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Sabu (actor)

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Sabu Dastagir
Dastagir in Sabu and the Magic Ring (1957)
Born
Selar Sabu[1]

(1924-01-27)27 January 1924
Karapura, Mysore,
Kingdom of Mysore,
British India[2]
Died2 December 1963(1963-12-02) (aged 39)
Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, United States
Other namesSabu
OccupationActor
Years active1937–1963
Spouse
Marilyn Cooper
​
(m. 1948)​
Children2, including Paul Sabu
Military career
Service / branchUnited States Army Air Forces
Years of service1944–1945
Rankcrewman
Unit370th Bombardment Squadron
Battles / wars
  • World War II
Awards

Sabu Dastagir (possibly born Selar Sabu; 27 January 1924 – 2 December 1963) was an Indian actor who later gained United States citizenship. Throughout his career he was credited under the name Sabu and is primarily known for his work in films during the 1930s–1940s in Britain and the United States.[3][4][5][6] He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

Early life

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Born in 1924 in Karapura, Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore, then a Princely State of British India,[2][7][8] his father was a mahout (elephant keeper/trainer). While most reference books list his full name as "Sabu Dastagir" (which was the name he used legally), research by journalist Philip Leibfried suggests that his birth name was in fact Selar Sabu.[9]

Career

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Sabu served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

When he was 13, Sabu was discovered by documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty, who cast him in the role of an elephant driver in the 1937 British film Elephant Boy. This was adapted from "Toomai of the Elephants", a story by Rudyard Kipling. In 1938 producer Alexander Korda commissioned A. E. W. Mason to write The Drum as a starring vehicle for the young actor. Sabu is perhaps best known for his role as Abu in the 1940 fantasy adventure film The Thief of Bagdad. Director Michael Powell said that Sabu had a "wonderful grace" about him.[10] In 1942, Sabu played another role based on a Kipling story, namely Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, directed by Zoltan Korda, which was shot entirely in California.[11] He starred alongside Maria Montez and Jon Hall in three films for Universal Pictures: Arabian Nights (1942), White Savage (1943) and Cobra Woman (1944).

After becoming an American citizen in 1944, Sabu joined the U.S. Army Air Forces and served as a tail gunner and ball-turret gunner on B-24 Liberators. He flew several dozen missions with the 370th Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bomb Group in the Pacific, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valor and bravery.[12]

His career declined after World War II. He was unable to secure equivalent roles in Hollywood that British films had offered. He occasionally did gain significant parts, such as roles in the British films Black Narcissus and The End of the River (both 1947). Through most of the 1950s he starred in largely unsuccessful European films. In 1952, he starred in the Harringay Circus with an elephant act.[13]

He was considered for the role of Birju in Mehboob Khan's 1957 film Mother India, which would have marked his debut in Hindi films, but was denied a work permit and the role ended up going to Sunil Dutt. Sabu never got to appear in a film made in his native country.[14] In 1963, he made a comeback to Hollywood with a supporting role in Rampage opposite Robert Mitchum. He played another supporting role alongside Brian Keith in the Disney film A Tiger Walks. This would turn out to be his final role as he died three months before the film was released on March 12, 1964.[15]

Personal life

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On 19 October 1948, Sabu married little-known actress Marilyn Cooper (whose only film part, as Princess Tara in Song of India in 1949, was not credited), with whom he had two children. Their marriage lasted until his death. Their son, Paul Sabu, established the rock band Sabu in the 1980s. Their daughter, Jasmine Sabu (died 2001), was an animal trainer for the motion picture industry. [citation needed]

Sabu was the subject of a paternity suit. A dancer with whom he had appeared in Black Narcissus, Brenda Marian Julier, alleged that he was the father of her daughter Michaela, born in 1948. At the time of the trial, in October 1950, Julier had married Frank Ernst.[16] The jury found in favor of Sabu by a vote of 9 to 3.[17] However, in March 1952, an appeals court reversed the verdict and ordered a new trial, finding the trial judge's jury instructions were erroneous and prejudicial, and that Sabu's attorney had effectively put Julier on trial.[18] The day the second trial was scheduled to begin, in July 1953, the actor settled the case without admitting paternity. He agreed to defray Julier's costs, set up a trust fund, and pay monthly support until the child reached 21. At that time, Ernst stated his intent to adopt the girl.[19]

In November 1950, a fire destroyed the second storey of his Los Angeles home. Arthur E. Wall and Andre Perez were arrested for arson shortly afterward; Perez pleaded guilty in July 1951. He revealed that he was asked to set the fire by Wall, Sabu's friend, who told him the actor needed the insurance money. Sabu's insurer, Northwestern Mutual, had originally paid out his claim, but sued him in November 1952 after learning about the purported arson.[20]

Sabu's brother, known as Shaik Dastagir, managed his career.[21] In 1960, Shaik was shot dead at his home during a botched robbery. The perpetrator, 18-year-old Jimmy E. Shields, was a former employee at the brothers' furniture store. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 1 to 10 years in prison.[22]

Singer-songwriter John Prine wrote a song about Sabu, imagining his culture shock touring America on a promotional trip in winter, "Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone," recorded for his 1978 album Bruised Orange. The chorus goes, "Hey look, Ma, here comes the elephant boy / Bundled all up in his corduroy / Headed down south towards Illinois / From the jungles of East St. Paul." Prine called it the strangest song he wrote.

Death

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On 2 December 1963, Sabu died suddenly in Chatsworth, California, of a heart attack, age 39.[23] He is interred at the Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery. His wife said in a television interview that two days before his death, during a routine medical check, his doctor told him: "If all my patients were as healthy as you, I would be out of a job".[citation needed]

Filmography

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Sabu in Hello Elephant (1952)
Year Title Role Notes
1937 Elephant Boy Toomai
1938 The Drum Prince Azim
1940 The Thief of Bagdad Abu
1942 Jungle Book Mowgli
Arabian Nights Ali Ben Ali
1943 White Savage Orano
1944 Cobra Woman Kado
1946 Tangier Pepe
1947 Black Narcissus The Young General
The End of the River Manoel
1948 Man-Eater of Kumaon Narain
1949 Song of India Ramdar
1951 Savage Drums Tipo Tairu
1952 Hello Elephant Sultan of Nagore
Bagdad
1954 The Treasure of Bengal Ainur
1956 Jaguar Juano
Jungle Hell Sabu the Jungle Boy
The Black Panther Short
1957 Sabu and the Magic Ring
1960 Mistress of the World Dr. Lin-Chor
1963 Rampage Talib
1964 A Tiger Walks Ram Singh (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ "Sabu Dastagir [real name Selar Sabu] (1924–1963)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/101419. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ a b Vikram Nanjappa (28 August 2020). "The Mysore Khedda". medium.com. The part of Toomai was played by a boy called Sabu . He was born in the Karapura village on the banks of the Kabini where there was a large elephant camp. The Kabini area was the hunting ground of the Maharaja of Mysore and a Royal hunting lodge was situated there.
  3. ^ "Meet Sabu, Mysore's elephant boy". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Remembering Sabu, the mahout from Mysore". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012.
  5. ^ "Sabu". IMDb.
  6. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Sabu (1924-1963) Biography". Screenonline.
  7. ^ ByRoopa Pai (21 June 2022). "A dog named Charlie – and other animals". hindustantimes.com. Sabu Dastagir, the son of a mahout from Karapura village near Mysore, was only 13 when he was discovered by American filmmaker Robert Flaherty, the father of documentary filmmaking.
  8. ^ "Quit India": The Image of the Indian Patriot on Commercial British Film and Television, 1956-1985, by Dror Izhar page 12.
  9. ^ Leibfried, Philip (October 1989). "SABU: Obituary". Films in Review.
  10. ^ "Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) (2001) DVD commentary". Criterion. 30 January 2001. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  11. ^ "The Jungle Book (1942) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  12. ^ "People:Reservations". TIME, 19 March 1945.
  13. ^ Leibfried, Philip (October 1989). "Sabu". Films in Review.
  14. ^ "The Elephant Boy From Mysore who Became an International Superstar". The Wire.
  15. ^ "A Tiger Walks, Disney". movies.Disney.com.
  16. ^ "Jurors Compare Child With Picture of Sabu". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 11 October 1950. Part II, page 7. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Verdict of Jury Clears Sabu in Paternity Suit". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 19 October 1950. Part II, page 1. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Decision Reopens Case against Sabu". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 21 March 1952. Part I, page 17. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Sabu Denies Paternity but Agrees to Aid Child". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 16 July 1953. Part I, page 15. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Actor Sabu Sued for Recovery of Fire Insurance". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 19 November 1952. Part I, page 2. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Leibfried, Philip; Willits, Malcolm (2004). Alexander Korda's "The Thief of Bagdad", An Arabian Fantasy. Hollywood, Calif.: Hypostyle Hall Publishers. ISBN 0-9675253-1-4.
  22. ^ "Judge Orders 1-10 Years For Dastagir Killer". Valley Times. North Hollywood, Los Angeles. 10 December 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "From the Archives: Sabu Dies of Heart Attack". Los Angeles Times. 3 December 1963.

Bibliography

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  • Leibfried, Philip. Star of India: The Life and Films of Sabu. Oklahoma; BearManor Media, 2010.
  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 125-126.
  • Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 207-208.
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