The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-01-10
Mutia and RianO
Prove to Be Unhap-
piest of Movie Stars

or. And he collects mucl, extra
change through a capacity for round
ing up his native brothers whenever
the white man wants a safari gang.
Big Shot In the Jungle
In late years his reputation as an
employment agent has gone up a few
pegs. Mutia, If you please. is the first
casting director" the jungle has ever
known. A casting director, as every
one who goes to movies should know,
is a gent who employs extras and
character players for the screen. And
since Africa was added to odd loca-
tons used by Hollywood, Mutia has
become the millionaire of his people
by producing mob scenes, drum beat
ers. lion hunts, orgiastic dances and
dusky ladies who could stir up a mean
wiggle.
Wherefore 1t was inevitable that
sooner or later he would have to ap-
pear personally in Hollywood. That
moment came when w. s. Van Dyke,
the director. having finished his
jungle scenes in Trader Horn" found
1t would be necessary to have a cou-
pie Of his leading black figures on
home location"
Thus does it come about that for
the first time in film history foreign
film discoveries were picked out of
the jungle.
But getting them into America
was no easy matter. It is required
that entrants at Ellis Island be able
to speak at least one language. to read
and to write. Mutia and Riano had
no alphabet and knew only native
symbols. Besides they were listed as
"sayages." For a week they were de-
MED admission, while special courts
sat in their case.
Finally Van Dyke went to WASH
ington and personally argued the
matter with Secretary Davis, who al
lowed them to come into the country
as professional artists"
Wen Show EN-!
A savage may be a savage out in
British East Africa, but there's Moth
ink like q quick dose of New York to
make him as tinid and cowed as q
Greenwich Village cat. Mutia and
Riano may have twisted lions tails
for the benefit of the visiting camera
men, but the sight of a subway train
sent them grabbing for a lucky
amulet.
Their first contact WITH anything
approaching the familiar came when
they observed a couple of women ap-
plying lipstick before a mirror in q
Fifth Avenue shop. Believing that,
even as their native women, these
were preparing some beautiful form
of designation. the natives let out a
lusty "Lubidy oo-ump," or whatever
1t was. and all but stopped traffic.
well, I'll be-" began one of the
Fifth Avenue ladies-and then chang
ed her mind. The process of getting
Riano and Mutia up Fifth Avenue at
all was considerably more difficult
than getting through the jungle un-
der their leadership.
Attracted by Colors
To begin with, every bright bauble
and color stopped them cold. They
wouldn't move on. And when the
lights came on at night. they broke
away from their guides and started
running into the crowd. It took two
or three limitations to convince them
that the gods were not setting the
world on fire.
Clothes and shoes were particularly
obnoxious. Mutia, who has stood
spear thrusts at his barred chest,
wept like e Child when his shoes be-
came tight and he could not take
them off.
It was thought that black Harlem
would make them feel at home. They
were. to be sure. An object of curios-
ity to the negro dwellers, but they
showed little sign OF recognizing the
blacks who make this section their
world capital. And If 1t be true that
jazz music came from the jungle,
you'd never know it by observing Mu-
tia and Rtano. The stuffy atmos-
phere Of the cabarets soon choked
the children Of the outdoors.
Locked In Their Rooms
They were hurried back to their
hotel and locked in their rooms. But
soft beds were not for them. They
were found sleeping on the hard
floor.
How they win contrive to be happy
and comfortable during the three
months they r to be in Hollywood
Is still . problem to their wards. They
have, to be sure. found q child like
pleasure IN acting and they love MOTH
ing better than watching themselves
act upon the screen. TO asnuse
them, Van Dyke has shown them
their pictures over and over. In
variably they break into laughter and
have . swell time.
But what they think Of It all viii
probably never BE- known, since they
have no way Of expressing themselves
to the whites.
Nearly half Of the people Of Jap-
are reached BY electric li4htiaG