The scenario was based on the 1920 play, The Hottentot by Victor Mapes and William Collier. This was the second screen version, the first of which was made in 1922 by Thomas H. Ince Productions.
       The 16 December 1928 Los Angeles Times announced that Harvey Thew had been recently contracted by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., to write the upcoming feature. Warner Bros. invested an estimated $2,000,000 to soundproof the seven stages at their Hollywood, CA, studio, as stated in the 8 January 1929 [Medford, OR] Mail Tribune. The next day’s issue of Variety reported that principal photography had begun on 7 January 1929. An item in the 10 January 1929 Los Angeles Times noted that star Edward Everett Horton was reprising his role from the play. Nearly three months later, the 4 April 1929 issue indicated that Horton was rehearsing a stage version, scheduled to open later that month at the Majestic Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.
       According to the 19 January 1929 Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, approximately 200 background actors would be required for a racetrack sequence. Production chief Jack L. Warner was quoted in the 3 March 1929 [Baltimore, MD] Sun, saying that the studio’s need for background actors had increased by 400 percent over the past year, due primarily to advances in sound technology that enabled the recording of large crowds.
       The 1 August 1929 and 9 August 1929 editions of the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News stated that the picture was the first talkie to feature a steeplechase racetrack, and featured such champion racehorses as Le Elegant, L. A. Murray, Charles Jiggers, Skyward, and Chisanthy. The 9 August 1929 Los Angeles Times credited Leo F. Forbstein as conductor of the film’s musical score, which was performed by the Vitaphone Orchestra.
       A scheduled 10 August 1929 release was announced as in the 17 August 1929 Variety. The next day’s issue of the [Lansing, MI] State Journal noted that editing was currently in progress. De Leon Anthony was credited with writing subtitles for the silent version.
       The Hottentot opened on 2 August 1929 at the Ambassador Theatre in St. Louis, MO; on 3 August 1929 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Washington, DC; and on 5 August 1929 at the Warner Bros. Theatre in Hollywood. During the latter engagement, the 10 August 1929 Los Angeles Times reported that DuBrock’s Riding Academy in Sherman Oaks, CA, had organized a party of approximately 100 equestrians to attend a screening on horseback. One week later, the 17 August 1929 Motion Picture News stated that The Hottentot was currently the highest-grossing film in the Los Angeles area.
       A review in the 14 September 1929 Harrison’s Reports estimated 28 September 1929 as the opening date for the silent version.
       According to the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database, this film is extant.