Main Cast: John Wayne, Hardy Kruger, Elsa Martinelli, Gérard Blain, Red Buttons
Release Year: 1962
Country: US
Run Time: 158 minutes
Plot
Hatari! is Swahili for "danger"--and also the word for action, adventure and broad comedy in this two-fisted Howard Hawks effort. John Wayne stars as the head of a daring Tanganyka-based group which captures wild animals on behalf of the world's zoos. Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain and Red Buttons are members of Wayne's men-only contingent, all of whom are reduced to jello when the curvaceous Elsa Martinelli enters the scene. In tried and true Howard Hawks fashion, Martinelli quickly becomes "one of the guys," though Wayne apparently can't say two words to her without sparking an argument. The second half of this amazingly long (159 minute) film concerns the care and maintenance of a baby elephant; the barely credible finale is devoted to a comic pachyderm stampede down an urban African street, ending literally at the foot of Martinelli's bed. The other scene worth mentioning involves comedy-relief Red Buttons' efforts to create a fireworks-powered animal trap. Not to be taken seriously for a minute, Hatari is attractively packaged and neatly tied up with a danceable-pranceable theme song by Henry Mancini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Of the five movies that Howard Hawks made with John Wayne, the first three had running times of well over two hours, and Hatari! is the longest of them (as well as the longest movie Hawks ever made) at 158 minutes, which was something of a personal indulgence for director/producer Hawks. It never seems overlong, however, thanks to the presence of a top-flight cast who were obviously having the time of their lives professionally, and whose chemistry, coupled with the director's deft touch, draws the audience into their fun. John Wayne is at the top of his game here as an action hero, in the undemanding role of a two-fisted trapper of zoo and circus animals. Red Buttons, who had gone from being a popular comedic television personality to a serious actor over the previous five years (winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Sayonara in 1957), is at his most appealing as a semi-comic co-star; and Elsa Martinelli became the latest in a long line of supremely confident and challenging Howard Hawks heroines, not up to the standard set by Angie Dickinson in Rio Bravo and Margaret Sheridan in The Thing, but still memorable in her ability to challenge Wayne's and Buttons' natural macho superiority. Mixing those three, plus Hardy Kruger and a solid supporting cast, into some of the most exciting action scenes of their era, made Hatari! virtually irresistible to audiences in the early '60s. The screenplay by Leigh Brackett isn't overlong in itself, but Hawks takes his time with it, stretching out every action scene and luxuriating in its details. Astonishingly, the public bought it, even though African adventure stories were just about out of style. Between the director's sure hand and the mix of comedy and action in the story, plus the charismatic presence of Wayne and company, Hatari! was a success for all concerned and, arguably, Hawks' last truly great and ambitious movie. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Bruce Cabot - Vaughn; Michéle Girardon - Brandy Delacourt; Eduard Franz - Dr. Sanderson; Jon Chevron - Joseph; Val de Vargas - Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez; Sam Harris - Man in the Store; Queenie Leonard - Nurse; Emmett E. Smith - Bartender; Jack Williams - Masai Warrior; Henry Scott - Sikh Clerk
Credit
Hal Pereira - Art Director, Carl Anderson - Art Director, Paul Helmick - Associate Producer, Edith Head - Costume Designer, Frank Beetson, Jr. - Costume Designer, Tom Connors - First Assistant Director, Russ Saunders - First Assistant Director, Howard Hawks - Director, Stuart Gilmore - Editor, Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score), Hoagy Carmichael - Songwriter, Johnny Mercer - Songwriter, Russell Harlan - Cinematographer, Joseph Brun - Cinematographer, Howard Hawks - Producer, Claude E. Carpenter - Set Designer, Sam Comer - Set Designer, John P. Fulton - Special Effects, Richard Parker - Special Effects, Carey Loftin - Stunts, Leigh Brackett - Screenwriter, Harry Kurnitz - Short Story Author
Coming off a double Oscar win for his Breakfast at Tiffany's score, Henry Mancini produced this score for the Howard Hawks-directed, John Wayne-starring safari comedy. This is at first a fun blend of jazz and Afro-exotica, jungle drums mixed with a classic bop combo. Elsewhere, however, the soundtrack opts for some pleasant, but very Western jazz, only stopping for the African instrument-sampler "The Sounds of Hatari," which features some nice treated piano. The filmmakers were probably hoping that the Mercer and Carmichael song "Just for Tonight" would be as much a success as Tiffany's "Moon River," but if Hatari! is memorable for anything, it's for the incredibly goofy "Baby Elephant Walk," which has gone on to be infamous musical shorthand for kookiness of any stripe. Get this tune in your head and it sticks. ~ Ted Mills, All Music Guide
Hatari! is a 1962 American film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. The title means "danger" in Swahili, which was mentioned in the film as well. Portraying a group of hunters, the film presents an interesting if antiquated portrait of Africa still dominated by non-Africans. The film is extremely popular because of the dramatic wildlife chases and the magnificent backdrop scenery of Mount Meru, a dormant volcano.
Hatari! was filmed on location in Tanganyika, (in what is now northern Tanzania). Many scenes were filmed near Arusha, Tanzania on a hunting ranch, Ngongongare Farm, owned from 1960 by actor Hardy Krüger.
The film gathers its several characters from different parts of the world: Sean Mercer (John Wayne), Pockets (Red Buttons), Anna Maria 'Dallas' D'Allesandro (Elsa Martinelli), Kurt Müller (Hardy Krüger), Brandy De la Court (Michele Girardon), Charles 'Chips' Maurey (Gerard Blain), Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez (Valentin De Vargas) are, respectively, from USA, USA, Italy, Germany, France, France and Mexico.
The story involves a group of Western expatriates catching wild animals in Africa and selling them to zoos, led by Sean Mercer (John Wayne). After the character Little Wolf aka 'The Indian' (Bruce Cabot) is injured during a rhinoceros chase. He is rushed to the hospital at Arusha where he needs a blood transfusion. None of the team can provide the required rare blood type, but a young frenchman, Charles 'Chips' Maury (Gerard Blain) can. 'Chips' is hired as a replacement for 'The Indian' as the international group tries to fill all the orders for the season. A wildlife photographer Anna Maria 'Dallas' D'Allesandro (Elsa Martinelli) arrives to take photos of the captures for the zoo which will be buying the bulk of that season's captures. She is at first mistaken for a man because of the introduction letter she'd signed with only her initials. Due to the complexity of her name, she is nicknamed 'Dallas'. During her stay she becomes known as Mama Tembo (Mother of Elephants) for her efforts to save three baby elephants, culminating in a chase through the streets of Arusha in Tanzania. She also develops a crush on Mercer. There are romantic subplots between the other characters as well.
Production
Hatari! has a very loose script and, like many other major works of Hawks, is principally structured on the relationships between the (non-African) characters. Much of the film centers around scenes of chasing animals in jeeps and trucks across the African plains. The chased animals are also all live, wild, and untrained, a procedure banned today over concerns of exhausting and killing the targeted animals. The script was written by Hawks' favorite writer, Leigh Brackett, after the group returned from Africa with the hunting scenes.
As the animals frequently refused to make noise 'on cue' (in particular, the baby elephants refused to trumpet inside populated areas), local Arusha game experts and zoo collectors were hired to do 'animal voice impersonations'.
Hawks has stated in interviews that he had originally planned to star both Clark Gable and Wayne in the film until Gable's death finally ruled that out.
Hatari! introduced the memorable Henry Mancini tune "Baby Elephant Walk". Other memorable musical moments involve a duet of Stephen Foster's Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) with Martinelli's character playing the piano, and Red Buttons' character playing the harmonica. Also, after 'the Indian' is left to recuperate in the hospital, the members of the group get drunk and sing a somewhat tragicomical song that features lyrics like "Oh whisky leave me alone, I'm tired and I want to go home".
