Ramona (1936) is a well done film of the Helen Hunt Jackson book, and since I believe that is the first time that Loretta Young's exceptional beauty was seen in color on film, its occasional appearance on the Fox Movie Channel is a treat for those of us lucky enough to have access to that cable outlet. It's also one of the earlier sympathetic portrayals of Native Americans to come out of Hollywood, similar, in a way, to The Squaw Man.I really like RAMONA with co - star Don Ameche, as an American Indian couple who meet many travails along the way. Set in 1800's California.
My only problem with the movie is that Don Ameche, who loosened up considerably in later roles, seems to be one of the few Indians in movies who could more easily have also been chairman of the local Jaycees or Rotary Club. But then, the touching, technicolor love story of Ramona, Alessandro and their baby as they struggled to survive is the thing here, not the limitations of Ameche's then fledging acting abilities.