Mr. Robinson Crusoe
Encyclopedia
Mr. Robinson Crusoe is a 1932
American film. It is one of the few "talkie" films starring Douglas Fairbanks
in his penultimate film role, who also produced the film and provided the story. The film was directed by A. Edward Sutherland
, a veteran silent film
director, for Fairbanks's Elton Productions, and released by United Artists
. Steve Drexel (played by Fairbanks) shows a fiery optimism and can-do spirit that matches the Fairbanks screen persona that appears in his most popular films.
The South Seas
comedy adventure featured location filming on Tahiti
with working title
s being Tropical Knight, A Modern Robinson Crusoe and Robinson Crusoe of the South Seas.
The Fairbanks character Steve Drexel voluntarily strands himself on a deserted island on a bet. He intends to re-create civilization (in the form of New York) and carves a miniature city of 52nd Street and Park Avenue
out of the jungle. Drexel is befriended by his dog, a native monkey, and a wild goat that is captured in one of his traps. He attempts to cultivate a native as his Man Friday
from Robinson Crusoe
, but fails as the native escapes.
A woman played by actress Maria Alba
is trapped in one of his devices. He names her Saturday and she becomes the love interest of the film. In an attempt to communicate with Saturday, he tries German
, Spanish
, and then Pig Latin
. Over the course of the film, she slowly learns rudimentary English.
Eventually, the hostile natives on a nearby island attack the Fairbank's settlement at the behest of the men that bet against the main character. The hero defeats the hostile natives, but ends up escaping with the girl on the yacht that brought him there. He takes her back to New York where she performs to an appreciative crowd in the Ziegfeld Follies
.
Drexel speaks to a monkey in much the same way Tom Hanks
speaks to the soccer ball in the later film Cast Away
. He explains to the monkey he learned his survival skills from his time in the Boy Scouts of America
and Dan Beard's American Boy's Handy Book. At the time, the book was a popular young adult wilderness and outdoor survival skills manual.
In recreating civilization, the main character even creates an 18-hole golf course
on the island.
Alfred Newman
who had previously scored Fairbanks' Reaching for the Moon
composed the score. Newman reused one of his musical themes for the 1937 film The Hurricane
where it became a popular song called Moon of Manakoora.Newman's scorre for The Hurricane was nominated for an Academy Award.
1932 in film
-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
American film. It is one of the few "talkie" films starring Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
in his penultimate film role, who also produced the film and provided the story. The film was directed by A. Edward Sutherland
A. Edward Sutherland
A. Edward Sutherland aka Eddie Sutherland was a film director and actor. Born Albert Edward Sutherland in London, he was from a theatrical family. His father, Al Sutherland, was a theatre manager and producer and his mother, Julie Ring, was a vaudeville performer...
, a veteran silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
director, for Fairbanks's Elton Productions, and released by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. Steve Drexel (played by Fairbanks) shows a fiery optimism and can-do spirit that matches the Fairbanks screen persona that appears in his most popular films.
The South Seas
South Seas (genre)
The South Seas genre is a genre of literature, film, or entertainment that is set in Oceania.Though many Hollywood films were produced on studio backlots or Santa Catalina Island, the first feature non documentary film made on a Tahiti location was White Shadows in the South Seas.Elements of the...
comedy adventure featured location filming on Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
with working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s being Tropical Knight, A Modern Robinson Crusoe and Robinson Crusoe of the South Seas.
Plot summary
The film opens with a title card that reads "From the time Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, man has vainly sought to find solace, comfort and earthly pleasures in an artificial world of his own creation. Down through the ages has come that eternal heritage of the urge in every man to turn his back on so-called civilization, to get back to nature and revel in the glories and freedom of a primitive paradise."The Fairbanks character Steve Drexel voluntarily strands himself on a deserted island on a bet. He intends to re-create civilization (in the form of New York) and carves a miniature city of 52nd Street and Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
out of the jungle. Drexel is befriended by his dog, a native monkey, and a wild goat that is captured in one of his traps. He attempts to cultivate a native as his Man Friday
Man Friday
Friday is one of the main characters of Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe names the man, with whom he cannot at first communicate, Friday because they first meet on that day...
from Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
, but fails as the native escapes.
A woman played by actress Maria Alba
Maria Alba
Maria Alba was a Spanish-American film actress. Originally named Maria Casajuana, Alba was born in, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain on March 19, 1910, and died of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 89 in San Diego, California on October 26, 1999. She appeared in 25 feature films, starting with Road House...
is trapped in one of his devices. He names her Saturday and she becomes the love interest of the film. In an attempt to communicate with Saturday, he tries German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and then Pig Latin
Pig Latin
Pig Latin is a language game of alterations played in English. To form the Pig Latin form of an English word the first consonant is moved to the end of the word and an ay is affixed . The object is to conceal the meaning of the words from others not familiar with the rules...
. Over the course of the film, she slowly learns rudimentary English.
Eventually, the hostile natives on a nearby island attack the Fairbank's settlement at the behest of the men that bet against the main character. The hero defeats the hostile natives, but ends up escaping with the girl on the yacht that brought him there. He takes her back to New York where she performs to an appreciative crowd in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
.
Self Reliance
The lead character exemplifies the can-do spirit of early twentieth-century America. Drexel launches his subjugation of the jungle by creating construction tools including an axe made from a sharpened shell lashed to a wooden branch. He uses the axe to make a shovel, plow, bow, arrows, saw, table, and many more items.Drexel speaks to a monkey in much the same way Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
speaks to the soccer ball in the later film Cast Away
Cast Away
Cast Away is a 2000 drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks as a FedEx employee stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific. The film depicts his successful attempts to survive on the island using remnants of his plane's cargo, as well as his...
. He explains to the monkey he learned his survival skills from his time in the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and Dan Beard's American Boy's Handy Book. At the time, the book was a popular young adult wilderness and outdoor survival skills manual.
In recreating civilization, the main character even creates an 18-hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
on the island.
Cast
- Douglas FairbanksDouglas FairbanksDouglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
as Steve Drexel - William FarnumWilliam FarnumWilliam Farnum was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character...
as William Belmont - Earle Browne as Professor Carmichale
- Maria AlbaMaria AlbaMaria Alba was a Spanish-American film actress. Originally named Maria Casajuana, Alba was born in, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain on March 19, 1910, and died of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 89 in San Diego, California on October 26, 1999. She appeared in 25 feature films, starting with Road House...
as Saturday
Soundtrack
During the filming the sound equipment failed and the film had to be dubbed back in California.Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of music for films.In a career which spanned over forty years, Newman composed music for over two hundred films. He was one of the most respected film score composers of his time, and is today regarded as one of the greatest...
who had previously scored Fairbanks' Reaching for the Moon
Reaching for the Moon (film)
Reaching for the Moon is an American 1930 black and white musical film. Originally released at 91 minutes; surviving versions are usually cut to 62 minutes. A 74-minute version aired in 1998 on USA cable channel AMC. The DVD version runs just under 72 minutes. The film's workingtitle was Lucky...
composed the score. Newman reused one of his musical themes for the 1937 film The Hurricane
The Hurricane (1937 film)
The Hurricane is a 1937 film set in the South Seas, directed by John Ford and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, about a Polynesian who is unjustly imprisoned. The climax features a special effects hurricane. It stars Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall, with Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond...
where it became a popular song called Moon of Manakoora.Newman's scorre for The Hurricane was nominated for an Academy Award.
External links
- "Robinson Crusoe" by Douglas Fairbanks http://books.google.com/books?id=4Z0lb8rCiecC&pg=PA31&dq=%22mr+robinson+crusoe%22+%2B+%22douglas+fairbanks%22&hl=en&ei=Y6yLTtv6AuiMmQWK-s2PBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22mr%20robinson%20crusoe%22%20%2B%20%22douglas%20fairbanks%22&f=false
- Public domain download of Mr. Robinson Crusoe
- The text of American Boy's Handy Book at inquiry.net