The Man from Hell's River | |
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Directed by | Irving Cummings |
Written by | Irving Cummings |
Based on | "God of Her People" by James Oliver Curwood |
Produced by | Irving Cummings |
Starring | Irving Cummings Eva Novak Wallace Beery |
Cinematography | Conrad Wells |
Production company | Irving Cummings Productions |
Distributed by | Western Pictures Exploitation Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 5 reels |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Man from Hell's River, also known as simply Hell's River, is a 1922 American silent Western film starring Irving Cummings, Eva Novak, and Wallace Beery. The screenplay was written by Cummings based upon the story "God of Her People" by James Oliver Curwood, and directed by Cummings. [1] The picture was notably the first of many (including a subsequent television series) for canine character Rin Tin Tin, [2] who replaced a truculent wolf originally slated to appear. [3] The movie exists and is readily available online. The Man from Hell's River was produced by Irving Cummings Productions.
As described in a film magazine, [4] taking place in the woods of the Canadian northwest, Corporal Pierre de Barre (Cummings) loves Mabella (Novak), the foster daughter of Lopente (Klein), and she loves him. Gaspard, The Wolf (Beery), holding over Lopente knowledge of a killing for which he would be arrested, demands Mabella. Lopente forces the young woman to marry Gaspard, telling her that he would be arrested and hung otherwise. She does not tell Corporal Pierre why this happened, and he cannot fathom her reasons. Gaspard returns to seeing the women of doubtful virtue which formerly held his attentions. This irritates Pierre but he cannot do anything. The Priest tells Pierre of Mabella's story, and that she is not really Lopente's daughter. Mabella arouses Gaspard's jealousy and he sets out to kill Pierre. Sergeant McKenna (Whitson) and his deputy leave the post deserted, and Gaspard arrives and knocks Pierre down. Gaspard then flees with his wife. Pierre follows, and he and Gaspard have a fight out on the snow covered mountain. Pierre's wolf dog (Rin Tin Tin) breaks his bounds and jumps, landing on Gaspard and knocking him over the cliff. Pierre and Mabella are now free to marry.
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in Grand Hotel (1932), as Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1934), as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa! (1934), and his titular role in The Champ (1931), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Beery appeared in some 250 films during a 36-year career. His contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stipulated in 1932 that he would be paid $1 more than any other contract player at the studio. This made Beery the highest-paid film actor in the world during the early 1930s. He was the brother of actor Noah Beery and uncle of actor Noah Beery Jr.
Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan, who nicknamed him "Rinty". Duncan trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for the dog. Rin Tin Tin was an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame. Along with the earlier canine film star Strongheart, Rin Tin Tin was responsible for greatly increasing the popularity of German Shepherd dogs as family pets. The immense profitability of his films contributed to the success of Warner Bros. studios and helped advance the career of Darryl F. Zanuck from screenwriter to producer and studio executive.
James Oliver Curwood was an American action-adventure writer and conservationist. His books were often based on adventures set in the Hudson Bay area, the Yukon or Alaska and ranked among the top-ten best sellers in the United States in the early and mid 1920s, according to Publishers Weekly. At least one hundred and eighty motion pictures have been based on or directly inspired by his novels and short stories; one was produced in three versions from 1919 to 1953. At the time of his death, Curwood was the highest paid author in the world.
Noah Nicholas Beery was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominent character actor Noah Beery Jr. He was billed as either Noah Beery or Noah Beery Sr. depending upon the film.
Noah Lindsey Beery was an American actor often specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to many portrayed by his Oscar-winning uncle, Wallace Beery. Unlike his more famous uncle, however, Beery Jr. seldom broke away from playing supporting roles. Active as an actor in films or television for well over half a century, he was best known for playing James Garner's character's father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, in the NBC television series The Rockford Files (1974–1980). His father, Noah Nicholas Beery enjoyed a similarly lengthy film career as an extremely prominent supporting actor in major films, although the elder Beery was also frequently a leading man during the silent film era.
The Clash of the Wolves is a 1925 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Directed by Noel M. Smith, the film stars canine actor Rin Tin Tin, Charles Farrell and June Marlowe. It was filmed on location in Chatsworth, California, and at what would later become the Joshua Tree National Park. It was transferred onto 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s and shown on television. A 35mm print of the film was discovered in South Africa and restored in 2003. In 2004, The Clash of the Wolves was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
George William Hill was an American film director and cinematographer.
Irving Caminsky was an American movie actor and director.
Raymond William Hatton was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures.
Jane Novak was an American actress of the silent film era.
The Round-Up is a 1920 American silent Western film starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Wallace Beery. The movie was written by Edmund Day and Tom Forman, directed by George Melford, and based on Day's play that was a huge hit for Roscoe Arbuckle's older cousin Macklyn Arbuckle and Julia Dean on the Broadway stage in 1907. It was Macklyn in the play who created the famous phrase used in advertisements of the film, nobody loves a fat man.
The Lightning Warrior is a 1931 American Pre-Code Mascot movie serial starring Rin Tin Tin in his last role. It is regarded as one of the better Mascot serials. A number of the production's outdoor action sequences were filmed on the rocky Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California, known for its huge sandstone boulders and widely recognized as the most heavily filmed outdoor shooting location in the history of the movies. This was the original Rin Tin Tin's last movie, as he died in 1932, being replaced that same year by Rin Tin Tin Jr.
William Fairbanks was an American actor. He appeared in over 65 silent era films between 1916 and 1928.
The Trap is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Lon Chaney and Alan Hale. It was released by Universal Pictures. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Heart of a Wolf. One working title for the film was Wolfbreed. The film was re-released in the U.S. in 1926.
Eva Barbara Novak was an American film actress, who was quite popular during the silent film era.
Flesh and Blood is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Lon Chaney, Noah Beery, Edith Roberts and De Witt Jennings. The film originally had a color flashback scene with Chinese actors, but the color footage is no longer in any of the available prints. The film's working titles were Prison and Fires of Vengeance. Interior scenes were shot at Universal Studios.
Benjamin Harrison Kline was an American cinematographer and film director. He was the father of Richard H. Kline.
Howard Higgin was an American writer and director of motion pictures in the 1920s and 1930s.
John F. Kelly was an American actor whose career spanned the very end of the silent film era through the 1940s. While most of his parts were smaller, often-uncredited roles, he was occasionally given a more substantial supporting or even featured role.
Frederick Harmon Weight (1887–1978) was an American film director most prolific in the late silent film era of the 1920s. He directed many well-known performers such as George Arliss, Betty Compson, Myrna Loy and Rin-Tin-Tin.