Chad Hanna (1940)

Country boy joins a circus in the 1840s and falls in love with the bare-back rider. Later he falls in love with another circus runaway.

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Walter D. Edmonds (the story of: "Red Wheels Rolling" by), Nunnally Johnson (screen play)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Dorothy Lamour, Linda Darnell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Fonda	...	Chad Hanna
Dorothy Lamour	...	Albany Yates
Linda Darnell	...	Caroline
Guy Kibbee	...	Huguenine
Jane Darwell	...	Mrs. Huguenine
John Carradine	...	Bisbee
Ted North	...	Fred Shepley
Roscoe Ates	...	Ike Wayfish
Ben Carter	...	Bell Boy
Frank M. Thomas	...	Burke (as Frank Thomas)
Olin Howland	...	Cisco Tridd
Frank Conlan	...	Mr. Proudfoot
Eddie Conrad	...	Fiero (as Edward Conrad)
Edward McWade	...	Elias
Edward Mundy	...	Joe Duddy

Storyline

Country boy joins a circus in the 1840s and falls in love with the bare-back rider. Later he falls in love with another circus runaway.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | based on novel | character name in title

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Taglines:

Thrilling New Millions ! Right out of the pages of the Saturday Evening Post comes the best-seller acclaimed by Millions !

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

La belle écuyere

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dorris Bowdon was convinced that she had got the role of Caroline, because her husband Nunnally Johnson wrote the screenplay. When she found out Linda Darnell got the role, she considered leaving Johnson.

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Connections

Featured in Biography: The Fondas (2004)

User Reviews

Uneventful but charming: an old-fashioned movie

"Chad Hanna" is truly the kind of film they don't make any more. A pity!

Chad Hanna (Henry Fonda) is a country farm boy who helps a black slave to escape, and then runs away with a circus together with a slave tracker's daughter (Linda Darnell). Originally dazzled by a seemingly glamorous circus performer (Dorothy Lamour), Chad eventually falls in love with the daughter and marries her, and they both make the circus their way of life. Nothing very enthralling happens, and the charm of the film comes from watching famous people early in their careers.

Linda Darnell is particular is a revelation. She was about seventeen years of age when she made "Chad Hanna", yet already her rapport with the camera is evident. So too is the warmth of her personality and the skill of her underplaying. With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to see why she became a big star, but what is intriguing is that in "Chad Hanna" Dorothy Lamour, who was already a big star, no longer seems attractive or interesting. It is not obvious why she was so popular at that time. Henry Fonda, of course, was already a movie "natural". He never seems to be acting, but somehow he is always both likable and believable. Fonda really holds this movie together.

20th Century Fox was the first major studio to master colour in movies. In the late 'thirties and early 'forties, most colour in films was garish and gaudy, but several Fox films had really beautiful colour, and "Chad Hanna" is one of them.

"Chad Hanna" is certainly a throw-back to the past, and quite possibly people who judge movies only in terms of their kinetic imagery will find it slow. For those who are not stimulated by violence and synthetic excitement, "Chad Hanna" is well worth watching.