''The Indians Are Coming'' is a 1930 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

based on ''The Great West That Was'' by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The serial was the first "all-talking" (complete sound rather than a silent movie with occasional sound sections) film of its kind. It played at

The Roxy Theatre The Roxy Theatre (often just the Roxy) is a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, owned by Lou Adler and his son, Nic. History The Roxy was opened on September 23, 1973, by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along with ...

and was responsible for saving the film serial format into the

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

Plot

Jack Manning (Tim McCoy) arrives in town from Gold Creek, California. He brings a message from George Woods (Francis Ford) to George's brother Tom Woods (Francis Ford in a dual role), and his niece Mary (Allene Ray), informing them he has struck gold and asking them to travel to California via a wagon train to be with him. Jack and Mary fall in love much to the displeasure of Rance Carter (Wilbur McGaugh), who has a yen for Mary himself. Carter causes the local Indians to go on the warpath in an attempt to break up Jack and Mary's wedding plans.

Cast

Tim McCoy Timothy John Fitzgerald McCoy (April 10, 1891 – January 29, 1978) was an American actor, military officer, and expert on American Indian life. McCoy is most noted for his roles in B-grade Western films. As a popular cowboy film star, he ap ...

as Jack Manning *

Allene Ray Allene Ray (born Allene Ray Burch; January 2, 1901 – May 5, 1979) was an American film actress. Early years Born in Devine, Texas, Ray grew up on her father's ranch with her four sisters and two brothers. She was learning to ride by age 3, and ...

as Mary Woods * Francis Ford in a dual role as George Woods/ Tom Woods * Wilbur McGaugh (billed as Don Francis) as Rance Carter, the villain *

Edmund Cobb Edmund Fessenden Cobb (June 23, 1892 – August 15, 1974) was an American actor who appeared in more than 620 films between 1912 and 1966. Biography Cobb was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the son of William Henry Cobb and Eddie (Edmundi ...

as Bill Williams *

Bud Osborne Leonard Miles "Bud" Osborne (July 20, 1884 – February 2, 1964) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 600 films and television programs between 1912 and 1963. Biography Osborne was born Miles Osborne in Knox County, Texas, ...

as Bull McGee

Production

Along with a sequel ''

Battling with Buffalo Bill ''Battling with Buffalo Bill'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western serial film directed by Ray Taylor and starring Tom Tyler, Lucile Browne, William Desmond, Rex Bell, and Francis Ford. Based on the book ''The Great West That Was'' by Will ...

'' (1931), this serial was based on a book called ''The Great West That Was'' by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody.

Henry MacRae Henry Alexander MacRae (August 29, 1876 – October 2, 1944) was a Canadians, Canadian film director, film producer, producer, and screenwriter during the silent film, silent era, working on many film Serial (film), serials for Universal Studios. ...

was the director. It reused stock footage of an Indian raid on a wagon train from the silent western ''

The Flaming Frontier ''The Flaming Frontier'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Plot As described in a film magazine review, General Custer, who i ...

'' (1926).

Release

Theatrical

The release of ''The Indians Are Coming'' was the first time a serial was given an "uptown" treatment. The serial played at

The Roxy Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to: People * Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places in the United States * Roxie, Mississippi, a town * Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Music * Roxy ...

in New York City and had full runs across the country. According to Raymond Stedman, ''The Indians Are Coming'' earned a profit on "near" $1M. The success of the serial ended doom-mongering about the sound technology being the end of the serial format. It is "credited with reviving interest in what seemed to be a dying form of entertainment" and proved that action sequences could still be done with sound equipment.

Critical reception

Stedman compares Tim McCoy's delivery to that of Adam West in the

Batman television series ''Batman'' is an American live action television series, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin – two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City ...

but declares it restrained compared to other stars. He goes on to comment that "Only the dog managed not to fall victim to the natural tendency of actors groomed in the silent film to overplay when thrust into a talkie."

Chapter titles

# Pals in Buckskin # A Call to Arms # A Furnace of Fear # The Red Terror # The Circle of Death # Hate's Harvest # Hostages of Fear # The Dagger Duel # The Blast of Death # Redskin's Vengeance # Frontiers Aflame # The Trail's End _Source:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Indians are Coming, The 1930 films Universal Pictures film serials American black-and-white films 1930 Western (genre) films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Henry MacRae American Western (genre) films 1930s American films