Mala, the Man and His Movies, Part 1

The 1933 hit movie “Eskimo” is about to come out of obscurity, thanks to a recently published book about its leading man. “Eskimo Star: From the Tundra to Tinseltown, The Ray Mala Story,” will be celebrated at a gala book signing event at the Anchorage Museum on Tuesday, March 29.

The author of “Eskimo Star,” Lael Morgan, says her interest in the book began about 30 years ago, when she was researching other stories in Alaska and was asked to write an essay about Mala for a collection of stories featuring Alaskan heroes.

“I went into this living room in Buckland; I saw this picture, the handsomest guy I had ever seen,” Morgan said. “I said, ‘Who is that?’ ‘Well that’s cousin, Ray.’ When I discovered he had been dead for about 40 years, I almost sat down on the couch and cried.”

While many Alaskans have caught “Eskimo” on late-night or early-morning cable television, most probably don’t realize that in 1933 the film was an international sensation.

Two things helped to make it a success: the fact that it was shot in Alaska, and the fact that star Ray Wise Mala was the real deal -- not an Asian actor playing the part of an Eskimo, but an Inupiat who spoke the language and had traditional hunting and fishing skills.

Although the setting of “Eskimo” was far removed from what moviegoers in the Great Depression were used to seeing, the film somehow resonated with them. It’s possible the Inupiat lifestyle had appeal, as the movie showed their independence, as well as their confidence and mastery of their environment -- something average Americans might have felt slipping from their grasp during the Depression.

The big draw to the movie was also likely due to the man who played Mala, the Inupiat hero of the story. Ray Wise had become so identified with the character that he legally changed his name to Ray Wise Mala, but was later known as simply “Mala.”

The book on Alaskan heroes Morgan was asked to write for was never published but Mala’s son, Dr. Ted Mala, asked if there was enough material to write a book about him. Morgan told the physician she didn’t think so, and the possibility of a book lay dormant until Ted Mala Jr. came along with questions about his grandfather.  

“So I just started talking to her,” said Ted Mala Jr. “It was purely out of curiosity, to discover more about my family.”

Inspired by his grandfather’s success, the younger Mala was living and working in Hollywood while he pursued a career in film. Morgan and Mala eventually became a team.

“She’d just put me on assignment: ‘I need you to research this,’ or ‘Find that picture,’” Mala said.

Mala continued to dabble in film and recently landed a part in the movie “Everybody Loves Whales,” which was shot in Anchorage last summer, as a TV news producer -- but the book has been his passion. After five years it’s finally come together, with some fabulous photos from the Mala family collection, as well as Hollywood pictures and lobby cards.  

Thanks to the advent of the Internet, Morgan says she was able to uncover a lot of new information about Mala’s film career, much of it was behind the camera. When Mala was a young man, he worked on a ship, where an explorer trained him to shoot footage.

“And they’d hire him for their boats and discovered that they couldn’t hand-crank a movie camera at 40 below -- but Ray could,” Morgan said. “He had a wonderful eye for taking pictures and focusing; because he’d been a hunter, he could estimate distances.”

Morgan says there were many moviemakers in Nome during the 1920s, so Mala was able to pick up a lot of skills from some of the best in what was then a fledgling industry.

“He actually won the Oscar for best cinematography for a picture directed by Otto Preminger called ‘Laura.’” said Ted Mala, Jr., who added that the film is credited with launching the film noir genre.

Mala also worked on “Air Circus,” the first picture with dialogue in sound.  Some of his contemporaries were also of note: Mala worked as a prop man with John Wayne and was good friends with “Tarzan” star Johnny Weissmuller, who probably taught him to swim.

“I love to imagine what it was like when he and Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller, walked into a club for an evening in Hollywood, because here’s two guys 6-feet-2 or taller,” Morgan said.

Mala’s swimming ability was showcased in the film “Last of the Pagans,” shot in Tahiti.