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. This year is notable for the introduction of the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey Mouse, in the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first film to include a soundtrack completely created in post production.
1913 was a particularly fruitful year for film as an art form, and is often cited one of the years in the decade which contributed to the medium the most, along with 1917. The year was one where filmmakers of several countries made great artistic advancements, producing notable pioneering masterpieces such as The Student of Prague, Suspense, Atlantis, Raja Harischandra, Juve contre Fantomas, Quo Vadis?, Ingeborg Holm, The Mothering Heart, Ma l’amor mio non muore!, L’enfant de Paris and Twilight of a Woman's Soul.
The year 1912 in film involved some significant events.
Ruth Roland was an American stage and film actress and film producer.
The Indians Are Coming is a 1930 American Pre-Code Universal movie serial based on The Great West That Was by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The serial was the first "all-talking" film of its kind. It played at The Roxy Theatre and was responsible for saving the film serial format into the sound era.
The Red Rider is a 1934 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures and starring Buck Jones. It has 15 chapters based on the short story "The Redhead from Sun Dog" by W. C. Tuttle, and is a remake of Buck Jones' earlier 1931 film The Range Feud.
Custer's Last Stand is a 1936 American film serial based on the historical Custer's Last Stand at the Little Bighorn River. It was directed by Elmer Clifton, and starred Rex Lease, William Farnum and Jack Mulhall. It was produced by the Poverty Row studio Stage & Screen Productions, which went bust shortly afterwards as a victim of the Great Depression. This serial stars many famous and popular B-Western actors as well as silent serial star Helen Gibson playing Calamity Jane, Frank McGlynn Jr. as General Custer, and Allen Greer as Wild Bill Hickok.
Gayne Whitman was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1904 and 1957. In some early films, he was credited under his birth name. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.
The Woman in the Web is a 1918 American drama film serial directed by Paul Hurst and David Smith. It was the 9th of 17 serials released by The Vitagraph Company of America. This World War I period serial about a Russian princess and the overthrow of the Tsar introduced the concept of the Red Menace to serials. The serial is now considered to be a lost film.
The Gray Ghost is a 1917 American crime-drama film serial directed by Stuart Paton. It is presumed to be lost.
The Adventures of Ruth is a 1919 American film serial directed by George Marshall. It is now considered to be a lost film. The serial was advertised as written, produced and directed by Ruth Roland. Roland was the producer, but it was written by Gilson Willets and directed by George Marshall.
The Tiger's Trail is a 1919 American adventure film serial starring Ruth Roland, directed by Robert Ellis, Louis J. Gasnier and Paul Hurst. A "fragmentary print" from the serial survives.
Ruth of the Rockies is a 1920 American silent Western film serial directed by George Marshall. Two of the 15 episodes survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
The Avenging Arrow is a 1921 American silent Western film serial directed by William J. Bowman and W. S. Van Dyke. Its 15 episodes are now considered to be lost.
The Timber Queen is a 1922 American action silent film serial directed by Fred Jackman. The film serial stars Ruth Roland and Bruce Gordon. Produced by Pathé Exchange, the serial was advertised as "The beautiful scenery! The forest, the train, everything just looks so 'outdoors'! Great cinematography." Next to Pearl White, another of Pathe studio's prominent serial queens, Ruth Roland appears in Western serials like Ruth of the Rockies (1920) and White Eagle (1922).
White Eagle is a 1922 American silent Western film serial directed by Fred Jackman and W. S. Van Dyke. The film is considered to be lost. White Eagle is almost a remake of the earlier Ruth Roland serial Hands Up The serial features a famous scene of Ruth Roland climbing a rope ladder from a moving train to a plane flying overhead.
Ruth of the Range is a fifteen episode American adventure film serial starring Ruth Roland, in which a young woman attempts to rescue her father from a gang that has kidnapped him in order to find out his secret for making "Fuelite," a substitute for coal. The film was the final feature created by scenarist Gilson Willets for Pathe Productions, and is now thought to be a lost film.
The Masked Woman is a 1927 American silent melodrama film produced and distributed by First National Pictures. Filmed in France, it was the last screenwriting effort of famed June Mathis, who died in 1927, and was directed by her husband Silvano Balboni, who was usually a cinematographer. The film stars Anna Q. Nilsson, Holbrook Blinn, and serial veteran Ruth Roland.
Reno is a 1930 American pre-Code all-talking sound drama film directed by George J. Crone and starring silent serial queen Ruth Roland. It was produced and distributed by early sound era production studio Sono Art-World Wide Pictures. Roland's sound film debut, she would follow up with only one more talkie.
