Skippy [Nominee ~ 1931]

"You're a tell-tale tattletale hanging on a bull's tail!"

I really dislike child actors.  For the most part, they are terrible.  But when they're actually good, they make me feel like I've done nothing with my life.  These kids are working and getting awards before they hit puberty.  What was I doing at that age?*  Probably watching The Little Mermaid for the 3000th time and thinking up ways to torture my sister.

Skippy is the story of a mischievous yet warm-hearted boy, played by Jackie Cooper.  He befriends a poor boy named Sooky, who lives in nearby Shanty Town.  When Sooky's dog is picked up by a cruel dog catcher, the boys team up to save her.  Meanwhile, Shanty Town itself is in danger of being torn down by Skippy's father, the head of the city's board of health.

Cooper is the youngest actor ever nominated for Best Actor, at the tender age of nine.  I have to hand it to him: he does do a fine job in this film (as does Robert Coogan as Sooky).  While the main plot mostly focuses on childhood hijinks's, there are a few touching scenes that nearly brought me to tears.  I could chalk this up to the fact that this is essentially a "dog movie,"** but there's more to it than that.  Even though I wasn't all that interested in this movie to begin with, the kid's made me care about their plight in the end.

Another fun fact about this film: it's the only Best Picture nominee based on a comic or graphic novel.  The idea of this happening now is unlikely, even with the field being widened to 10 nominees.  For some reason comic books just don't command the respect they deserve.  Even when there are great adaptations (Road to Perdition, Persepolis), they don't get nominated for Best Picture.  Perhaps the Academy was bolder in its youth; nominating films and actors that were unique in their source material, perspectives, and age.

Honestly, I don't think Skippy is the best example of a Best Picture nominee, but it is a cute movie.  I could definitely see myself showing it to my future kids.  Of course, I will point out that Jackie Cooper was a working actor and an Academy Award nominee when he was nine.  At the very least it might motivate my kids to clean their rooms once a week, right?

*Hell, what am I doing at this age?  Writing this silly blog, that's what.
**Anyone who has ever seen Old Yeller or Marley & Me will know what I mean by a "dog movie."

Trader Horn [Nominee ~ 1931]

"I'm not fool enough to believe any thing's impossible in Africa."

How would I describe Trader Horn?  It's part action-adventure biopic, part nature documentary, with a touch of romantic melodrama thrown in.  It's also an inaccurate, racist view of colonial Africa, which features a great deal of exploitation and real-life danger.  This is one of those films that preserves a moment in time, warts and all.

Based on the book by real life adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn (played by Harry Carey), the movie follows the ivory trader and his young protege as they trek through the African wilderness in search of a missionary's missing daughter.  Danger is around every corner, in the form of wild animals and angry natives.

While the plot itself is nothing special, the story behind the production is.  This was the first non-documentary to be filmed on location in Africa.  And after the ordeal the cast and crew went through making it, it's a wonder any movie was ever filmed on location again.  Many crew members contracted malaria, including female lead Edwina Booth.  It took her six years to fully recover, effectively ending her acting career.  Wildlife often attacked the crew, and led to two deaths: an African crewman was eaten by a crocodile after falling into a river, and another was killed by a charging rhino.  (Which was captured on film and included in the final movie.  Classy.)  Carey's leg was nearly bitten by a crocodile while swinging across the river by vine (also included in the final cut), and a second unit filming animal footage in Mexico allegedly starved lions to provoke vicious attacks on deer and hyenas.  Some footage also shows crocodiles and rhinos being shot at, the latter appearing to be an actual rhino death.

Along with authentic wildlife footage, this film also features indigenous tribesmen and women.  The inclusion of native peoples is a complicated issue, to say the least.  The locals are described as "savages," "monsters," or "happy, ignorant children."  Horn's gun bearer, played by Kenya native Mutia Omoolu, is the only African who receives anything close to respect, yet he's still referred to by the pejorative "boy."  The divisive issue of "ethnographic" nudity is also presented: topless native women are seen throughout the film, yet Booth's chest is strategically covered by a feather necklace.

Despite these issues, this movie is a visual gem.  The more authentic wildlife scenes are riveting.  The imagery of tribal people in costume is beautiful, especially while performing native dances.  As Africa moves into the 21st Century, tribal culture is in danger of being lost, and wildlife is threatened by industrialization.  Trader Horn captures a moment in time, when a continent was still wholly untamed, and the rules of filmmaking were almost non-existant.

East Lynne [Nominee ~ 1931]

Does anyone out there have connections at UCLA?  I could really use them to see this movie.

Only one copy of East Lynne is known to exist, and it's under lock and key at the UCLA Film & Television Archive.  A recommendation and an appointment are needed to view it.  There are no plans to release this film on DVD, mainly because restoring it will be very expensive and Fox (who owns the rights) is reluctant to fork over the money.

I'll just come right out and say it: that sucks.  Movies are meant to be enjoyed.  East Lynne and other rare films are not serving their purpose if they are left to sit on a shelf.  Shouldn't they be made available to the public for no other reason than to honor those who worked on these films?  Everyone, from the actors to the lighting crew, worked hard to create this movie, and now it can only be enjoyed by a handful of people.  Furthermore, with restoration and the creation of DVD copies, East Lynne can be spared the same fate as The Patriot.

Kudos to UCLA for preserving it, but come on Fox... pony up some of that Simpson's money you've been collecting and bring East Lynne to the masses!

(Gorgeous movie poster, by the way.  I'd love to have a framed copy on my wall.)