"Mahana, you ugly!"
Johnny Lingo is a 1969 short film based on a short story
by Patricia McGerr. The film was directed by Wetzel O. Whitaker and produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The film is about Johnny Lingo, a successful trader who is searching for a wife. Like the short story, the film takes place on the Kiniwata island of Hawaii.The short film was adapted into a feature film titled The Legend of Johnny Lingo, released in 2003.
Watch the whole film on the Internet Archive here.
This short film provides examples of:
- Accidental Bargaining Skills: Moki starts the dowry negotiations with a demand for three cows (an average price, but considered ridiculously exorbitant for a homely girl considered almost too old to get married), and Johnny Lingo raises it to eight cows.
- Adaptational Name Change: Mahana's character is named Sarita in the original short story.
- An Aesop:Johnny Lingo: Many things can happen to make a woman beautiful. The thing that matters most is what she thinks of herself.
- Beautiful All Along: Mahana goes from everybody calling her ugly to one of the most beautiful girls on the island.Johnny Lingo: I have loved her ever since we were children. She was always beautiful.
- Creepy Children Singing: "Johnny Lingo had a cow / Trade it for an ugly wife / Johnny Lingo's married now / He'll be sorry all his life"
- Dowry Dilemma: Averted. Johnny Lingo has no problem paying eight cows for Mahana's dowry.
- The Freelance Shame Squad: Almost everybody laughs at Moki for demanding a dowry of three cows for Mahana to Johnny Lingo.
- Gasp!: Everybody gasps when Johnny Lingo offers eight cows for Mahana's dowry.
- Greek Chorus: The American shopkeeper provides commentary on the story.
- Protagonist Title: Johnny Lingo is a traveling (and apparently wealthy) merchant.
- Tree Cover: Mahana can usually be found hiding in the trees.
