Daughter of the West
Cast & Crew
Harold Daniels
Martha Vickers
Philip Reed
Donald Woods
Marion Carney
Pedro De Cordoba
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
At her home at California's Mission San Juan Capistrano, Lolita Moreno, who unknown to her is the daughter of the slain Indian heroine Ramona, prepares to leave for a new teaching job at a Navajo reservation in Arizona. Before she boards the stagecoach, Lolita says farewell to her guardian, Father Vallejo, who gives her a cross pendant which belonged to her mother, but does not reveal her mother's identity. When the stage is still several miles from the reservation, the driver stops and explains that his route ends there. Dismayed, Lolita gets out, then agrees to deliver a package to a reservation resident named Navo White Eagle. Sometime later, Navo arrives in a horse-driven cart, collects the package from Lolita and offers her a lift to the reservation. When they arrive, Navo takes Lolita to her hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Beggs, who operate the reservation's trading post. There, Lolita meets the man who hired her, Indian agent Ralph Connors, who is secretly planning to steal some of the reservation's land because of a rich copper vein located there. Later, the chief's daughter Okeema quarrels with her lover Yuba, who has sensed her feelings for Navo. Yuba tells Connors that Navo has been selected as the tribe's new spokesman, and after he overhears Navo rejecting Okeema's romantic advances, Connors persuades her to come to his office that evening. There, Connors gives Okeema an ink pad, tells her to put her fingerprints onto a stack of documents bearing his agency's letterhead, then tries to seduce her. Later, Navo's mother Wateeka invites Lolita to dinner, and comments on Lolita's crucifix, saying she recalls seeing it on a young bride at the Mission San Diego. At a harvest festival hosted by Connors, Navo finds the drunken chiefs sleeping in the back of Yuba's wagon. After Yuba is arrested, he is shot in the back by Connors' henchman, Jed Morgan. Later, Jed and a vengeful Okeema implicate Navo in the shooting, and he is arrested. When the chief learns of the charge, he obtains permission from Connors to administer tribal justice to Navo. The tribe decides to banish Navo from the reservation, but he refuses to leave, and instead, demands a trial by fire. Navo then walks several feet over burning hot embers to prove his innocence. After she overhears Connors saying that he plans to kidnap and marry Lolita, Okeema guiltily confesses her misdeed to Wateeka, while Navo eavesdrops. Later, Lolita reports to a fort, where warrants are issued for the arrest of Connors and Jed. When Okeema kills herself by jumping from a bridge, the chief, who knows that his daughter died for Connors' love, buries her on the land adjoining Connors' office in protest of his actions. After Connors and Jed try to escape with the illegally obtained land transfers, they are captured and sentenced to death. Later, Navo is appointed Indian agent for the reservation, and he and Lolita kiss.
Director
Harold Daniels
Cast
Martha Vickers
Philip Reed
Donald Woods
Marion Carney
Pedro De Cordoba
James J. Griffith
William Farnum
Luz Alba
Tommy Cook
Anthony Barr
Helen Servis
Milton Kibbee
Willow Bird
Crew
Douglas W. Bagier
Robert E. Callahan
Robert E. Callahan
Leon Chooluck
Jack Daly
Juan Duval
Juan Duval
Frank Fox
Irwin R. Franklyn
Irving Gertz
Victor Granados
Victor Granados
Bob Martin
Gail Mcgarry
Martin Mooney
George Moskov
Ferol Redd
Harry Rose
Raymond L. Schrock
Henry Sharp
Henry J. Staudigl
George Van Marter
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Daughter of Ramona. The Variety review noted that the story deals with "the daughter of Ramona, heroine of an earlier book-film classic." In 1936, Fox released Ramona, which starred Loretta Young and Don Ameche and was directed by Henry King (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.3616).
