A Western Playing Race Games: The Half-Breed (1952) Starring Robert Young

[Re: “Jimmy Stewart and the WW2 Mission That Almost Broke Him.”]

By Grand Rapids Anonymous
Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 12:10:00 P.M. EDT

On the subject of movies, this morning, GRIT played a movie called The Half-Breed (1952) with Robert Young. Young is a liberal, Indian-loving, gambler who tries to cut a deal with the Apaches to get some gold from Apache land.

My interesting moment was when the Indian was talking to Young and a military man. Young says, “You teach me how to act like an Indian,” to which the Indian replies, “You teach me how to act like a White man.”

The military guy says to the Indian, “I think you'll be getting the short end of that deal.”

Even back then—and this isn’t the first time I’ve heard anti-White rhetoric in old Westerns—but this was blatant racist dialog against Whites. Hollywood never really changes, does it? Back then, there was a pro-Indian faction, now it’s pro-black.

The funny part is that the woman (Janis Carter) who falls in love with Young decides she’s going to flirt with the Indian to make Young jealous. Young gets upset, while the Indian gloats to Young about his relationship with the Carter character.

A lot of racial undertones fly throughout this flick, and I’m not sure what the point is yet. Will the White woman learn a lesson from flirting with the Indian to make Young jealous?

Almost. The Indian comes up to her room, thinking he’s going to score, but the Carter character explains she was mad at Young and was misunderstood. Charlie “the Half-Breed” grabs her and kisses her, and she screams—Young walks in, to kick Charlie out with blue balls.

Young tells Carter he loves her again.

Young later tries to find Charlie, who still is not in a good mood—and who threatens to kill Young.

A White leader of another group decides to rape and kill the sister of the half breed, Charlie—as an example by the producers of this movie to show how much of a lowlife Whites are—and the Apache war drums start thumping.

I missed the very end. If anyone knows how it finished, drop a note.

--GRA