The Squaw Man (1931 film)
- For other uses, see: The Squaw Man (disambiguation).
| The Squaw Man | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Written by | Edwin Milton Royle |
| Screenplay by |
Lucien Hubbard Lenore J. Coffee Elsie Janis |
| Based on | The Squaw Man (play) |
| Starring |
Warner Baxter Lupe Velez Eleanor Boardman |
| Music by | Herbert Stothart |
| Cinematography | Harold Rosson |
| Edited by | Anne Bauchens |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Squaw Man (1931) is a film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It was the third version of the same play that he filmed, and the first in sound. It stars Warner Baxter in the leading role.
Plot
A British army officer Captain James Wingate (Warner Baxter) is left disgraced when he takes the blame for his cousin Henry's (Paul Cavanagh) misapropriation of the regiment's charitable fund. He heads to the Wild West of the United States, taking over a ranch in Montana where he marries a beautiful Indian squaw Naturich (Lupe Velez) and have child Hal (Dickie Moore). Years later Henry arrives there with his wife Lady Diana (Eleanor Boardman), with whom James has been secretly in love.
Cast
- Warner Baxter as James 'Jim' Wingate, aka Jim Carston
- Lupe Vélez as Naturich
- Eleanor Boardman as Lady Diana Kerhill
- Charles Bickford as Cash Hawkins
- Roland Young as Sir John 'Johnny' Applegate
- Paul Cavanagh as Henry, Earl of Kerhill
- Raymond Hatton as Shorty
- Julia Faye as Mrs. Chichester Jones
- DeWitt Jennings as Sheriff Bud Hardy
- J. Farrell MacDonald as Big Bill (as J. Farrell McDonald)
- Mitchell Lewis as Tabywana
- Dickie Moore as Little Hal Carston
- Victor Potel as Andy
Production and release
DeMille's two previous versions of the story were released in 1914 and in 1918. DeMille was keen to remake his earlier successes and was the driving force behind the project, at a time when a cycle of big-budget Western films In Old Arizona, Billy the Kid and The Big Trail were being released.
The film rights proved difficult and expensive to acquire, as MGM had to negotiate with both Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers.[1] Many of the scenes were shot on location in Arizona. As the cost of the film escalated, MGM executive Nicholas Schenck tried to abandon the production, but he was persuaded that this would be equally costly to do and the film was finished as planned.[2] It ultimately cost over $722,000 to make and lost nearly $150,000 in its initial release.[3] In spite of its financial losses, and troubled production, the film was well-regarded by critics. This was the last film on DeMille's contract with MGM before he returned to Paramount Pictures. His next work was the enormously successful 1932 film The Sign of the Cross which kick-started his career again.
References
Bibliography
- Birchard, Robert S. Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky, 2004.
External links
- The Squaw Man at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Squaw Man at the Internet Movie Database
- The Squaw Man at AllMovie
- The Squaw Man at the TCM Movie Database