Ramona

While Loretta Young and Don Ameche get top billing, there is no question that the real star of "Ramona" is the "new perfected technicolor" as the film's poster declared in 1936. The film was the 4th to be shot in the "perfected" 3-strip color process.

"Ramona" does looks beautiful. Its the slow-moving plot that really does the film in. I've seen travelogues from the period that have more to hold a viewer's attention. Basically, the story revolves around a taboo romance between Young (a beautiful Spanish girl) and Ameche (the friendly Indian). The most interesting aspect of the plot is the fact that the white settlers are portrayed as the villains, grabbing the land and possessions of the peaceful Indians...an unusually politically correct position for a mid 1930's movie.

If you're a fan of Loretta Young, Don Ameche, or beautiful technicolor, "Ramona" is worth a look...at least once. Repeat viewings could be painful.

Ramona (1936)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A young half Indian woman (Loretta Young) marries an Indian (Don Ameche) but their lives take a turn for the worse when white folks run them off their land. This is an extremely depressing and somewhat shocking film that actually shows the Indians as the good people and the white's as savages, which wasn't common back in the day. The two stars do their usual great work but the direction is all over the place. The Indians aren't well written considering most are talking with Spanish accents. John Carradine has a small role. From what I gathered, this was the forth feature to use 3-strip Technicolor.

Back in the 1930s and 40s, Hollywood was extremely insensitive (and stupid) about casting folks for minority roles. However, that was the time and you just need to keep your politically correct instincts in check when you watch this one! Imagine.....Loretta Young playing a woman who is half American Indian and half Mexican! While this sounds dumb, understand that the likes of Rock Hudson played Indians in films--or Don Ameche cast as a full-blooded native like he is in "Ramona"!! As for J. Carrol Naish--like Anthony Quinn, he played just about everything (except blacks) in films--so it isn't surprising he's in this one playing a Mexican. Plus, frankly, he's played so many nationalities, most everyone at the time had no idea what his heritage really is!! But Loretta Young and Don Ameche--with their lovely American diction (especially Ameche, who is practically the epitome of politeness and class)!!! What were the executives thinking (or smoking)?! "Ramona" must have been a prestige picture for 20th Century-Fox, as it is filmed in beautiful 1930s-style Three-Strip Technicolor--a HUGE expense at the time and something reserved only for the best films. In fact, it was the first such film made by the studio.

When the film begins, Ramona is in love with a cultured man from a very good family. So does she....or so she thinks. Eventually the truth is discovered--she's a half-breed! And she's forced to leave her home by some real jerk-faces. But before she goes, her native friend (Ameche) tells her that he's loved her--and she is thrilled, as she loves him, too. So, they run away together and get married. However, their life is tough, as folks are quite prejudiced towards them--throwing them off their farm. Can they somehow find a place that will accept the strangely cultured couple--and their new baby?! Overall, I'd say the writing isn't bad (but it is a bit schmaltzy) and the film manages to be watchable in spite of some terrible casting.

By the way, if you want to see other films with equally ridiculous casting, try finding "The Conquerer" (with John Wayne as Genghis Khan and red-headed Susan Hayward as his bride, Bortai)--or most any Charlie Chan film.

Ramona from 1936 is a remake of a 1928 film starring Delores del Rio and Warner Baxter. Del Rio was undoubtedly more suited to the half-Indian Ramona than Loretta Young in a black wig, but Young of course was still very beautiful.

The 1936 version is in color and costars Don Ameche in a Johnny Belinda wig as the Indian, Alessandro, with whom Ramona falls in love.

Ramona lives with her aunt, Senora Moreno (Pauline Frederick) who took her in after Ramona's mother died. Her son, Felipe (Kent Taylor) is in love with Ramona, but his mother is determined that they not marry.

When an Indian ranch owner, Alessandro, appears on the scene, he and Ramona fall in love, and we learn why Senora Moreno did not want her with Felipe. Ramona's biological mother was a squaw.

She and Alessandro marry and have a baby as Alessandro works their ranch. The white man comes and drives all the Indians off their property. The traveling family is taken in during bad weather by a woman, Aunt Ri (Jane Darwell).

When the baby becomes ill, Alessandro leaves to get a doctor.

I did not think I would like this story, but one becomes involved in the plight of Ramona and Alessandro. I was distracted by Ameche as an Indian, but he had a gentle, soft voice and was so dignified in the role, you went along with it. Young was very sweet and sympathetic.

A little trivia. Filming was delayed due to Young being under severe stress and overwork. The truth was, she was having Clark Gable's baby. I actually had the pleasure of knowing her daughter. She was a lovely woman.

"Ramona" seems as far as a fairy tale ;the splendor of the technicolor and Loretta Young's luminous beauty add to its obsolete charms.The screenplay is melodramatic with an over possessive mother character that should have been more developed. Indians,particularly the male lead ,doesnot seem very authentic ,but who cares?Aunt Ri is a colorful character who resembles the old lady(Edna May Oliver) who takes in Fonda and Colbert in John Ford's "drums along the Mohawks trail" .She steals the show with her crude thinking: "they are not heathen people ,therefore they are nice people",and she prevents the final from completely falling into the mushy trap.The very end is rather implausible and was probably added to secure a -relatively- happy end.

What really amazing is how the quality of the colors has successfully resisted to the passing of time.