Trader Horn (1931 film)
| Trader Horn | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | W.S. Van Dyke |
| Produced by | Irving Thalberg (uncredited) |
| Written by |
Dale Van Every (adaptation) John T. Neville (adaptation) Cyril Hume (dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Richard Schayer |
| Based on |
Trader Horn by Alfred Aloysius Horn |
| Starring |
Harry Carey Edwina Booth Duncan Renaldo |
| Cinematography | Clyde De Vinna |
| Edited by | Ben Lewis |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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122 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.3 million |
Trader Horn is a 1931 American Pre-Code adventure film starring Harry Carey and Edwina Booth, and directed by W.S. Van Dyke. It is the first non-documentary film shot on location in Africa. The film is based on the book of the same name by trader and adventurer Alfred Aloysius Horn and tells of adventures on safari in Africa.
The film's dialogue was written by Cyril Hume. John Thomas Neville and Dale Van Every wrote the adaption.Trader Horn 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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The film depicts the adventures of real-life trader and adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn, while on safari in Africa. The fictional parts of the plot include the discovery of a white blonde , 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 crocodiles, one of which comes very close to taking his leg off.
Many accidents occurred during filming in Africa. Many of the crew, including the director, contracted malaria. An African crewman fell into a river and was eaten by a crocodile. Another was killed by a charging rhino. The rhino was captured on film and the scene was used in the final form of the film. Swarms of insects, including locusts and the-tse flies, were common.
Female lead Edwina Booth became infected, probably with malaria or schistosomiasis, 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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The case was settled out of court. A sound crew, sent halfway through filming, were unable to produce good quality work. This resulted in most of the dialogue sequences being reshot at MGM's studio in Culver City, California. 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.
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