In 1938, twelve Blackfeet men—along with other members of their tribe—traveled by train from Montana to Hollywood. They had been hired to appear in a movie with the famous child actress Shirley Temple, who at the time was the biggest star at 20th Century Fox.
For the older Blackfeet men, the journey felt mysterious and strange. They were leaving their homelands for a place they had never seen before. Because of this, they prayed for protection and guidance before they set out.
The Blackfeet brought their own special ceremonial clothing—buckskins, beadwork, and traditional headdresses. Shirley Temple, meanwhile, wore a costume made by the wife of one of the actors working on the film.
Tom Many Guns, one of the Blackfeet men, later recalled that during the train ride they all wore regular store-bought clothes. But once they arrived in Los Angeles, they changed into their traditional clothing so they would look proud and dignified.
One memorable moment came when they ate at the famous Brown Derby restaurant, a popular Hollywood dining spot. Many Guns said he felt that the restaurant had never seen old buffalo hunters and warriors like them before, dressed in their full traditional regalia.
For nearly two months, the Blackfeet lived in tipis set up on the Fox studio lot. They ate in the same cafeteria as all the other actors and crew members. The two youngest men, Tom Many Guns and Eddie Big Beaver, helped serve as interpreters because they understood English better than some of the older men.
Decades later, in 1976, when Tom Many Guns was about 80 years old, he said that he was still receiving monthly payments for his work in the film—around $191 a month, which would be roughly $850 today. Their contribution to the movie lived on, and today you can even find a colorized version of “Susannah of the Mounties” on YouTube, the movie in which they appeared.
The stories and memories of the Blackfeet men who took this remarkable journey were collected and preserved by Adolf Hungrywolf, an author who dedicated himself to documenting Indigenous history and culture. Thanks to his work, their experiences—and the pride they carried with them to Hollywood—continue to be remembered.
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