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Trader Horn (1931 film)
Encyclopedia
Trader Horn is the first non-documentary film
shot on location
in Africa
. The 1931 movie tells of the adventures of real-life trader and adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn
on safari
in Africa. It featured many authentic shots of African wildlife and a great deal of inauthentic plot. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
in 1931. Edwina Booth
, the female lead, contracted a career-ending illness while shooting, for which she sued producers MGM.
The film was written by Cyril Hume
(dialogue), John Thomas Neville, Richard Schayer
and Dale Van Every
and Ethelreda Lewis, and directed by W.S. Van Dyke. It was based on a popular book of the time, Trader Horn
, by Alfred Aloysius Horn.
This movie has been remade three times as Trader Horn (1934), the sexploitation film Trader Hornee
(1970), and Trader Horn
(1973) with Rod Taylor
in the starring role. Though filmed on the MGM backlot
, the 1973 remake used tinted stock footage
from the 1931 film.
in Africa.
The fictional part includes the discovery of a white blonde jungle queen, the lost daughter of a missionary, played by Miss Booth. The realistic part includes a scene in which Carey as Horn swings on a vine across a river filled with genuine crocodile
s, one of which comes very close to taking his leg off.
. An African crewman fell into a river and was eaten by a crocodile. Another was killed by a charging rhino (which was captured on film and used in the movie). Swarms of insects, including locusts and tse-tse fly, were common.
Female lead Edwina Booth became infected, probably with malaria, during filming. It took six years for her to fully recover from this and other conditions she endured. She retired from acting soon after and sued MGM, which settled out of court.
A sound crew, sent half way through filming, were unable to produce good quality work. This resulted in most of the dialogue sequences being reshot at MGM's Culver City Studio. This caused rumours that the entire production had been filmed there, so most of this footage was cut from the final release. Many animal scenes were filmed in Tecate
, Mexico
by a second unit to avoid the American laws on the ethical treatment of animals. For example, lions were reportedly starved to promote vicious attacks on hyenas, monkeys and deer.
The actual 'White Hunter' in the film was Lt. Col. W.V.D. Dickinson ("Dicker") OBE MC.
, went to Africa to film a documentary called Trader Horn: The Journey Back.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
shot on location
On location
On location can refer to:*Filming location, a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced*On Location , a name of an HBO special series*Adobe OnLocation, computer software for direct to disk recording....
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...
. The 1931 movie tells of the adventures of real-life trader and adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn
Trader Horn
Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn was an ivory trader in central Africa. He wrote a book, Trader Horn: A Young Man's Astounding Adventures in 19th-Century Equatorial Africa , detailing his journeys into jungles teeming with buffalo, gorillas, man-eating leopards, serpents and "savages"...
on 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...
in Africa. It featured many authentic shots of African wildlife and a great deal of inauthentic plot. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
in 1931. Edwina Booth
Edwina Booth
Edwina Booth was an American actress. She is best known for the 1931 film Trader Horn, during the filming of which she contracted an illness which effectively ruined her movie career.-Career:...
, the female lead, contracted a career-ending illness while shooting, for which she sued producers MGM.
The film was written by Cyril Hume
Cyril Hume
Cyril Hume was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 29 films between 1924 and 1966.He was born in New York, New York and died in Palos Verdes, California.-Selected filmography:* The Invisible Boy...
(dialogue), John Thomas Neville, Richard Schayer
Richard Schayer
Richard Schayer was an American screenwriter. He wrote for over 100 films between 1916 and 1956.He was born in Washington, D.C., son of Col. George Frederick Schayer and Julia Scott Thompson. and died in Hollywood, California...
and Dale Van Every
Dale Van Every
Dale Van Every was an American writer and film producer.His parents were Wilbert and Estella Van Every, members of a prominent family in the Petoskey, Michigan area...
and Ethelreda Lewis, and directed by W.S. Van Dyke. It was based on a popular book of the time, Trader Horn
Trader Horn
Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn was an ivory trader in central Africa. He wrote a book, Trader Horn: A Young Man's Astounding Adventures in 19th-Century Equatorial Africa , detailing his journeys into jungles teeming with buffalo, gorillas, man-eating leopards, serpents and "savages"...
, by Alfred Aloysius Horn.
This movie has been remade three times as Trader Horn (1934), the sexploitation film Trader Hornee
Trader Hornee
Trader Hornee is a 1970 sexploitation film written and produced by David F. Friedman and directed by Jonathan Lucas. This is an adult-oriented parody of the vintage safari movie Trader Horn , which was first remade in 1934...
(1970), and Trader Horn
Trader Horn (1973 film)
Trader Horn is a 1973 film starring Rod Taylor as the African adventurer Trader Horn, whose life had been previously dramatised in a 1931 film.The was short on the MGM backlot in Los Angeles, using stock footage from King Solomon's Mines ....
(1973) with Rod Taylor
Rod Taylor (actor)
Rodney Sturt "Rod" Taylor is an Australian-American actor of film and television.-Early life:Born on 11 January 1930 in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, Taylor was the only child of William Sturt Taylor, a steel construction contractor and commercial artist, and the former Mona Thompson, a writer of...
in the starring role. Though filmed on the MGM backlot
Backlot
A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
, the 1973 remake used tinted stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
from the 1931 film.
Cast (in credits order)
- Harry Carey as Aloysius 'Trader' Horn
- Edwina BoothEdwina BoothEdwina Booth was an American actress. She is best known for the 1931 film Trader Horn, during the filming of which she contracted an illness which effectively ruined her movie career.-Career:...
as Nina Trent, The White Goddess - Duncan RenaldoDuncan RenaldoRenault Renaldo Duncan , better known as Duncan Renaldo, was an American actor who portrayed The Cisco Kid in films and on the 1950-1956 American TV series, The Cisco Kid.-Early years:...
as Peru - Mutia Omoolu as Rencharo, Horn's native translator and majordomo
- Olive CareyOlive CareyOlive Carey was an American film and television actress.Born as Olive Fuller Golden in New York City, she appeared in more than fifty films, mostly westerns, including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, often playing tough tom-boy parts. In 1920, she wed actor Harry Carey, Sr., with whom she remained...
as Edith Trent
Plot details
The movie tells of the adventures of real-life trader and adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn on safariSafari
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...
in Africa.
The fictional part includes the discovery of a white blonde jungle queen, the lost daughter of a missionary, played by Miss Booth. The realistic part includes a scene in which Carey as Horn swings on a vine across a river filled with genuine crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s, one of which comes very close to taking his leg off.
Production
Many accidents occurred during filming in Africa. Many of the crew, including the director, contracted malariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. An African crewman fell into a river and was eaten by a crocodile. Another was killed by a charging rhino (which was captured on film and used in the movie). Swarms of insects, including locusts and tse-tse fly, were common.
Female lead Edwina Booth became infected, probably with malaria, during filming. It took six years for her to fully recover from this and other conditions she endured. She retired from acting soon after and sued MGM, which settled out of court.
A sound crew, sent half way through filming, were unable to produce good quality work. This resulted in most of the dialogue sequences being reshot at MGM's Culver City Studio. This caused rumours that the entire production had been filmed there, so most of this footage was cut from the final release. Many animal scenes were filmed in Tecate
Tecate
Tecate is a small city in Baja California, Mexico and the municipal seat of Tecate Municipality. It is located on the border with Tecate, California, United States in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. There is a small port of entry betwixt the sister cities that serves as a calmer...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
by a second unit to avoid the American laws on the ethical treatment of animals. For example, lions were reportedly starved to promote vicious attacks on hyenas, monkeys and deer.
The actual 'White Hunter' in the film was Lt. Col. W.V.D. Dickinson ("Dicker") OBE MC.
Legacy
This film has never been released on DVD. In 2009, Carey's son, Harry Carey, Jr.Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr. is an American film actor. He appeared in over 90 films. He is mostly remembered for appearing in Western films — notably those by his friend John Ford — and in television programs.-Early life:...
, went to Africa to film a documentary called Trader Horn: The Journey Back.