According to IMDB, "The Belle of Samoa" was originally suppose to be part of a longer film. However, apparently executives liked the part they saw with Lois Moran (the 'Belle') and Clark & McCullough so they decided to release it as a short film.
As far as the cast goes, most of them don't look all that Samoan--though at least in some cases they tried to get folks who at least look Polynesian. As for the Belle, however, this meant painting this white actress darker to make her appear non-white...which is what they also did with some other 'natives' in the short. Oddly, despite supposedly being about Samoans, the folks were amazingly skinny for Samoans. This is no slam against Samoans...they just are a race known for large folks (the NFL and pro rugby are full of them) and the actors are skinny little guys.
The film begins with Clark & McCullough trying to sneak into a Samoan temple, as they heard there are sexy virgins inside. During this sequence, Clark trades barbs with a dopey doorman whose job is to keep folks out of the place. Uncharacteristically, Clark keeps slapping his 'friend' McCullough with his cane...a rather mean thing and something I never saw him do in later RKO shorts.
Once they are inside the place, there is a song and dance number going on inside the temple. Clark & McCullough return and then Moran enters and sings a tune and a huge production number ensues....none of which looks the least big Samoan. Sadly, the sound in this portion is poor and Moran comes off badly. This might not mean she was talentless....it's more likely because sound technology in 1929 was rather primitive and inconsistent. Interestingly, Moran and the other ladies are dressed in very skimpy outfits...something you never would have seen once the new Production Code was implemented in mid-1934.
So is this any good? Not especially...though it is very strange and that alone might mean you might enjoy it if you enjoy oddities.
By the way, early in the film Clark calls someone a 'hippie' and it's probably the earliest use of that word in any movie. According to Britannica, the term came into being in the 1930s and 40s and was used by Black Americans to mean someone is hip or cool. But Clark was apparently ahead of the curve on this one.
As far as the cast goes, most of them don't look all that Samoan--though at least in some cases they tried to get folks who at least look Polynesian. As for the Belle, however, this meant painting this white actress darker to make her appear non-white...which is what they also did with some other 'natives' in the short. Oddly, despite supposedly being about Samoans, the folks were amazingly skinny for Samoans. This is no slam against Samoans...they just are a race known for large folks (the NFL and pro rugby are full of them) and the actors are skinny little guys.
The film begins with Clark & McCullough trying to sneak into a Samoan temple, as they heard there are sexy virgins inside. During this sequence, Clark trades barbs with a dopey doorman whose job is to keep folks out of the place. Uncharacteristically, Clark keeps slapping his 'friend' McCullough with his cane...a rather mean thing and something I never saw him do in later RKO shorts.
Once they are inside the place, there is a song and dance number going on inside the temple. Clark & McCullough return and then Moran enters and sings a tune and a huge production number ensues....none of which looks the least big Samoan. Sadly, the sound in this portion is poor and Moran comes off badly. This might not mean she was talentless....it's more likely because sound technology in 1929 was rather primitive and inconsistent. Interestingly, Moran and the other ladies are dressed in very skimpy outfits...something you never would have seen once the new Production Code was implemented in mid-1934.
So is this any good? Not especially...though it is very strange and that alone might mean you might enjoy it if you enjoy oddities.
By the way, early in the film Clark calls someone a 'hippie' and it's probably the earliest use of that word in any movie. According to Britannica, the term came into being in the 1930s and 40s and was used by Black Americans to mean someone is hip or cool. But Clark was apparently ahead of the curve on this one.
