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1918: when the Wild West met World War and cowboys became secret agents.
IMDb
52

The Border Wireless (1918)

patriotic pulpsilent-era swaggerspy-western mashup

Overview

ActionWestern

Cowhand Steve Ransom discovers that German spies are operating along Mexican border, relaying their radio messages into Mexico and thus on to Germany. The spies learn that Steve is a fugitive from American justice.

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Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

Hart's thousand-yard stare conveys more than any intertitle could manage.

Direction

Hart stages border chases that predate Indiana Jones by sixty years.

Best for:Solo: Silent film curiosity seekers with snacks and patience for title cards.·Rewatch: Film history nerds tracking Hart's evolution from outlaw to Uncle Sam's cowboy.
Heads up:Triggers: Rabid anti-German sentiment played completely straight for 1918 audiences.
William S. Hart

Director

William S. Hart

ReleasedOct 6, 1918
Runtime50m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelmedium
William S. Hart Productions

Top Cast

William S. Hart

William S. Hart

Steve Ransom

Wanda Hawley

Wanda Hawley

Elsa Miller

Charles Arling

Charles Arling

Herman Brandt

Bert Sprotte

Bert Sprotte

Von Helm (as Berthold Sprotte)

Marcia Manon

Marcia Manon

Esther Meier

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Released months before WWI's end, this was part of a wave of films demonizing German-Americans that contributed to real-world harassment and violence.

Trivia

Hart was already 53 and nearing career's end; this was one of his last major starring roles before talkies erased the silent cowboy archetype he helped create.

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