Silver Screen (Nov 1938-Apr 1939)

Silver Screen for March 1939 69 long shots which brought in the distinctive backgrounds and provided a menacing comparison of nature and mere man. At noon two veteran cowhands served mulligan stew from a ten gallon iron stew pot which had been hanging over a fire all morning. Five or six trucks formed a circle around the cook fire and property men and men from the Indian agency and Goulding's trading post helped serve luncheon a la cafeteria. There were more than a hundred Indians, some of them descendants of the famous phantom warrior, Geronimo, with us. Each had a horse — a wild horse (cayuse) — from the plateau. A few of them had their squaws, who rode burros. One squaw brought along a six months' old papoose strapped to her back, as unemotional and contented a looking child as I ever saw. There is nothing petty about a movie company on location and it seemed to me that every person on the desert arrived just in time for lunch. The Indians made quick work of their mulligan and made several trips to the truck which served sandwiches and pie. One old fellow, who spoke very little English but seemed to be a leader, told me "Very good eats, very good!"' and I nodded. I learned later that he was Chief White Horse. An excellent type of Southwestern American Indian he was, too. White Horse was a bit displeased, however, because there were Apache Indians mixed in with the Navajos. The two nations split up many years ago, the Navajos taking up weaving, sheep raising, small farming in this Northern rim of Arizona and New Mexico, the smaller Apache nation locating further south. There was no trouble on this location but it is no secret that the Navajo and Apaches are still enemies. However, Ford had to have some real Apaches in "Stagecoach" and the Indian agents, who were most co-operative, preserved peace. It struck me as very funny that the real Americans did not speak our language. Those who had been educated in government schools still preferred to speak Navajo. From Andy Devine I learned that in in this country the Indians prefer to use native mined turquoise and wool and blankets for trade rather than American paper money. Devine was born near Flagstaff. His father once ran a stagecoach line in Coconino County and he got a great kick out of being back here again after about 20 years away. Tim Holt asked the cameraman to make a still picture of himself with a very pretty Navajo girl. After two stills were made the girl demanded a dollar. She admitted she was being paid for working in the moving picture but the still man Was a tourist to her and a still picture was "extra." Many of the other Indians refused to pose for still pictures. The scenes Ford made showing the Indians attacking the stagecoach with its horses galloping along, were thrilling Remington paintings brought to life. During the mid-afternoon it snowed. Ford didn't mind the snow so much as he did the rapid changes in the cloud formations which forced him to keep the lens of the camera pointed downward. When I got close to the cameras on one occasion, as we were lined up on top of a mesa (a tableland a 100 feet higher than the floor of the plateau) I experienced the thrill of my life. Two horses came galloping right toward the cameras. Suddenly they both tripped, turned complete somersaults, throwing their riders over the edge of the hill and then slid on down after them. When the cameras stopped, Ford asked if all was well below. The horses jumped up, shook the dust off themselves and scampered away to hostlers waiting on the sidelines. Johnny Burke, one of the riders, was scratched a bit by sharp stones, but otherwise there was no harm done. Yakima Canutt, who supervised this action called "a Double Double-U" told me he had done 350 of them and had not yet harmed a horse or himself. The rider throws the horse off balance it seems and by natural instinct the animal folds his legs under him, rolls over again. A doctor designated by the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is always taken along when such stunts are contemplated and all "doubleU's" are .approved and under his supervision. There was very little difference between one day's shooting and another. No schedule was attempted. Ford shot scenes everywhere he found nature able to assist him. Monument Valley hadn't seen so many automobiles and trucks and cavalrymen and Indians dashing here and there in a good long time. The location trip meant a happy new year for the Indians, I know, and for "Stagecoach" it meant authentic backgrounds and natural thrills 4J^pif J^WclmC^ FOR THE GIRL With Ifital * SmttttfaSktM, NOWEXTRA "SKIN-VITAMIN IN A FAMOUS POWDER BASE* Women everywhere praise Pond's Vanishing Cream as a powder base . . . now they're excited over the extra skin care this famous cream brings. Now Pond's contains Vitamin A, the "skin-vitamin" necessary to skin health In hospitals, scientists found that wounds and burns healed quicker when "skin-vitamin" was applied to them. Use Pond's Vanishing Cream before powder and for overnight to help supply extra "skinvitamin" for your skin. Same jars, labels, prices S|c Statements concerning the effects of the "skin-vitamin" applied to the skin are based upon medical literature and tests on the skin of animals following an accepted laboratory method. Tune in on "THOSE WE LOVE," Pond's Program, Mondays, 8:30 P.M., N.Y. Time, N. B. C. Copyright, 1939, Pond's Extract Company