Stanley and Livingstone (1939)

When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian wars, his editor James Gordon Bennett sends him to Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone, the ... See full summary »

Directors:

Henry King, Otto Brower

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screen play), Julien Josephson (screen play)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Tracy	...	Henry M. Stanley
Nancy Kelly	...	Eve Kingsley
Richard Greene	...	Gareth Tyce
Walter Brennan	...	Jeff Slocum
Charles Coburn	...	Lord Tyce
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Dr. David Livingstone (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Henry Hull	...	James Gordon Bennett Jr.
Henry Travers	...	John Kingsley
Miles Mander	...	Sir John Gresham
David Torrence	...	Mr. Cranston
Holmes Herbert	...	Frederick Holcomb
C. Montague Shaw	...	Sir Oliver French (as Montague Shaw)
Brandon Hurst	...	Sir Henry Forrester
Hassan Said	...	Hassan
Paul Harvey	...	Colonel Grimes

Storyline

When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian wars, his editor James Gordon Bennett sends him to Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone, the missing Scottish missionary. Stanley finds Livingstone ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume.") blissfully doling out medicine and religion to the happy natives. His story is at first disbelieved. When Livingstone later dies, Stanley returns to continue the good doctor's work (which, of course, never really happened).

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Plot Keywords:

africa | safari | missionary | publisher | zanzibar | 

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Taglines:

He succeeded in the maddest quest in History...because one girl believed in him!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stanley et Livingstone

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Not counting the archive footage in Land of Liberty (1939), this is the first movie that features two Double Acting Oscar winners who had won their awards prior to this film's release: Spencer Tracy and Walter Brennan. Spencer Tracy had just won two consecutive Best Actor Oscars, while Walter Brennan had won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars for films released in 1936 and 1938, and would win another the following year (1940).

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Goofs

The first part, in Wyoming Territory during Indian wars, was filmed in Idaho, Sun Valley - not Wyoming. You can see the Ski Slope and Ski Runs for Sun Valley Resort in the background.

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Quotes

Henry M. Stanley: Dr. Livingstone, I presume?
[Henry M. Stanley said this on Friday, October 27th 1871, in reality]
Dr. David Livingstone: Yes!
Henry M. Stanley: Thank God, Doctor, I have been permitted to see you.

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Crazy Credits

To the officials of His Majesty's government in British East Africa, the producers wish to express their appreciation for the cooperation that made possible the filming of the safari sequences in Kenya, Tanganyka and Uganda.

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Connections

Spoofed in Malibu Beach Party (1940)

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Soundtracks

Oh Susanna
(1846) (uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
Incorporated into the score often, especially in scenes with Walter Brennan

User Reviews

More People Should See This

I'm still waiting for this underrated gem to be put on DVD. I doubt if a lot people are familiar with this film, and that's a shame, and perhaps the reason it hasn't been put on disc. I remember being surprised how good it was the first time I saw it. I liked it even better the second time and even more on the third.

What's to like? Well, Spencer Tracy, to begin with. It's also interesting to see this true story about a man living in the heart of Africa in a time when few white men had ever gone to that continent. Livinstone (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) also was a good witness for his Christian faith, and even made a strong admirer out of partner and skeptic Stanley, played by Tracy.

Completing the fine cast in this film are Nancy Kelly (who looks beautiful), Walter Brennan and Charles Coburn.

The film could have been a spectacular visual one if it had been done in Technicolor, since the locations are in Africa, not some Hollywood set....but the back-and-white photography is still good. I'm not complaining. Great film.