''Redskin'' is a 1929 American sound film with a synchronized musical score and sound effects, filmed partially in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

. Its final six minutes were shown in Magnascope, an enlarged-screen projection novelty. The film, directed by

Victor Schertzinger Victor L. Schertzinger (April 8, 1888 – October 26, 1941) was an American composer, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His films include ''Paramount on Parade'' (co-director, 1930 in film, 1930), ''Something to Sing About (1937 fi ...

, stars

Richard Dix Richard Dix (born Ernst Carlton Brimmer; July 18, 1893 – September 20, 1949) was an American motion picture actor who achieved popularity in both silent film, silent and sound film. His standard on-screen image was that of the rugged and sta ...

and was produced and released by Paramount Famous Lasky Corp. Though not well remembered among the general public, the film is regarded highly by film historians for presenting sympathetic portrayals of Native Americans in the silent film era.

Plot

After years of attending preparatory school and college in the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

, Wing Foot (

), who after graduating finds out that he is an outcast in an overwhelmingly white society because of his race, returns to his

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

tribe and renounces their customs and beliefs, becoming an outcast among his own people. He later secretly visits the village of a rival tribe in order to see Corn Blossom (Julie Carter), his sweetheart, who has also been to school in the East. Her people discover his presence, and he is forced to flee into the desert, where he discovers oil. White prospectors also find the oil, and Wing Foot races them to the claim office, filing his claim first. Faced with marriage to a man she does not love, Corn Blossom takes refuge in the Navajo village. Her people come to take her back, and a pitched battle between the tribes is averted only when Wing Foot arrives and tells both tribes of the new good fortune of the Indian nations. He then claims Corn Blossom as his own.

Cast

as Wing Foot * Julie Carter as Corn Blossom *

Jane Novak Jane Novak (born Johana Barbara Novak; January 12, 1896 – February 3, 1990) was an United States of America, American actress of the silent film era. Background Jane Novak was born Johana Barbara Novak in St. Louis, Missouri to Bohemian immigr ...

as Judith Stearns *

Larry Steers Lawrence Wells Steers (February 14, 1888 – February 15, 1951) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 550 films between 1917 and 1951. He was born in Indiana, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partial filmography * ''Old ...

as John Walton *

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

as Navajo Jim * Bernard Siegel as Chahi *

George Regas George Thomas Regas (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος Θωμάς Ρεγάκος; November 9, 1890 – December 13, 1940) was a Greek American actor. Biography Regis was born near Sparti (municipality), Sparta, Greece, the brother of acto ...

as Chief Notani *

Augustina López Augustina López (born Augustina Romero) was a Mexican actress of Indigenous ancestry who appeared in a string of Hollywood films later in life. She reportedly broke into the industry through an association with actress Delores Del Rio. Select ...

as Grandmother Yina *

Noble Johnson Noble Johnson (April 18, 1881 – January 9, 1978), later known as Mark Noble, was an American actor and film producer. He appeared in films such as '' The Mummy'' (1932), '' The Most Dangerous Game'' (1932), ''King Kong'' (1933) and '' Son o ...

as Pueblo Jim * Joseph W. Girard as Commissioner * Jack Duane as Barrett * Andrew J. Callaghan as Anderson * Myra Kinch as Laughing Singer * Philip Anderson as Wing Foot, age 9 * Lorraine Rivero as Corn Blossom, 6 * George Walker as Pueblo Jim, age 15 Source:

Music

The film featured a theme song entitled “Redskin” by Harry D. Kerr (words) and J. S. Zamecnik (music). The theme song is sung on the film offscreen by Helen Clark on the soundtrack.

Production

was used for the scenes taking place on the Indians' land, while black-and-white ( sepia-toned in the original projection prints) was used for the scenes set in the white man's world. Roughly three-fourths of the film is in color. Location shooting took place in

Canyon de Chelly Canyon de Chelly National Monument ( ) was established on April 1, 1931, as a unit of the National Park Service. Located in northeastern Arizona, it is within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation and lies in the Four Corners region. Reflecting ...

."Notes"
on

TCM.com Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

Home video

''Redskin'' is currently available in the United States on disc 4 of the DVD collection ''Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film, 1900-1934.'' At the time of release, only some of the original

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National Pictures, First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone is the last major analog sound-on-disc sys ...

type soundtrack discs (reels 1, 3, and 8) were available and so much of the film is presented without audio. An alternative modern piano soundtrack was also presented on the release. Soundtrack discs for reels 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 have been located but have not yet been paired with the film.

References

External links

* * * * {{Victor Schertzinger 1929 films 1920s color films Films about Native Americans American silent feature films Transitional sound films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Victor Schertzinger Silent films in color Early sound films Early color films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Synchronized sound films