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Viva Villa! Overview:

Viva Villa! (1934) was a Black-and-white - Western Film directed by Jack Conway, Howard Hawks (uncredited) and William A. Wellman (uncredited) and produced by David O. Selznick.

SYNOPSIS

The action-filled life of Mexican rebel Pancho Villa offered Beery one of his best roles. From the time a young Villa watched his father being whipped by soldiers, he seethed with hatred for the wealthy who controlled Mexico. He and his band earned the loyalty of the peasants by robbing landowners and distributing some of the proceeds to the poor. Beery throws his support to the rebel army led by Walthall and the rebels sweep to victory, but internal rivalries lead to dissension and murder. Hawks had an uncredited hand in the direction.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1934 --- Ceremony Number 7 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best WritingBen HechtNominated
Best PictureMetro-Goldwyn-MayerNominated
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Viva Villa! Quotes:

Bugle boy: [plays the "battle charge" on the bugle, and stops]
Pancho Villa: Play some more!
Bugle boy: That is all I know.
Pancho Villa: [laughs] That's okay. That's all you'll need!
Jonny Sykes: [typing] Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of Jonny Sykes.
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Viva Villa! Facts
The "Running W" was a device used on horses at that time which made them fall before the camera at a specific point of an action scene, often killing or injuring the animal so badly that it had to be put down.It involved a harness on the horse secured to "piano" wire which was attached to a stationary object.As the horse reached the end of the length of wire,running full tilt, it would be "tripped". The practice was finally halted after complaints from the A.S.P.C.A. The "Running W" wires can be seen clearly attached to the horses which were "shot down" in the final battle scene of this film .
Much of the footage originally shot by Howard Hawks is said to have been lost in a plane crash. However, Hawks claimed that most of the location footage (except battle scenes) was his.
Wallace Beery had previously played Pancho Villa as one of the villains in the 15-chapter silent serial Patria, starring Irene Castle.
On 19 November 1933, during location filming in Mexico, Lee Tracy, originally cast as Johnny Sykes, got drunk and urinated from his hotel balcony onto a passing military parade. He was arrested, fired from the film and replaced by Stuart Erwin. Original director Howard Hawks was also fired for refusing to testify against Tracy, and replaced by Jack Conway. However, in his autobiography, Charles G. Clarke, the cinematographer on the picture, said that he was standing outside the hotel during the parade and the incident never happened. Tracy, he said, was standing on the balcony observing the parade when a Mexican in the street below made an obscene gesture at him. Tracy replied in kind, and the next day a local newspaper printed a story that said, in effect, Tracy had insulted Mexico, Mexicans in general and the Mexican flag in particular. The story caused an uproar in Mexico, and MGM decided to sacrifice Tracy in order to be allowed to continue filming there.
Filming began in 1931 in Mexico, but because of production delays, personnel changes and other problems, the film wasn't released until 1934.
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