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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Literature, Hollywood & History. From the books of Curwood and London, to movies like SUSANNA OF THE MOUNTIES and SERGEANT PRESTON. Articles on police dogs, horses and heroes...
Originally called the North-West Mounted Police, the Force gained fame in its battles against outlaws and whiskey traders, its fair handling of the Native peoples, and its control of the wild Klondike Gold Rush. In 1904, their achievements received recognition when King Edward VII granted the Force the prefix "Royal" and it became the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP).
From their beginning, fictional stories have been told of the North-West Mounted. John Mackie, who had served as a Mounted Policeman from 1888 to 1893, published popular romances from 1894 to 1913, such as THE RISING OF THE RED MAN, CANADIAN JACK and THE LAW BRINGERS. Ralph Connor's CORPORAL CAMERON OF THE NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE: A Tale of the MacLeod Trail appeared in 1912.
During the Pulp Heyday, dozens of writers wrote their action-packed yarns of the "Mounted," some of them specialing in this new genre.
Even in recent times, series authors have sent paperback heroes like the Trailsman, Raider ("The Pride of the Pinkertons") and US Marshal Long, North of the Border to partner with the Mounties to get their men.
The very first, but not the last, Mountie movie was Rider of the Plains, made in 1910 by the Edison Moving Picture Company. The first mega-hit was the 1919 Back to God's Country, starring the beautiful and talented Nell Shipman.
There are well over 200 Hollywood movies featuring the Mounted Police (from original NWMP to modern RCMP), and many more that show Canadian Mounties in their distinctive red jackets. For American movie audiences, that uniform was the best clue of a Canadian location. The courteous, brave and trustworthy police became clichéd national characteristics -- all of Hollywood's Canadian heroes were members of the Canadian Mounted Police.
Charles Bronson played the Mad Trapper in DEATH HUNT, with Lee Marvin as the Mountie who hunted him. Lon Chaney appeared in NOMADS OF THE NORTH. Rock Hudson went BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY. Alan Ladd starred in SASKATCHEWAN. Rod Steiger had KLONDIKE FEVER. Dick Powell starred in MRS MIKE. Gypsy Rose Lee was the BELLE OF THE YUKON. Shirley Temple was SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES. Errol Flynn was in NORTHERN PURSUIT. Donald Sutherland was a Mountie in ALIEN THUNDER. Mae West was KLONDIKE ANNIE. Tyrone Power was a PONY SOLDIER. James Stewart went to THE FAR COUNTRY. And Brendan Fraser was the one and only DUDLEY DO-RIGHT.
Our URL.BIZ Articles include:
SAM STEELE OF THE MOUNTED: The Greatest Mountie
JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD: Writer of Northern Fiction
NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE DOGS: Huskies and Other Sled Dogs
ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE DOGS: The German Shepherd
POLICE DOGS: Why German Shepherds Are the Best
www.mounted-police.00books.com
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Keywords:
hollywood, pulp fiction, Mounties, mounted police, James Oliver Curwood, Jack London, James B Hendryx, Klondike Gold Rush |
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