First cite for "The natives are restless"?

[Satchmo]

I know this exchange takes place in Island of Lost Souls 1932

Ruth Thomas: [hearing chanting] What’s that?
Dr. Moreau: The natives, they have a curious ceremony. Mr. Parker has witnessed it.
Ruth Thomas: Tell us about it, Edward.
Edward Parker: Oh, it’s… it’s nothing.
Dr. Moreau: They are restless tonight.

Can anyone cite an earlier example?

I know this one isn’t exactly the more common wording.
<The natives are restless tonight>
But it’s very close and pretty early.

Anyone?

[obfusciatrist]

Not sure how pop culture-y you want the references to be. Google books turns up earlier uses but I wouldn’t be surprised if the movie ingrained it.

In fiction there’s a 1920 novel called The Yellow Spider by John Charles Beecham:

“I don’t want to alarm you unnecessarily,” he responded in a low tone. “But the times are a little uncertain. There have been some ugly rumors afloat and the natives are restless. Borneo, you know, is volcanic in more senses than one.”

Non-fiction has this from the March 1900 issue of National Geographic:

There has existed for some time in South Africa an uneasy consciousness of danger, from the fact that many of the natives are restless and dissatisfied to a considerable extent.

Then this from an 1886 book called The Isles of the Sea: Being an Entertaining Narrative of a Voyage to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and Embracing Full and Authentic Accounts of the Islands of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia by Edward Walter Dawson. In a section of Isle of Pines he uses it twice:

“I suppose you did not pass by New Caledonia, Professor?” said Chester, in an inquiring tone.

“No, that was the next island on which I set my foot; but before reaching it I caught a glimpse of two others, Walpole, and Kunie or Isle des Pins.”

“The Latter is quite a noted little spot,” remarked Captain Bradford.

“Yes, the soil is rich and the natives are restless. The island lies thirty miles to the southeast of New Caledonia, and in fact forms a part of the same group. Captain Cook called it Isle of Pines, in consequence of the vast number of araucarias with which its hills are covered. The strait between this island and New Caledonia proper is nearly all shoal water, caused by numerous coral reefs.”

“You say the natives are restless. I suppose they belong to the same race as those of the islands about them, do they not?” inquired Chester.

It also returns a use from an 1805 issue of the Sydney Gazette.

[Satchmo]

Thanks obfusciatrist. I had been watching my old worn out video tape of that movie. (Sure wish they’d release it on DVD, I believe Universal owns the rights now.) I’ve watched it numerous times and only just caught that phrase. I hadn’t thought of using Google books, but with just a regular google search I found numerous cites all pointing to Island of Lost Souls with nearly identical wording. I realize it’s a pejorative statement, I hope I haven’t put anyone off. It just seemed to me to be one of those common phrases you hear a lot in movies and on TV. Like “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” and “It’s quiet out there. A little too quiet.”

[drastic_quench]

Reading that phrase and it’s variations so many times in a row has now made me think of it as a potentially filthy innuendo/code to talk over the heads of children.

[mbh]

“The natives are restless.” = “I don’t want to alarm the children, dear, but the n****rs are plotting to kill me, ravish you, and eat them.”

[arachnologus]

It’s not an early usage, but I can’t resist mentioning it. In a 1965 episode of The Avengers Small Game for Big Hunters, Steed and Mrs. Peel are investigating a walled “tropical” enclave in southern England. At one point the owner’s Asian servants are runnng about frantically and he skewers the cliche by uttering it ultra-dramatically. It’s my all time favorite use of this line.

[Johnny_L.A]

Obligatory YouTube link.

[aruvqan]

@Satchmo

Thanks obfusciatrist. I had been watching my old worn out video tape of that movie. (Sure wish they’d release it on DVD, I believe Universal owns the rights now.) I’ve watched it numerous times and only just caught that phrase. I hadn’t thought of using Google books, but with just a regular google search I found numerous cites all pointing to Island of Lost Souls with nearly identical wording. I realize it’s a pejorative statement, I hope I haven’t put anyone off. It just seemed to me to be one of those common phrases you hear a lot in movies and on TV. Like “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” and “It’s quiet out there. A little too quiet.”

mild hijack, but there are computer programs that will take the input off a video tape played in a special device that connects to computers and will place it on that shiny DVD disc and allow you to play it in DVD players …

But I agree with you, there are a lot of old movies it would be great to get onto DVD. Have you checked with Turner’s old movie channel catalog, and the AMC movie catalog? They add new old movies to their stocks constantly as they get them onto DVD.

[cochrane]

There’s a rare species of bird known as the rative, which likes to build its nest in the top branches of trees, unprotected from high winds. These birds are light in body weight and unable to keep their nests from blowing away during fierce storm conditions. Do you know what the people who live in the area say when the winds are blowing wildly?

“Good heavens, I do believe the ratives are nestless tonight.”