Remembering Hollywood’s “First Day”

On December 29, 1913, Cecil B. DeMille began Hollywood’s first feature film. On May 21, 1957, DeMille and his biographer Art Arthur studied a photograph taken that day. By running your cursor across the photo, you can read what DeMille had to say about his troupe.

Art Arthur: I wanted to put in front of you this print of that first day of The Squaw Man. I wondered if you could sort of take them from left to right and tell me who you can identify.

C.B. DeMille: Very well.

(roll over or touch the photograph below to see the comments made by C.B. DeMille and Art Arthur)

Remembering Hollywoods First Day – The Squaw Man

C.B. DeMille: This is L.L. Burns [owner of the barn-studio].

C.B. DeMille: This is Fred Kley [DeMille’s road manager].

C.B. DeMille: And this is Harry Revier [co-owner of the barn-studio], sitting down in the doorway.

C.B. DeMille: There’s the carpenter I brought out here. Dixon. He’s the man in white.

C.B. DeMille: And that’s Hosea Steelman.

Art Arthur: Was he the horse wrangler?

C.B. DeMille: Yes.

C.B. DeMille: This man here, on the horse—his name was Red.

Art Arthur: What about the fellow standing beside him?

C.B. DeMille: That’s Billy Elmer in front of the horse, wearing the chaps. He played Cash Hawkins [the bad man].

Art Arthur: And on the horse?

C.B. DeMille: That’s Tex Driscoll. He's still living.

C.B. DeMille: This man’s a wonderful figure. Milt Brown. Chiseled, wonderful, strong face. This one with the big hat on.

C.B. DeMille: This is Joe Singleton, who played the Indian Tabywana.

Art Arthur: He wasn’t really an Indian?

C.B. DeMille: No. [Singleton was Australian.]

C.B. DeMille: This was our Little Hal, Baby De Rue. [Baby De Rue was actually a girl named Carmen.]

C.B. DeMille: This is Red Wing [Princess Red Wing played Nat-U-Rich, the Native American heroine.]

C.B. DeMille: This Is Dick La Reno. He played Big Bill.

C.B. DeMille: This is Dick L‘Estrange. He’s still living. [Richard L‘Estrange had become a production manager on series television.]

Art Arthur: Standing next to you?

C.B. DeMille: Yes. I can't see who those two men behind me are.

C.B. DeMille: This is me.

C.B. DeMille: This is Shepherd, the painter.

C.B. DeMille: This is Mrs. Montgomery with Mr. Montgomery.

Art Arthur: Were they staff or actors?

C.B. DeMille: Actors. Sitting down there is Monroe Salisbury [the embezzling cousin].

C.B. DeMille: That’s Dustin Farnum [the star].

C.B. DeMille: And his stand-in.

C.B. DeMille: This is Oscar Apfel [the co-director of The Squaw Man].

C.B. DeMille: This is Al Gandolfi [the cinematographer].

C.B. DeMille: And this is a boy named Kramer.