The following is an overview of 1928 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Although some films released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.
The following is an overview of 1926 in film, including significant events, a list of films released, and notable births and deaths.
Kenneth Olin Maynard was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western stars in Hollywood.
Tom Tyler was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 serial film The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Tyler also played Kharis in 1940's The Mummy's Hand, a popular Universal Studios monster film.
In Old Santa Fe is a 1934 American Western film directed by David Howard, starring Ken Maynard, George "Gabby" Hayes and Evalyn Knapp and featuring the first screen appearance of Gene Autry, singing a bluegrass rendition of "Wyoming Waltz" accompanied by his own acoustic guitar with Smiley Burnette on accordion. Autry and Burnette were uncredited, but the scene served as a screen test for the duo for subsequent singing cowboy films, beginning with The Phantom Empire (1935), in which Autry had his first leading role.
Mystery Mountain is a 1934 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Ken Maynard, Verna Hillie, Syd Saylor, Edward Earle, and Hooper Atchley. Distributed by Mascot Pictures, Mystery Mountain features the second ever film appearance by Gene Autry.
Haunted Gold is a 1932 Pre-Production Code, American Western film directed by Mack V. Wright and starring John Wayne. It is a remake of the 1928 film The Phantom City, starring Ken Maynard and his horse Tarzan. Filmed in 1932, two years before the implementation of Hollywood's Production Code, the film contains several racial slurs involving the black character "Clarence Brown".
Mack V. Wright was an American actor and film director. Active as a director from 1920 to the late 1940s, he also had an extensive career as an assistant director, second-unit director and production manager. His heyday was in the 1930s, when he directed or co-directed serials for Republic Pictures and made westerns for Monogram Pictures, often with John Wayne. He was also an actor, appearing in his first film in 1914 and his last in 1934, almost all of them westerns.
Haunted Island is a 1928 American silent action film serial directed by Robert F. Hill. The serial was released in 10 chapters of two reels each, with the first episode released on March 26, 1928. Each episode featured a lurid title, such as "The Phantom Rider," "The Haunted Room," "The Fires of Fury," or "Buried Alive." The serial was a remake of the 1918 Universal serial The Brass Bullet, which was based on the story "Pleasure Island." As of October 2009, Haunted Island is considered a lost film. A trailer survives in the Library of Congress collection.
Edgar Hughes "Blue" Washington was an American actor and baseball player who played in the Negro leagues from 1915 to 1920 as a pitcher and first baseman.
Drum Taps is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed and co-written by J.P. McGowan. It stars Ken Maynard and his brother Kermit Maynard playing brothers.
Parade of the West is a 1930 American Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Bennett Cohen and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Gladys McConnell, Otis Harlan, Jack Hanlon, Frank Rice and Fred Burns. The film was released on January 19, 1930, by Universal Pictures.
Lucky Larkin is a 1930 American Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Marion Jackson and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Nora Lane, Jim Farley, Harry Todd, Paul Hurst and Charles Clary. The film was released on March 2, 1930, by Universal Pictures.
The Lawless Legion is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Bennett Cohen, Fred Allen and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Nora Lane, Paul Hurst, J. P. McGowan, Frank Rice and Howard Truesdale. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 17, 1929.
The Royal Rider is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Sylvia Bernstein, Jacques Jaccard and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Olive Hasbrouck, Philippe De Lacy, Theodore Lorch, Joseph Burke and Harry Semels. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 17, 1929.
Eugenia Gilbert was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared as a leading lady in a number of westerns. In at least three films, she was billed as Eugenie Gilbert.
The Canyon of Adventure is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Marion Jackson and Ford Beebe. The film stars Ken Maynard, Virginia Brown Faire, Eric Mayne, Theodore Lorch, Tyrone Brereton and Hal Salter. The film was released on April 22, 1928, by First National Pictures.
The Wagon Show is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Ford Beebe and Don Ryan. The film stars Ken Maynard, Ena Gregory, Maurice Costello, Fred Malatesta, George Davis and May Boley. The film was released on February 19, 1928, by First National Pictures.
The Upland Rider is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Ford Beebe. The film stars Ken Maynard, Ena Gregory, Lafe McKee, Sydney Jarvis, Robert D. Walker and Bobby Dunn. The film was released on June 3, 1928, by First National Pictures.
The California Mail is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Marion Jackson and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Dorothy Dwan, Lafe McKee, Paul Hurst, C.E. Anderson and Fred Burns. The film was released on April 7, 1929, by First National Pictures.
