The Narrow Trail | |
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Directed by | Lambert Hillyer William S. Hart (uncredited) |
Screenplay by | William S. Hart Harvey F. Thew |
Produced by | Thomas H. Ince |
Starring | William S. Hart Sylvia Breamer Milton Ross Bob Kortman |
Cinematography | Joseph H. August |
Production companies | Artcraft Pictures Corporation William S. Hart Productions |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 68 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Narrow Trail is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart and written by William S. Hart and Harvey F. Thew. The film stars William S. Hart, Sylvia Breamer, Milton Ross, and Bob Kortman. The film was released on December 30, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. [1] [2]
As described in a film magazine, [3] Ice Harding (Hart), leader of a gang of outlaws, captures an attractive wild pony he names King and the two become fast friends. Single handed he holds up a stage coach and robs its occupants. Among the passengers is Bates (Ross), a notorious San Francisco dive keeper, and his niece Betty (Breamer), a pretty girl, who is used to lure men to the resort. The gang, fearing capture because of the distinctive pinto horse King that Ice rides, divides up their stake and quits. Ice Harding again meets Betty in Saddle City and they become acquainted, she believing him to be a wealthy rancher. Her uncle plans to fleece Ice, and on the day she leaves to return to the city, she gives Ice a paper with a false address. Ice follows her to San Francisco and, unable to find her, he feels dejected and lonely and wanders into a Barbary Coast waterfront saloon. There he discovers Betty, who is horrified that he found her, and Ice denounces her. Ice gets into a fight with two toughs who are in the business of shanghaiing sailors, and then returns to the mountains. Betty, to get away from the dive, leaves and goes to Saddle City. Here she meets Ice, who was intending to rob a bank. They resolve to change their ways, and Ice enters his horse in a free-for-all race. His pinto horse wins, and Ice collects the $1000 prize. About to leave with Betty, Ice is confronted by the sheriff who notes the distinctive horse. Ice knocks him down, grabs up Betty, and the two ride away, outdistancing a posse that follows.
Prints of the film are in collections at the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, and George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection, and the film has been released on DVD. [4]
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity." During the late 1910s and early 1920s, he was one of the most consistently popular movie stars, frequently ranking high among male actors in popularity contests held by movie fan magazines.
Sylvia Poppy Bremer, known professionally as Sylvia Breamer, was an Australian actress who appeared in American silent motion pictures beginning in 1917.
Robert F. Kortman was an American film actor mostly associated with westerns, though he also appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy comedies. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1914 and 1952.
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The Silent Man is a 1917 American Western silent film directed by William S. Hart and written by Charles Kenyon. The film stars William S. Hart, Vola Vale, Robert McKim, Dorcas Matthews, J. P. Lockney, George Nichols, and Gertrude Claire. It was released on November 26, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. The movie premiered in Los Angeles at Sid Grauman's Million Dollar Theater.
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Travelin' On is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer, written by William S. Hart and Lambert Hillyer, and starring William S. Hart, James Farley, Ethel Grey Terry, Brinsley Shaw, Mary Jane Irving, Bob Kortman, and Willis Marks. It was released on March 5, 1922, by Paramount Pictures. A copy of the film is in the Library of Congress.
The Fighting Trail is a lost 1917 American silent Western serial film directed by and starring William Duncan. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. It was released in 15 chapters.
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