Trader Horn (1931)

While on safari in an unexplored area of Africa, Trader Horn and Peru find missionary Edith Trent killed by natives. They decide to carry on her quest for her lost daughter Nina. They find ... See full summary »

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Ethelreda Lewis (based on the book by), Dale Van Every (adaptation),

Stars:

Harry Carey, Edwina Booth, Duncan Renaldo

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harry Carey	...	Aloysius 'Trader' Horn
Edwina Booth	...	Nina Trent - the White Godess
Duncan Renaldo	...	Peru
Mutia Omoolu	...	Rencharo - Horn's Gun Bearer
Olive Carey	...	Edith Trent (as Olive Golden)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bob Kortman	...	(scenes deleted)
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Edith Trent (scenes deleted)

Storyline

While on safari in an unexplored area of Africa, Trader Horn and Peru find missionary Edith Trent killed by natives. They decide to carry on her quest for her lost daughter Nina. They find her as the queen of a particularly savage tribe, and try to bring her back to civilization.

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Plot Keywords:

trader | africa | missionary | safari | salt | 

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Taglines:

WHITE GODDESS OF THE PAGAN TRIBES. THE CRUELEST WOMAN IN ALL AFRICA !

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swahili

Release Date:

23 May 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horn le trafiquant

Filming Locations:

Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$1,312,636 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director W.S. Van Dyke and many of the crew contracted malaria and were treated with quinine. Two fatal mishaps occurred during the African filming: a native crewman fell into the river and was eaten by a crocodile, and a native boy was killed by a charging rhino (which was captured on film and is in the movie). Other misfortunes also plagued the production, including flash floods, sunstroke, swarming locusts, and tse-tse fly and ant attacks.

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Quotes

Aloysius 'Trader' Horn: Aye, you needn't think there isn't beauty to be found in Africa - beauty and terror.

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Crazy Credits

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is indebted to the governmental officials of The Territory of Tanganyika, The Protectorate of Uganda, The Colony of Kenya, The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, The Belgian Congo, whose co-operation made this picture possible - and to White Hunters Maj. W.V.D. Dickinson, A.S. Waller, Esq., J.H. Barnes, Esq., H.R. Stanton, Esq., for their courageous services through 14,000 miles of African veldt and jungle.

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Connections

Featured in Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership (1949)

User Reviews

In the heart of Africa gin and quinine gets them through

I don't think any film that managed to finish its shooting schedule and be released ever had as much problems as Trader Horn. So much so that for 20 years no American film company ever went back to Africa for location shooting until The African Queen and King Solomon's Mines. But so much footage survived that MGM was able to stock a series of Tarzan films and not put its players at risk the way Harry Carey, Duncan Renaldo and Edwina Booth were.

The plot is a skimpy one. Carey is your basic white hunter who is taking along a young friend Renaldo into some unexplored country in search of missionary Olive Carey's daughter. When they find her she's now the princess of a savage tribe. But one look at these two, especially Renaldo, makes her realize there are others who look like her. After that it's the three of them plus Carey's gunbearer on the run from the tribe and without weapons in the jungle.

While American companies avoided Africa, colonial powers like Great Britain shot films in Africa and did it because they knew what the hazards were and took precautions. The goring of a young native by a rhinoceros is real and captured on film and frightening. Director Woody Van Dyke kept his cast and crew loaded with gin and quinine. It still did not save Edwina Booth from a rare tropical disease which many thought killed her. I've always believed that was a deliberate publicity stunt by MGM because Ms. Booth was through with show business after this shoot. Who could blame her?

The first half of the film is a travelogue on safari. At the time this was great stuff for the American movie-going public. Still no studio wanted to face the expenses MGM had during Trader Horn's shooting.