A 55-minute silent Western that actually slaps? Cowboy propaganda from 1926 hits different.
Cliff Barton, suspicious of the intentions of the local banker, Seth Tolliver, withdraws his money from the bank, hides it, and is later killed by two hirelings of the banker. Deputy Sheriff Art Stratton, who has trained Barton's horse and is in love with his daughter, Thora, is assigned to guard the ranch for the creditors; and Tolliver, who has designs on the property and wants his son to marry Thora, arranges to have the ranch auctioned.
Practical Effects
Actual horses doing actual stunts, no CGI nonsense.
Acting
Art Acord's face acting through 55 minutes of title cards.
Director
Clifford Smith
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Art Acord was a real rodeo champion before becoming a silent film cowboy star—those stunts are authentic.
The 'evil banker foreclosing on the honest rancher' trope peaked in 1926, reflecting real agricultural economic anxiety of the era.
US
