Laughing Boy

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

1934 / 79min / 16mm

“Laughing Boy (Ramón Novarro), a Navajo silversmith, does his best to entertain and sell his wares to the hordes of grotesque American tourists who visit his reservation daily. He gains the affection of Slim Girl (Lupe Vélez), a Native woman raised by whites, who many in the tribe believe to be leading a life of sin in the nearby town. A doomed love triangle forms between her, Laughing Boy, and her white former lover that exposes the racism, exploitation, and misogyny at the root of reservation border towns, Indian trading posts, and the tourism they thrive on.”—Series curator Adam Piron

16mm collection print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive

Introduction from series curator, Adam Piron, on Saturday, September 23rd at 7:00pm

Part of Save the Man: Pre-Code Hollywood's Native America