Africa Speaks!

1930 DocumentaryAdventure 75 minutes Directed by Walter Futter

“See the real Africa - HEAR the real Africa!”

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About Africa Speaks!

Lowell Thomas narrates footage from Paul L. Hoefler's 1928 expedition, shot over fourteen months in the Serengeti and in Uganda. The camera follows animals and the people the party filmed while Thomas talks over the journey.

Cast & crew

More about Africa Speaks!

Walter Futter directed, wrote, and edited. Hoefler produced with him and did the photography. Columbia distributed the picture. The San Francisco premiere was September 6, 1930, at the RKO Orpheum. The general U.S. release was September 15. AFI lists 70 minutes and 7,054 feet. Wikipedia lists 75 minutes. Hoefler's book Africa Speaks was published in 1931.

Themes

  • An expedition narrated after the fact
  • A lion filmed in a zoo
  • Thomas over the picture
  • Paul L. Hoefler
  • Lowell Thomas
  • Serengeti
  • Uganda
  • lion
  • Selig Zoo

Look

Paul L. Hoefler shot the expedition footage in the Serengeti and Uganda. The lion attack was a separate setup at the Selig Zoo.

Music

Lowell Thomas narrates. Music and effects were recorded in Movietone.

Preservation

Prints circulate, including a digital copy.

Notes

  • AFI dates a New York opening on September 18, 1930.
  • Copyright LP1651, October 17, 1930, is in the name of Colorado African Expedition, Inc.
  • Wikipedia's release date is August 15, 1930. AFI uses September 15.
  • The 1940 cartoon Africa Squeaks and Abbott and Costello's Africa Screams (1949) take their titles from this film.

Scenes

  • Thomas talks over the wildlife and the people Hoefler filmed on the expedition.

Influenced

  • Africa Squeaks (1940)
  • Africa Screams (1949)

Also available

  • Internet Archive (africa_speaks)
  • Wikimedia Commons (Africa Speaks! (1930).webm)