The Bronze Buckaroo: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A 16mm release print of a feature film entitled The Bronze Buckaroo. It consists of two reels of positive 16mm acetate film (a) and (b), is in black and white and contains sound. A single row of perforations runs along one edge of each film strip, while a variable-area optical-sound (audio on film) track runs along the other.

In the opening scene, four cowboys ride through a desert before stopping and having a drink. They then engage in a conversation about their missing friend Joe, before resuming their journey. In the next scene, a man sits on a wooden fence reading from a paper as the camera cuts to four animals that surround him: a barking dog, a cow, a donkey and a chicken. At one point the man reads, “To throw the voice for a greater distance, it is imperative that…” before the camera cuts back to the group of riding cowboys.

The film continues by chronicling the experiences the four cowboys encounter as they search for Joe. Upon their arrival to Joe’s ranch, the men are informed by Joe’s sister that Joe has been missing for weeks. They eventually realize that Joe’s neighbors are holding him hostage over a land dispute.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1939
• Directed by: Richard C. Kahn, American, 1897 - 1960
• Created by: Richard C. Kahn, American, 1897 - 1960
• Subject of: Herb Jeffries, American, 1913 - 2014
• Subject of: Spencer Williams, American, 1893-1969
• Subject of: Clarence Brooks, American, 1896 - 1969
• Subject of: Lucius Brooks, American, 1911 - 1999
• Subject of: Artie Young, American, 1915 - 1989
• Subject of: Murray's Dude Ranch, American, 1922 - 1960
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: release prints (motion pictures)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration: 60 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film Reel 1): 1200 Feet
• Dimensions: Length (Film Reel 2): 900 Feet
• Place depicted: Arizona, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: San Bernardino County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Race films
• Topic: Western films
• Object number: 2015.167.4.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Randall and Sam Nieman
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.