''The Call of the Wild'' is a 1976 American

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

based on

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

's 1903 novel ''

The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...

''. The film, starring John Beck, was directed by

Jerry Jameson Jerry Jameson (born November 26, 1934) is an American television program, television and film director, film editing, editor and film producer, producer. Biography Highly prolific, he began his career in 1964 as an editor on the episode "List ...

from a script by poet and novelist

James Dickey James Lafayette Dickey (February 2, 1923 January 19, 1997) was an American poet, novelist, critic, and lecturer. He was appointed the 18th United States Poet Laureate in 1966. His other accolades included the National Book Award for Poetry a ...

. One of several adaptations of London's novel, this version was produced following the success of the 1972 film ''

Deliverance ''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own Deliverance (novel), 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into th ...

'', an adaptation of Dickey's novel of the same title. The author's son,

Christopher Dickey Christopher Swift Dickey (August 31, 1951 – July 16, 2020) was an American journalist, author, and news editor. He was the Paris-based world news editor for ''The Daily Beast''. He authored seven books, including ''Our Man in Charleston: Brita ...

, wrote in his 1998 memoir, ''Summer of Deliverance'', that " e Hollywood concept or the 1976 filmwas James Dickey meets Jack London; sort of ''Deliverance'' in the Klondike."

Plot

Cast

* John Beck as John Thornton *

Bernard Fresson Bernard Fresson (27 May 1931 – 20 October 2002) was a French actor who primarily worked in film. Biography Born in Reims to a French baker, Fresson attended the Lycée privé Sainte-Geneviève, majoring in law. He studied in Tania Balachova ...

as François *

John McLiam John McLiam (born John Williams; January 24, 1918 – April 16, 1994) was a Canadian actor noted for his skill at different accents. His film appearances include ''My Fair Lady'' (1964), ''In Cold Blood'' (1967), John Frankenheimer's movie of ' ...

as Prospector *

Donald Moffat Donald Moffat (December 26, 1930 – December 20, 2018) was a British-American actor with a decades-long career in film and stage in the United States. Moffat began his acting career on- and off- Broadway, which included appearances in ''The ...

as Simpson *

Michael Pataki Michael Pataki (January 16, 1938 – April 15, 2010) was an American actor of stage, film and television.Obituary ''Los Angeles Times'', May 5, 2010; p. AA7. Early life Pataki was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Hungarian parents, the youngest ...

as Stranger *

Penelope Windust Penelope Marjorie Windust (July 13, 1945 – February 2, 2022) was an American television, film, and stage actress. She was known for her role as Kathleen Maxwell in the 1983 miniseries '' V''. Biography Windust began her career on Broadway, ap ...

as Rosemary *

Billy Green Bush William Warren Bush (born November 7, 1935) is an American actor usually credited as Billy Green Bush, and sometimes as Billy Greenbush. Typecast Bush is a character actor, typically projecting in his screen appearances the good-ol'-boy image. H ...

as Redsweater

References

External links

* * 1976 television films 1976 films 1976 drama films 1970s adventure drama films 1970s American films 1970s English-language films American adventure television films American adventure drama films American drama television films Films based on The Call of the Wild Films directed by Jerry Jameson NBC original films Television films based on books Television shows based on works by Jack London English-language adventure drama films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub