The Squaw Man (1914)

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  • THE SQUAW MAN
    aka The White Man


    DIRECTED, WRITTEN & PRODUCED BY CECIL. B DeMILLE
    CO-DIRECTED BY OSCAR APFEL
    JESSE L. LASKY FEATURE PLAY COMPANY
    FAMOUS PLAYERS-LASKY CORPORATION



    INFORMATION FROM IMDb


    Plot Summary
    Captain Wynnegate leaves England, accepting the blame for embezzling charity funds though knowing that his cousin Sir Henry is guilty. Out West he and the Indian girl Nat-U-Rich save each other from the evil cattle rustler Cash Hawkins and marry. Lady Diana shows up to announce Sir Henry's death. After Nat-U-Rich's suicide Wynnegate takes his half-breed son and Lady Diana back to England as the new Earl of Kerhill.
    Written by Ed Stephan


    Cast
    Dustin Farnum ... Capt. James Wynnegate - aka Jim Carston
    Monroe Salisbury ... Sir Henry - Earl of Kerhill
    Winifred Kingston ... Lady Diana - Countess of Kerhill
    Mrs. A.W. Filson ... The Dowager Lady Elizabeth Kerhill
    Haidee Fuller ... Lady Mabel Wynnegate
    ... Nat-U-Ritch
    Foster Knox ... Sir John
    Fred Montague ... Mr. Petrie
    'Baby' Carmen De Rue ... Hal (as Baby de Rue)
    Fernando Gálvez ... Sir John Applegate
    Eugene De Rue ... Lieutenant
    H.R. Macy ... Lieutenant
    H.L. Swisher ... Lieutenant
    Michael J. Kilpatrick ... Lieutenant
    Sydney Deane ... Dean of Trenton
    J.H. Alston ... The Bookmaker
    Harry A. Hiscox ... Fletcher
    Slim Whitaker ... The Detective
    Lew Longenecker ... The Ship Captain
    Harry McCabe ... The Bunco Man
    Dick La Reno ... Big Bill
    William J. Burns ... Shorty
    Gordon Sackville ... Andy
    Richard L'Estrange ... Grouchy
    Charles Figee ... Bull Cowen
    Joseph Singleton ... Tabywana
    Old Elk ... Baco Willie
    William Elmer ... Cash Hawkins
    Art Acord ... Townsman
    Earl Simpson ... McSorley
    Crispino ... Crispino
    O.A. Moor ... Smith
    Edgar Lewis ... Nick
    Milton Brown ... Budd Hardy
    Tex Driscoll ... Clark
    Jack Ellis ... Parker
    Jack Rube Clifford ... Pete (as Jack Clifford)
    J.G. Harper ... Justice of the Peace
    William Mauer ... Punk
    Jack Big Deer ... Medicine Man
    Freddy De Rue ... Little Hal
    Gordona Bennet ... The Ship Captain's Wife
    Utahna La Reno ... The Ship Captain's Child
    Maureen Rasmussen ... Mrs. Chichester Jones
    Kathleen De Vois ... The Bunco Woman
    Ruth De Rue ... The Bar Maid
    Cecilia de Mille ... Child (uncredited)
    Cecil B. DeMille ... Faro Dealer (uncredited)
    Raymond Hatton ... Cowhand (uncredited)
    Hal Roach ... Townsman (uncredited)


    Directed
    Oscar Apfel
    Cecil B. DeMille


    Writing Credits
    Edwin Milton Royle ... (play)
    Cecil B. DeMille ... (picturized by) (as Cecil B. De Mille) and
    Oscar Apfel ... (picturized by) (as Oscar C. Apfel)
    Produced
    Cecil B. DeMille ... producer (uncredited)
    Jesse L. Lasky ... executive producer (uncredited)


    Music
    H. Scott Salinas ... (original music by)


    Cinematography
    Alfred Gandolfi ... (uncredited)


    Trivia
    Cecil B. DeMille's ledger noted that he hired an extra named Hal Roach for $5 per day, and rejected actress Jane Darwell, who was already commanding $60 per week.


    The site where most of the interior scenes were filmed was located at the corner of Selma Ave. and Vine St. in Hollywood. The building one block south, at Sunset Blvd. and Vine, is now occupied by a Chase Bank. The building was originally designed as a Home Savings Bank in the 1950s by Millard Sheets Studio (one of nearly 100 in the Los Angeles area designed by the firm). A mural on one interior wall, by Sheets, commemorates the production by depicting four scenes from the film.


    The first film made by (and involving) Cecil B. DeMille.


    The Motion Picture Patents Trust, headed by Thomas A. Edison, was at that time engaged in an attempt to control all motion picture production in the U.S., and went to great lengths - often including destruction of property and physical violence - to do so. The Trust was based on the East Coast, which is why many independent producers, such as Cecil B. DeMille, began shooting their films in California. The Trust's intimidation tactics probably explain why DeMille - who was one of their most vocal opponents - put no cast or crew credits on this film.


    Several one-act versions of the play were produced as early as 1904. The complete play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 23 October 1905 and closed about 1 April 1906 after 222 performances. The opening night cast included George Fawcett, William S. Hart, William Faversham , Theodore Roberts, Adrienne Morrison (billed as Mabel Morrison), Selene Johnson, Mitchell Lewis and Cecil Ward.


    The musical composition "Nat-u-ritch: An Indian idyll. Intermezzo from The Squaw Man" by Theodore Bendix was published to promote the picture.


    Commonly accepted as the first feature length film to be made in Hollywood, California. Short films such as In Old California (1910) has previously been made in the neighborhood.


    Interiors were filmed on an open-air soundstage, built off of a barn. The L-shaped barn was built in 1901 and stood on the corner of Selma and Vine Streets in Hollywood. The stage was connected to one wing of the barn which was destroyed by a nitrate fire in 1918. The main portion of the barn has survived and now stands across the street from the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl. The barn serves as the home of the Hollywood Heritage museum.


    The original studio facilities for Paramount Pictures grew out of the barn on the corner of Selma and Vine streets. When Paramount moved to its current site in 1926 (further east, off of Melrose Avenue), they brought the barn with them.


    Film debut of Raymond Hatton.


    According to William C. de Mille, his brother Cecil B. DeMille, had initially no interest in motion picture production, and William had to convince him to undertake work on this film.


    In order to secure the services of stage star Dustin Farnum, director Cecil B. DeMille offered him a quarter interest in the new Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company in lieu of salary. Farnum declined the offer and was salaried at $250 per week, good money for 1913. The Lasky Company later merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players, Bosworth Pictures, and the Pallas/Morosco Company to form Paramount Pictures. Farnum's decision netted him $5000 but ultimately cost him millions.


    The first movie to be remade.


    Actor Dustin Farnum was originally offered profit participation but then requested $5000 instead. In order to raise that capital Samuel Goldwyn traveled the country and sold the rights to the film to exhibitors before a single frame had been shot, making this the first film to pre sell the rights before production.


    Goofs
    Revealing mistakes
    When he is in his hotel room in New York, Captain Wynnegate looks out of his window. This is followed by a cut to an obvious still photograph of the Broadway/Times Square district by night, meant to represent the view from the Captain's window.


    Early in the film, when Captain James Wynnegate (played by Dustin Farnum) is on board the sailing ship, he writes a note asking that a "check" enclosed with the note be cashed for him. Since Captain Farnum is an Englishman, he would have spelled the word as "cheque", the standard British spelling. (Moreover, the handwriting in the note is scarcely that of an educated British military officer: the lines of writing are crooked and the letters are crudely formed.)


    Memorable Quotes


    Filming Locations
    Hollywood Heritage Museum - 2100 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (studio)
    Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    Green River, Wyoming, USA
    Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    Los Angeles, California, USA
    Railroad Station, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA
    Vine & Selma Corner, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (near)


    Watch the Movie


    [extendedmedia]

    [/extendedmedia]

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 6 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • The Squaw Man (known as The White Man in the UK) is a 1914 silent western drama film starring
    Dustin Farnum and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel.
    It was DeMille's directorial debut.



    Contemporary magazine advertisement.
    James Wynnegate (Dustin Farnum) and his cousin, Henry (Monroe Salisbury), are upper class Englishmen and have been made trustees for an orphans’ fund. Henry loses money in a bet at a derby and embezzles money from “the fund” to pay off his debts. When war office officials are informed of the money missing from “the fund," they pursue James, but he successfully escapes to Wyoming. There, James rescues Nat-U-Ritch (Lillian St. Cyr), daughter to the chief of the Utes tribe, from local outlaw Cash Hawkins (William Elmer). Hawkins plans to exact his revenge on James, but has his plans thwarted by Nat-U-Ritch, who fatally shoots him. Later, James gets into an accident in the mountains and needs to be rescued. Nat-U-Ritch tracks him down and carries him back to safety. As she nurses him back to health, they fall in love and later have a child. Meanwhile, during an exploration of the Alps, Henry falls off a cliff. Before he succumbs to his injuries, Henry signs a letter of confession proclaiming James’ innocence in the embezzlement. Before Henry's widow, Lady Diana (Winifred Kingston), and others arrive in Wyoming to tell James about the news, the Sheriff recovers the murder weapon that was used against Cash Hawkins inside of James and Nat-U-Ritch's home. Realizing their son was not safe, the couple sends him away, leaving them both distraught. Facing the possibilities of losing both her son and her freedom, Nat-U-Ritch decides to take her own life instead. The movie ends with both the chief of the Utes tribe and James embracing her body.


    The main character James Wynnegate played by Dustin Farnum, was cast as the hero for the film.
    His wife in real life Winifred Kingston was also a well-known actress.
    She played the English love interest. Red Wing (real name Lillian St. Cyr)
    was born into the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska on the Winnebago Reservation,
    and she played the American Indian wife


    Production background
    Directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille and produced by DeMille and Jesse L. Lasky,
    the screenplay was adapted by Beulah Marie Dix from the 1905 stage play, of the same name,
    written by Edwin Milton Royle.


    This first screen version of the story was the legendary DeMille's first movie assignment. It also holds the distinction of being the first feature-length movie filmed specifically in Hollywood. DeMille wanted to emphasize the outdoors and wanted to shoot the movie in a place that had exotic scenery and great vistas. Initially he traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona to film the movie.[3] After seeing the vast amount of mountains near Flagstaff; the filming was moved to the Los Angeles area. It was not the first film to be made in the Los Angeles area, and film historians agree that shorts had previously been filmed in Hollywood, with In Old California considered the earliest. Harbor scenes were shot in San Pedro, California and the western saloon set was built beside railroad tracks in the San Fernando Valley. Footage of cattle on the open range were shot at Keen Camp near Idyllwild, California, while snow scenes were shot at Mount Palomar.Cecil B. DeMille felt that lighting in a movie was extremely important and viewed it as the visual and emotional foundation to build his image. He believed that lighting was to a film as “music is to an opera”


    The Squaw Man went on to become the only movie successfully filmed three times by the same director/producer, DeMille. He filmed a silent remake in 1918, and a talkie version in 1931. The Squaw Man was 74 minutes long and generated $244,700 in profit




    Controversies
    Non-Native American actor Joseph Singleton played the role of Tabywana, Nat-U-Ritch's father. Lillian St. Cyr of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska was cast to play the role of Nat-U-Ritch, a member of the Ute tribe. She is also known as "Princess Redwing". St. Cyr along with her husband James Young Deer (of the Nanticoke people of Delaware)[5] have been regarded as the first "Native American power couple" in Hollywood.[6] DeMille selected Lillian St. Cyr to play Nat-U-Ritch because he wanted an authentic Native American. During the early silent film era, films that were based on the experiences of Native Americans were popular. The central theme of this film was miscegenation. In the state of California, anti-miscegenation laws existed until 1948; however, while African Americans couldn’t legally marry whites in California during the filming process, marriages between Native Americans and whites were permitted. Though there were Native American actors, whites were mostly cast as Indian characters. Native Americans actors who played Indian roles might even perform in redface.


    The costumes that Native American filmmakers made were often inaccurate.
    Young Deer and his wife Lillian St. Cyr helped to transform how Native American characters were represented.
    The characters they created and portrayed were sympathetic in complex ways,
    although other studios like Kalem were also attempting to accurately portray Natives in film.
    However, other scholars argue that Native American-themed silent films did not alter in any way
    the dominant perception of Indians themselves.
    Apparently, a large number of films displayed the Native American experience
    from many different perspectives and did involve Native American writers, filmmakers,
    and actors during this time period.



    User Review


    "Come out west – where folks keep their hands in their own pockets"
    18 February 2008 | by Steffi_P (Ruritania)

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 7 times, last by ethanedwards ().