Laughing Boy (film)

Laughing Boy is a 1934 pre-Code Western film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and is based on the 1929 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Oliver La Farge.

Plot
Slim Girl is an Indian maiden raised by whites, who call her Lily. Many members of the Navajo tribe shun Slim Girl, believing her to be leading an improper life, perhaps even as a prostitute.

Laughing Boy, a silversmith, is seduced by her. After losing a horse race, he challenges rival Red Man to a wrestling match and wins. This impresses Slim Girl, who expresses her desire for him. She returns to her previous intimate relationship, however, with George Hartshorne, a rich rancher.

One day Slim Girl seeks out Laughing Boy, becomes his lover, and persuades him to marry her. But when she goes to town to sell his silver goods, Laughing Boy follows and finds her in Hartshorne's arms. He fires an arrow at Hartshorne but ends up killing Slim Girl instead.

Production
John Lee Mahin said MGM bought the rights to the play on his recommendation. Mahin claims the film was ruined by the casting of Ramon Navarro. "He looked like an old whore, with his hair hanging down and a blanket on." Mahin said "They should have had some virile young guy, Tyrone Power or somebody" although he liked Lupe Velez. "If you'd had somebody comparable to her and if you'd played the sad ending, you would have had a movie. It's very hard dialogue too. I don’t know whether anybody could have played it. Their speeches were so up in the clouds. Oh, it was awful!"

Reception
The film was a box-office disappointment for MGM.