Laughing Boy, a young Navajo, falls in love with Slim Girl, a Navajo girl who has been raised by white men and has a different way of thinking from her people.Laughing Boy, a young Navajo, falls in love with Slim Girl, a Navajo girl who has been raised by white men and has a different way of thinking from her people.Laughing Boy, a young Navajo, falls in love with Slim Girl, a Navajo girl who has been raised by white men and has a different way of thinking from her people.
Photos
William B. Davidson
- George Hartshorne
- (as William Davidson)
Harlan Knight
- Wounded Face
- (as Tall Man's Boy)
Philip Armenta
- Yellow Singer
- (as F.A. Armenta)
Julius Bogua
- Jesting Squaw's Son
- (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey
- White Father
- (uncredited)
Nora Cecil
- Teacher
- (uncredited)
Ruth Channing
- Tourist
- (uncredited)
Dora Clement
- Mother
- (uncredited)
Corleen Clemons
- Young Married Woman
- (uncredited)
Joseph William Cody
- Leader of Horsemen
- (uncredited)
Romere Darling
- Dancing Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- W.S. Van Dyke(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was a major bomb for MGM and Ramon Novarro's career never recovered. He made only one more film for MGM.
- GoofsWhen she finds the coins left by Laughing Boy, Slim Girl's (Lupe Velez blouse switches between being open/unbuttoned (and quite 'revealing') and closed/ buttoned several times.
- ConnectionsFeatured in La noche de...: La sombra de la sospecha (2017)
- SoundtracksCall of Love
(1934) (uncredited)
Music by Herbert Stothart
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Sung by Ramon Novarro several times
Featured review
Tragic Romance Along the Navajo Trail
In viewing Laughing Boy today I counted elements of Camille, Romeo and Juliet and Duel in the Sun in the plot of this Indian love story.
Ramon Novarro plays the title role and he's a Navajo from way off in the rural part of the reservation. Lupe Velez is also a Navajo, but an orphan who is the live in mistress of William B. Davidson.
It's doomed from the start. Lupe's been living too long in the white man's world and Ramon's family simply will not accept her. It ends bad for both of them.
I've got a mixed reaction to the film. I've got to give some credit to MGM at that time for even attempting to make a film showing Indians as three dimensional people. They do in fact include some stereotypes, but give the studio credit for trying.
Both Lupe and Ramon were big stars in the silent era and did make the transition to sound. They both had pleasant speaking voices. But both led lives that given the times should have been more discreet. They were both descending into B films at a steady pace. In Ramon's case the vogue for Latin lovers which crested with Rudolph Valentino in the silent era with Ramon as one of his imitators had long passed. MGM had trouble casting him.
Laughing Boy might have been a better film if MGM had been trying to build Lupe and Ramon up instead of looking to be rid of both.
Ramon Novarro plays the title role and he's a Navajo from way off in the rural part of the reservation. Lupe Velez is also a Navajo, but an orphan who is the live in mistress of William B. Davidson.
It's doomed from the start. Lupe's been living too long in the white man's world and Ramon's family simply will not accept her. It ends bad for both of them.
I've got a mixed reaction to the film. I've got to give some credit to MGM at that time for even attempting to make a film showing Indians as three dimensional people. They do in fact include some stereotypes, but give the studio credit for trying.
Both Lupe and Ramon were big stars in the silent era and did make the transition to sound. They both had pleasant speaking voices. But both led lives that given the times should have been more discreet. They were both descending into B films at a steady pace. In Ramon's case the vogue for Latin lovers which crested with Rudolph Valentino in the silent era with Ramon as one of his imitators had long passed. MGM had trouble casting him.
Laughing Boy might have been a better film if MGM had been trying to build Lupe and Ramon up instead of looking to be rid of both.
helpful•103
- bkoganbing
- Mar 20, 2006
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $518,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 19 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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