The Painted Desert (1931)
Two feuding desert homesteaders find an abandoned baby in an empty wagon camp and each claim the right to raise him as their own. Grown to manhood, the boy tries to end his fathers' long rivalry, only to see it reignite over a mining claim and the woman he loves.
The Painted Desert is best remembered today as Clark Gable’s first speaking role, cast as the story’s heavy opposite silent-era leading man William Boyd; his voice test for the picture reportedly helped land him his MGM contract within the year. Pathé shot it as one of the many early sound Westerns rushed into production once synchronized dialogue proved a novelty audiences would pay for.
Background
The Painted Desert is best remembered today as Clark Gable’s first speaking role on film, cast as the story’s antagonist opposite silent-era leading man William Boyd. The plot follows two feuding desert homesteaders who each claim the right to raise an abandoned baby found in an empty wagon camp, a rivalry that reignites once the boy grows to manhood, over both a mining claim and the woman he loves.
What to watch for
Watch for Gable’s early screen presence here; his voice test for this picture reportedly helped land him a contract with MGM within the year, launching the career that would soon make him one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Pathé produced the film as one of many early sound Westerns rushed into production once synchronized dialogue proved to be a novelty audiences were eager to pay for, making it a useful snapshot of how quickly the Western genre adapted to the arrival of sound.
