Laughing Boy (film)

Laughing Boy
Laughing Boy
	Ramon Novarro and Lupe Vélez
Directed by	W. S. Van Dyke
Screenplay by	John Colton; John Lee Mahin
Based on	Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge
Produced by	Hunt Stromberg; W. S. Van Dyke
Starring	Ramón Novarro; Lupe Vélez
Cinematography	Lester White
Edited by	Blanche Sewell
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 13, 1934;
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Laughing Boy is a 1934 pre-Code Western film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and is based on the 1929 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Oliver La Farge.

Plot

Slim Girl is an Indian maiden raised by whites, who call her Lily. Many members of the Navajo tribe shun Slim Girl, believing her to be leading an improper life, perhaps even as a prostitute.

Laughing Boy, a silversmith, is seduced by her. After losing a horse race, he challenges rival Red Man to a wrestling match and wins. This impresses Slim Girl, who expresses her desire for him, and the two fall in love. Slim girl ends her intimate relationship with her 'sugar Daddy', George Hartshorne, a rich rancher, and agrees to marry Laughing Boy.

Due to being raised by whites, Slim girl does not assimilate into the Navajo ways well. She decides that to make the most of her talents, she should prostitute herself again, using the money she makes to buy sheep for their farm, while telling Laughing Boy that she is trading the silver products that he makes in town.

One day, when Slim Girl goes to town to sell his silver goods, Laughing Boy follows her and finds her in Hartshorne's arms. He fires an arrow at Hartshorne but ends up killing Slim Girl instead.

Cast

Actor	Role
Ramón Novarro	Laughing Boy
Lupe Vélez	Slim Girl
William B. Davidson	George Hartshorne
Harlan Knight	Wounded Face

Production

John Lee Mahin said MGM bought the rights to the play on his recommendation. Mahin claims the film was ruined by the casting of Ramon Navarro. "He looked like an old whore, with his hair hanging down and a blanket on." Mahin said "They should have had some virile young guy, Tyrone Power or somebody" although he liked Lupe Velez. "If you'd had somebody comparable to her and if you'd played the sad ending, you would have had a movie. It's very hard dialogue too. I don't know whether anybody could have played it. Their speeches were so up in the clouds. Oh, it was awful!"^[1]

Reception

The film was a box-office disappointment for MGM.^[2]

References

^ McCarthy, Todd; McBride, Joseph (1986). "John Lee Mahin: Team Player". In Patrick McGilligan (ed.). Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. University of California Press. p. 257. ISBN 9780520056893.
^ D. W. (Nov 25, 1934). "Taking a Look at the Record". The New York Times. ProQuest 101193306.

External links

Laughing Boy at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Laughing Boy at IMDb

[1] McCarthy, Todd; McBride, Joseph (1986). "John Lee Mahin: Team Player". In Patrick McGilligan (ed.). Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. University of California Press. p. 257. ISBN 9780520056893.

[2] D. W. (Nov 25, 1934). "Taking a Look at the Record". The New York Times. ProQuest 101193306.

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