Roosevelt in Africa
Encyclopedia
Roosevelt in Africa is a film by Cherry Kearton
, released in 1910
. It is a documentary
featuring Theodore Roosevelt
in Africa
. It is shot in silent black and white.
One of the biggest headline-grabbing stories of 1910 was former president Theodore Roosevelt
's safari
into Africa
. Landing in Mombasa in 1909, Roosevelt spent months in the wilds of East Africa, hunting big game in parts of what are now Kenya
and Uganda
.
For some of this journey, he was accompanied by famed British bird-and-animal photographer Cherry Kearton
, who shot wildlife and native scenes with a hand-cranked motion picture camera. Among the scenes captured by Kearton's camera were a number of Kikuyu and Maasai gatherings and dances – although the Maasai were incorrectly identified in the film's slates as "Zulus."
Quick to cash in on the media frenzy, the Selig company of Chicago
, actually released a fake documentary which it had shot at its own California
game preserve, using a lookalike actor as a stand-in for Roosevelt when necessary.
Motion Picture Patents Company, using Pathe as its distribution arm, responded by releasing the authentic Kearton footage under the title "Roosevent in Africa."
Kearton had dreamed of filming an African lion, but was unable to do so during the Roosevelt voyage. The fake Selig film did feature a lion – a tamed aged lion.
Cherry Kearton
Cherry Kearton was born in the small Yorkshire Dales village of Thwaite, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, and was one of the world's earliest wildlife photographers and writers. He first married Mary Burwood Coates, with whom he had a son, also named Cherry, and a daughter, Nina. He later...
, released in 1910
1910 in film
The year 1910 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The newsreel footage of the funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom is shot in Kinemacolor, making it the first color newsreel....
. It is a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
featuring Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It is shot in silent black and white.
One of the biggest headline-grabbing stories of 1910 was former president Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
into Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Landing in Mombasa in 1909, Roosevelt spent months in the wilds of East Africa, hunting big game in parts of what are now Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
For some of this journey, he was accompanied by famed British bird-and-animal photographer Cherry Kearton
Cherry Kearton
Cherry Kearton was born in the small Yorkshire Dales village of Thwaite, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, and was one of the world's earliest wildlife photographers and writers. He first married Mary Burwood Coates, with whom he had a son, also named Cherry, and a daughter, Nina. He later...
, who shot wildlife and native scenes with a hand-cranked motion picture camera. Among the scenes captured by Kearton's camera were a number of Kikuyu and Maasai gatherings and dances – although the Maasai were incorrectly identified in the film's slates as "Zulus."
Quick to cash in on the media frenzy, the Selig company of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, actually released a fake documentary which it had shot at its own California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
game preserve, using a lookalike actor as a stand-in for Roosevelt when necessary.
Motion Picture Patents Company, using Pathe as its distribution arm, responded by releasing the authentic Kearton footage under the title "Roosevent in Africa."
Kearton had dreamed of filming an African lion, but was unable to do so during the Roosevelt voyage. The fake Selig film did feature a lion – a tamed aged lion.