Dick Turpin | |
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Directed by | John G. Blystone |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Charles Kenyon |
Produced by | William Fox |
Starring | Tom Mix Kathleen Myers |
Cinematography | Daniel B. Clark |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release dates |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Dick Turpin is a 1925 American silent historical adventure film directed by John G. Blystone produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and starring western hero Tom Mix. Mix departs from his usual western roles to play a British historical figure, the highwayman Dick Turpin (1705-1739). A young Carole Lombard was filmed in several scenes which mostly ended up on the cutting room floor. [1] [2]
As described in a review in a film magazine, [3] several hundred years ago in England there was a famous highwayman, Dick Turpin (Mix), who preyed upon the rich and helped the poor. One day he encountered Lord Churlton (McCullough) and, a little later, in aiding a coach attacked by ruffians, he finds it contains Lady Brookfield (Myers). She tells him that she must marry Lord Churlton. Dick discloses his identity and offers to aid her. Arriving at the inn, Dick sees Lady Alice dress in men's clothes and sneak out while he escapes after a daring running fight with the guards. They journey to London. Lord Churlton follows and, when capture seems near, Dick disguises himself as a fighter and goes into the ring. As the guards close in, he again escapes by throwing the prize money to the rabble. In the forest he declares his love for Alice. A poor woman appears who asks for his aid, and he discovers himself surrounded by guards. Taken to prison, he is condemned to death. At the scaffold he finds his friend, Tom King (Hale), has taken the place of the hangman. Tom tells him that the crowd is with him and to take a break for his liberty. He escapes on his famous horse, Black Bess, and immediately starts out for York to aid Lady Alice. For days the guards keep up the pursuit, one by one giving out, until the last one succumbs near the journey's end. Dick arrives just in time to save Lady Alice. The two escape to France. Dick gives up his life on the road and the two find happiness.
Prints of Dick Turpin are located in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection, Cinemateket-Svenska filminstitutet (Stockholm), and two different versions in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. [4]
Richard Turpin was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher early in his life but, by the early 1730s, he had joined a gang of deer thieves and, later, became a poacher, burglar, horse thief and killer. He is also known for a fictional 200-mile (320 km) overnight ride from London to York on his horse Black Bess, a story that was made famous by the Victorian novelist William Harrison Ainsworth almost 100 years after Turpin's death.
A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads. Such criminals operated until the mid- or late 19th century. Highwaywomen, such as Katherine Ferrers, were said to also exist, often dressing as men, especially in fiction.
Alan Hale Sr. was an American actor and director. He is best remembered for his many character roles, in particular as a frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn, as well as films supporting Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery, Douglas Fairbanks, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, and Ronald Reagan. Hale was usually billed as Alan Hale and his career in film lasted 40 years. His son, Alan Hale Jr., also became an actor and remains most famous for playing "the Skipper" on the television series Gilligan's Island.
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Dick Turpin is a 1933 British historical drama film directed by Victor Hanbury and John Stafford it starred Victor McLaglen, Jane Carr, Frank Vosper, James Finlayson and Cecil Humphreys. The film depicts the adventures of the eighteenth century highwayman Dick Turpin and his legendary ride to York. It is based on a historical novel by Harrison Ainsworth.
Rookwood is a novel by William Harrison Ainsworth published in 1834. It is a historical and gothic romance that describes a dispute over the legitimate claim for the inheritance of Rookwood Place and the Rookwood family name.
Dick Turpin's Ride to York is a 1922 British historical silent film drama directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Isobel Elsom and Cecil Humphreys. It was the first feature-length film of the story of the famous 18th-century highwayman Dick Turpin and his legendary 200 mi (320 km) overnight ride from London to York on his mount Black Bess.
Dick Turpin's Ride is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Louis Hayward. It follows the career of the eighteenth century highwaymen Dick Turpin. It is based on the poem Dick Turpin's Ride by Alfred Noyes.
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The Highwayman is a 1951 American historical adventure film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Philip Friend, Wanda Hendrix and Cecil Kellaway. The film was shot in Cinecolor and distributed by Allied Artists, the prestige subsidiary of Monogram Pictures. It was based on the poem of the same name by Alfred Noyes.
Kathleen Myers was an American film actress of the silent era.