Flint, I think we may be the only ones left.
  -- Grunt (before showing Flint the list of Joes killed in action)
Home Episode Summaries Season 1 The Great Alaskan Land Rush - Notes

Credits: written by David Bennett Carren

Production Number: 600-56

Original Airdate: December 3, 1985

SUNBOW'S SYNOPSIS
When the last surviving heir of the Russian Imperial Alaskan Colony Company shows up and claims to own Alaska, the Joes suspect it is a Cobra plot to wrench away America’s largest state. The only way to disapprove the claim is for the Joes to go to Alaska and find the colony’s Imperial Seal. Three problems: the seal has been missing for over a hundred years, the Russians are looking for the seal so they can reclaim Alaska, and Cobra is determined to stop them both!

THE  PERSONNEL
G.I.Joe: Duke, Scarlett, Gung Ho, Roadblock, Shipwreck*, Dusty*, Joe grunts, Snake Eyes, Dusty*, Recondo*, Ace, Oktober Guard: Daina, Horrorshow, Col. Brekhov Cobra: Baroness, Tele-Viper, Tomax, Xamot, Wild Weasel
THE  GEAR
G.I.Joe: Snow Cat, Skystriker Cobra: Rattler, HISS
* indicates the character was silent during the episode

OBSERVATIONS
Gerky Potemkin's last name is the same as a Russian statesman (1739 to 1791) who was favored by Catherine II.

Tomax and Xamot burst through the glass door of the Gerber Landsford, the governor of Alaska, and the first name "Gerber" was more than likely a tribute to the first season's story editor, Steve Gerber (Matthew Pak's 3 3/4" G.I.Joe Collector Guide - Volume Two: The Television Episodes).

The sign over Gerky's head states, "All you canus takus," a twisted version of e pluribus unum (Latin for "from many, one").

Unlike the episode "The Invaders," Col. Brekhov refers to his team as Red Oktober and not the Oktober Guard.

The episode's title could be a combination of two historical moments in the United States: the Oklahoma land rush and the California gold rush (1849). During the Oklahoma land rush, people lined up and ran out into a large area of land and attempted to stake out their lot after a cannon was fired. The cannon shot in the episode was Gerky's broadcast in which he thundered his proclamation that everyone must leave and the land-hungry group was composed of members from the Joe and Oktober Guard teams attempting to lay claim to Alaska by finding the true seal of Alaska. And because the seal was created with gold, the California gold rush is also mirrored in the episode since a large group of people are traveling to a far off land to find gold, like the prospectors who journeyed to California.

ERRORS
Roadblock speaks with Gung Ho's voice while the Joes ride on dogsleds (Matthew Pak's 3 3/4" G.I.Joe Collector Guide - Volume Two: The Television Episodes).

As the Baroness attacks, the viewer can hear her laugh, however, her lips are not moving.

USA  NETWORK  EDITS
I
Time: 9 seconds

II

Dialogue:
Scarlett: And there’s no legal way to stop him.
Time: 2.5 seconds
Commentary: Was it really worth the time and trouble to carve out 2.5 seconds?

III

Dialogue:
Gung Ho: Call your bet and raise five.
Scarlett: Sure, Potemkin and Cobra are working together, Duke? I call your bet.
Duke: Wherever Extensive Enterprises is, so’s Cobra. They want Alaska for its resources and as a permanent base. Call. All we gotta do is search a millions acres of freeze dried real estate to find one tiny Russian knick-knack.
Gung Ho: Will you guys shut up and play!
Time: 29 seconds

IV

Dialogue:
Duke: Air defense - to your stations!
Time: 3 seconds

V

Dialogue:
Potemkin: Six Rolls Royces, a few mink robes, a couple dozen diamond rings, and toss in a platinum bathtub while you’re at it. Been wanting to make that call to Neimen Marcus all my life!
Time: 14 seconds
Note: Potmekin's question to Tomax and Xamot (last image) was a voice-over while the exterior shot of the building was on the screen during the USA episode (third image). As a result, the phone call to Neimen Marcus was cut out.

VI

Dialogue:
Potemkin: Smooth as sticking a country rube with a '59 Edsel.
Time: 5 seconds

VII

Dialogue:
Tomax: Repeat again, Baroness.
Xamot: Isn’t that redundant, dear brother?
Time: 3.5 seconds

VIII

Dialogue:
Scarlett: Now I know how a TV dinner feels.
Time: 3.5 seconds

LESSONS

Dusty
Original:
If you must ride your bicycle at night, Dusty suggests that you should have reflectors on your bike so that cars will see you.
USA:
Same as above

SPONSORS

Barbie and the Rockers

Giggles Cookies
1.61 mb

HIGHLIGHTS
Music Clip: After Lucrof orders the Joes to be silent, the guards lead the Joes to the cells where they meet the Oktober Guard. [271 kb]


Jan 25: G.I.Joe Examined on Podcasts
Jan 25: Buzz Dixon Interview
Jan 25: Paulsen Annie Nomination & Dini on Batman Comic
Jan 12: Sgt. Slaughter Signing in Atlanta
Jan 11: G.I.Joe to Return on G4
Dec 30: Paramount Movie Reviewer Plugs JoeGuide.com
MORE

JoeGuide.com (formerly QKTheatre.com) is an unofficial G.I.Joe website. G.I.Joe and all related characters and vehicles are trademarks of Hasbro. All images, sound and movie clips of G.I.Joe within this site are used with the kind permission of Hasbro. All other images are copyrighted by their respective owners and are presented for only for the purpose of review.