) was an American writer. He was an author of stories for pulp fiction magazines. He also wrote dozens of novels, mostly Westerns and detective stories. Gruber wrote many scripts for Hollywood movies and television shows, and was the creator of three TV series. He sometimes wrote under the pen names Stephen Acre, Charles K. Boston and John K. Vedder. Gruber said that as a 9-year-old newsboy, he read his first book, "Luke Walton, the Chicago Newsboy" by Horatio Alger. During the next seven years he read a hundred more Alger books and said they influenced him professionally more than anything else in his life. They told how poor boys became rich, but what they instilled in Gruber was an ambition at age nine or 10, to be an author. He had written his first book before age 11, using a pencil on wrapping paper. Age 13 or 14, his ambition died for a while but several years later it rose again and he started submitting stories to various magazines, like Smart Set and Atlantic Monthly. Getting rejected, he lowered his sights to The Saturday Evening Post and Colliers, with no more success. The pulps were getting noticed and Gruber tried those but with no success. As a story came back with a rejection slip, he would post it off again to someone else, so he could have as many as forty stories going back and forth at different times, costing him about a third of his earnings in postage. Erle Stanley Gardner called him the fighter who licked his weight in rejection slips. February 1927, he finally sold a story. It was bought by The United Brethren Publishing House of Dayton. It was called "The Two Dollar Raise" and he got a cheque through for three dollars and fifty cents. Answering an ad in the Chicago Tribune, he got a job editing a small farm paper. In September he got a better paid job in Iowa and soon found himself editing five farm papers. He had lots of money and even wrote some articles for the papers but found he had no time to write the stories he wanted to write. In 1932 the Depression hit, and he lost his job. 1932 to 1934 were his bad years. He wrote and wrote, many stories typed out on an old "Remington" but of the Sunday School stories, the spicy sex stories, the detective stories, the sports stories, the love stories, very few sold, with some companies paying him as little as a quarter of a cent per word. He had a few successes and remained in Mt. Morris, Illinois for 14 months before deciding to head to New York on July 1, 1934. There were numerous publishing houses in New York and he could save money on postage but this led to him walking miles to deliver manuscripts as he had so little money, not even enough for food most of the time. He stayed in a room in the Forty Fourth Street Hotel ($10.50 per week). In his book, The Pulp Jungle (1967), Gruber details the struggles (for a long time, at least once a day he had tomato soup, which was free hot water in a bowl, with free crackers crumbled in and half a bottle of tomato sauce added) he had for a few years and numerous fellow authors he became friendly with, many of whom were famous or later became famous. Early December 1934 and with endless rejection slips, he got a phone call from Rogers Terrill. Could he do a 5,500 word filler story for Operator #5 pulp magazine by next day? He did and got paid. Even better, they wanted another one next month, and another. He was then asked to do a filler for Ace Sports pulp, which sold. Gruber's income from writing in 1934 was under $400. In 1935, his stories were suddenly wanted and he earned $10,000 that year. His wife came to live with him (she had been living with relatives) and he lived the good life, moving into a big apartment and buying a Buick ($750). January 1942, Gruber decided to try Hollywood, having heard about the huge sums some stories sold for and stayed there till 1946. Gruber—who stated that only seven types of Westerns existed—wrote more than 300 stories for over 40 pulp magazines, as well as more than sixty novels, which had sold more than ninety million copies in 24 countries, sixty five screenplays, and a hundred television scripts. Twenty five of his books have sold to motion pictures, and he created three TV series: Tales of Wells Fargo, The Texan and Shotgun Slade. His first novel, The Peace Marshall, which was rejected by every agent in New York at the time, became a film called "The Kansan", starting Richard Dix. The book has been reprinted many times with total sales of over one million copies. He bragged that he could write a complete mystery novel in 16 days and then use the other 14 days of the month to knock out a historical serial for a magazine. His mystery novels included The French Key (for which he sold the motion picture rights for $14,000 in 1945) and The Laughing Fox. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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