In Old Arizona

Last updated

In Old Arizona
In Old Arizona 1928 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Irving Cummings
Raoul Walsh
Written by Tom Barry
Based on The Cisco Kid
by O. Henry
Produced by Winfield Sheehan
Starring Warner Baxter
Edmund Lowe
Dorothy Burgess
Cinematography Arthur Edeson
Alfred Hansen
Edited by Louis R. Loeffler
Distributed by Fox Film Corporation
Release dates
  • December 25, 1928 (1928-12-25)(Premiere)
  • January 20, 1929 (1929-01-20)(General release)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish sound film
Box office$1.3 million [1]

In Old Arizona is a 1928 American pre-Code Western film directed by Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings, [2] nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, which was based on the character of the Cisco Kid in the 1907 story "The Caballero's Way" by O. Henry, was a major innovation in Hollywood. It was the first major Western to use the new technology of sound and the first talkie to be filmed outdoors. [3] It made extensive use of authentic locations, filming in Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park in Utah, and the Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Mojave Desert in California. The film premiered in Los Angeles on December 25, 1928, and went into general release on January 20, 1929.

Contents

In Old Arizona contributed to creating the image of the singing cowboy, as its star, Warner Baxter, does some incidental singing. Baxter went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Other nominations included Best Director for Irving Cummings, Best Writing for Tom Barry, Best Cinematography for Arthur Edeson, and Best Picture. The film entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. [4]

Plot

The full film

In Arizona, a bandit known as the Cisco Kid robs a stagecoach. Word of this deed reaches to Sergeant Micky Dunn, who is tasked by his superior to bring in the Cisco Kid dead or alive, with a $5,000 reward promised once he succeeds. They meet in a barber shop, though Dunn is unaware of the Cisco Kid's true identity and passes him off as a friendly civilian. When he leaves, the local blacksmith tells him that was the Cisco Kid, much to Dunn's chagrin.

The Cisco Kid is in a relationship with Tonia Maria, and visits her often. He loves her, but she has frequent affairs without his knowledge. Dunn and Maria meet each other and begin an affair. Dunn tells Maria that once he takes down the Cisco Kid, he will give the $5,000 reward to Maria, making her fall in love with him. They express their love for each other while the Cisco Kid secretly watches and listens nearby, learning of her betrayal.

She writes a secret letter to Dunn telling him to come that evening to take down the Cisco Kid before he makes his escape. However, the Cisco Kid finds this letter and replaces it with a fake letter "from Maria" which he has written himself. His letter says that he will be dressed up in Maria's clothes in an effort to disguise himself from Dunn, while Maria is actually in the Cisco Kid's clothes riding away. Dunn receives this fake letter, believing it to be from Maria. When the Cisco Kid leaves her house, Dunn shoots Maria, believing her to be the Cisco Kid in disguise. Now farther away, the Cisco Kid laments that "[Maria's] flirting days are over, and she can finally settle down". He then makes his escape.

Cast

Production

An alternate poster In Old Arizona poster.jpg
An alternate poster

Raoul Walsh was set to direct the film and star as the Cisco Kid, but had to abandon the project when a jackrabbit jumped through the windshield of a vehicle he was driving; the resulting wreck cost Walsh an eye. He never acted again, but continued his successful career as a film director. [5]

Music

The film features a theme song entitled "My Tonia" which was composed by B. G. De Sylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson.

Awards and nominations

At the 2nd Academy Awards, the film was nominated for five awards—Outstanding Picture; Best Director (Irving Cummings); Best Actor (Warner Baxter); Best Writing (Tom Barry)—tied for the most of the year with The Patriot ; and Best Cinematography (Arthur Edeson). In a ceremony where no film won more than one award, only Warner Baxter's Best Actor nomination was successful. [6]

Preservation

The Academy Film Archive preserved In Old Arizona in 2004. [7]

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, this movie entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Baxter</span> American actor (1889–1951)

Warner Leroy Baxter was an American film actor from the 1910s to the 1940s. Baxter is known for his role as the Cisco Kid in the 1928 film In Old Arizona, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2nd Academy Awards. He frequently played womanizing, charismatic Latin bandit types in Westerns, and played the Cisco Kid or a similar character throughout the 1930s, but had a range of other roles throughout his career.

Sadie Thompson is a 1928 American silent drama film that tells the story of a "fallen woman" who comes to Pago Pago to start a new life, but encounters a zealous missionary who wants to force her back to her former life in San Francisco. The film stars Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore, and Raoul Walsh, and it is one of Swanson's more successful films. Due to the public's apathy towards silent films, a sound version was prepared in the latter half of 1928. While the sound version has no audible dialog, it features a synchronized musical score with sound effects along with a theme song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raoul Walsh</span> American film director and actor (1887–1980)

Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh. He was known for portraying John Wilkes Booth in the silent film The Birth of a Nation (1915) and for directing such films as the widescreen epic The Big Trail (1930) starring John Wayne in his first leading role, The Roaring Twenties starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, High Sierra (1941) starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart, and White Heat (1949) starring James Cagney and Edmond O'Brien. He directed his last film in 1964. His work has been noted as influences on directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jack Hill, and Martin Scorsese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cisco Kid</span> Fictional character

The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in Everybody's Magazine, vol. 17, as well as in the collection Heart of the West (1907). Originally a murderous criminal in O. Henry's story, the Kid was depicted as a heroic Mexican caballero in later film, radio, and television adaptations.

<i>The Big Trail</i> 1930 film by Raoul Walsh

The Big Trail is a 1930 American epic pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh. It is the final completed film to feature Tyrone Power Sr. before his death in 1931, as well as his only sound role.

The 2nd Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on April 3, 1930, at an awards banquet in the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, honored the best films released between August 1, 1928, and July 31, 1929. This was the first Academy Awards ceremony broadcast on radio, by local station KNX, Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Edeson</span> American cinematographer (1891–1970)

Arthur Edeson, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer. Born in New York City, his career ran from the formative years of the film industry in New York, through the silent era in Hollywood, and the sound era there in the 1930s and 1940s. His work included many landmarks in film history, including The Thief of Bagdad (1924), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Frankenstein (1931), The Maltese Falcon (1941), and Casablanca (1942).

<i>The Strawberry Blonde</i> 1941 American romantic comedy film by Raoul Walsh

The Strawberry Blonde is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, and featuring Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Tobias. Set in New York City around 1900, it features songs of that era such as "The Band Played On", "Bill Bailey", "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie", "Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie", and "Love Me and the World Is Mine". It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1941 for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. The title is most often listed beginning with the word The, but the film's posters and promotional materials called it simply Strawberry Blonde.

George Joseph Amy was an American film editor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and started his career at the age of 17, finding his niche at Warner Brothers in the 1930s. It was Amy's editing that was one of the main reasons Warners' films got their reputation for their fluid style and breakneck pace.

<i>Billy the Kid</i> (1930 film) 1930 film by King Vidor

Billy the Kid is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film directed in widescreen by King Vidor about the relationship between frontier outlaw Billy the Kid and lawman Pat Garrett. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irving Cummings</span> American actor (1888–1959)

Irving Cummings was an American movie actor and director.

<i>Walter Wangers Vogues of 1938</i> 1937 American film

Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938 is a 1937 musical comedy film produced by Walter Wanger and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Irving Cummings, written by Bella and Sam Spewack, and starred Warner Baxter and Joan Bennett. It was filmed in New York City in Technicolor.

The Cisco Kid and the Lady is a 1939 American Western film starring Cesar Romero as the Cisco Kid, replacing Warner Baxter, who had won the Academy Award for the role, and is the fifth film in The Cisco Kid series. For Cesar Romero, this was the first of six Cisco Kid roles.

<i>Daddy Long Legs</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Daddy Long Legs (1931) is an American pre-Code film directed by Alfred Santell and starring Janet Gaynor and Warner Baxter. The story involves an orphan who is taken under the wing of a wealthy benefactor.

<i>Salty ORourke</i> 1945 film by Raoul Walsh

Salty O'Rourke is a 1945 American sports drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Alan Ladd, Gail Russell and William Demarest. Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1946.

<i>The Arizona Kid</i> (1930 film) 1930 film

The Arizona Kid is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film directed by Alfred Santell. It was produced by Fox Film Corporation.

<i>The Cisco Kid</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

The Cisco Kid is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Warner Baxter. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and is a follow-up to Fox's hugely successful 1928 In Old Arizona and 1930's The Arizona Kid, both of which had starred Baxter as the same character The Cisco Kid. A copy is preserved at the Library of Congress.

<i>The Return of the Cisco Kid</i> 1939 film by Herbert I. Leeds

The Return of the Cisco Kid is a 1939 American Western film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and written by Milton Sperling. The film stars Warner Baxter, Lynn Bari, Cesar Romero, Henry Hull, Kane Richmond and C. Henry Gordon. The film was released on April 28, 1939 by 20th Century-Fox.

Casablanca is an hour-long American television series, in the genre of spying and intrigue during the Cold War, which was broadcast on ABC between September 27, 1955 and April 24, 1956 as part of the wheel series Warner Bros. Presents. The third of 20 filmed shows produced for ABC, between 1955 and 1963, by Warner Bros. Television, under the supervision of executive producer William T. Orr, Casablanca is also the only one among those shows to be structured in the form of a non-U.S.-based Cold-War-intrigue storyline, while 14 of the 20 productions were western and detective/adventure series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Morris (actor)</span> American actor (1907–1941)

Adrian Michael Morris was an American actor of stage and film, and a younger brother of Chester Morris.

References

  1. "The All Time Best Sellers". The 1937–38 Motion Picture Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company. 1938. p. 942. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  2. "In Old Arizona". AFI. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  3. Varner, Paul (2009). The A to Z of Westerns in Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. xviii. ISBN   978-0-8108-6888-5.
  4. "Public Domain Day 2024 | Duke University School of Law".
  5. "Raoul Walsh | American Film Director & Actor | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  6. "The 2nd Academy Awards (1930) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  7. "Preserved Projects". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  8. "Public Domain Day 2024 | Duke University School of Law".