West Is Best

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West Is Best
Directed by Phil Rosen
Written by Gwendolyn Logan
Harvey Gates
Philip Hubbard
Starring Hoot Gibson
Release date
  • January 17, 1920 (1920-01-17)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages Silent
English intertitles

West Is Best is a 1920 American short silent Western film directed by Phil Rosen and featuring Hoot Gibson. [1]

Contents

Plot

This plot summary comes from the original Library of Congress copyright filing: [2]

Old man Craven, of Red Gulch County, had two sons. He send Beverly east to be made into a gentleman, but Beverly went from Yale to New York and became a first-class lounge-lizzard. Tom, the younger, had steadily refused to be sent east. He was a gentleman of the ranges and as such was known and respected by Red Gulch and the neighboring counties.

When old man Craven died suddenly it was found that he had left his money to be divided between his sons, but that Harmony Ranch and the cattle had been left to Beverly, the elder. When Beverly received Tom's telegram he was entertaining a bunch of lovely ladies from the Cocoanut Grove. He conceived the idea of taking the ladies with him to view the West. All were willing except Susie de Larue who was a western girl. She loved the West but didn't want to go there. However, with persuasion she went.

When the party arrived the girls were escorted to the bunkhouse by the [Chinese man]. The girls found the bunkhouse full of half-dressed cowboys. The girls were annoyed but Tom arrived and rectified the error and the fun began. Tom fell for Susie hard, and had no idea of ever letting her go East again unless as his wife. So he fixed it with Bud Thomas to have a make-believe hold up, frighten the lives out of Beverly and his bunch and kidnap Susie until the others had fled Eastward.

It chanced that Ten-Spot Joe, a local badman, arranged a real holdup with his pal, Mike the Rat for the same night. Mike held up the saloon and with it Bud Thomas while Ten-Spot went to the ranch house and held up the bunch. Tom was waiting for Bud and he mistook Ten-Spot for Bud, so he helped with the holdup and was tickled when Ten-Spot abducted Susie and rode off with her. Tom followed to the saloon, expecting to find Bud and Susie. He found instead, Bud and Mike the Rat each covering the other. Then it dawned on Tom that he had helped the worst blackguard outside jail to run off with his girl. He made Mike the Rat guide him to Ten-Spot's cabin and by luck he got there in time. Susie agreed to stay West and be Mrs. Tom — and Beverly and his Cocoanut tribe were already on their way to Broadway.

Gwendolyn Logan, story, Philip Hubbard, scenario

Cast

See also

References

  1. Rainey, Buck (2024). The Strong, Silent Type: Over 100 Screen Cowboys, 1903-1930. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 272. ISBN   978-1-4766-1524-0.
  2. Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Inc. West Is Best. Motion picture copyright descriptions collection. Class L, -1977. 1920. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/s1229l14629/.