Wolves of the Rail

Last updated

Wolves of the Rails
Wolves of the Rail (1918) - 1.jpg
Advertisement
Directed by William S. Hart
Written by Denison Clift (scenario)
Produced byWilliam S. Hart
Thomas H. Ince
StarringWilliam S. Hart
Cinematography Joseph H. August
Production
company
William S. Hart Productions
Distributed byArtcraft Pictures Corporation
Release date
  • January 14, 1918 (1918-01-14)
Running time
50 minutes; 5 reels
CountryUnited States
Languages Silent
English intertitles

Wolves of the Rail is a 1918 American silent Western film produced, directed by, and starring William S. Hart. Thomas H. Ince assisted Hart in supervising the production. [1]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [2] "Buck" Andrade (Hart), an outlaw, promises his dying mother (Midgley) that he will reform himself. Taking a letter of introduction from a wounded man, he becomes a detective for the railroad, which he had previously held up several times. He is successful in capturing several bandits and also wins the love of Faith Lawson (Vale), who is a towerman (a type of railroad signalman). When the real detective recovers from his wounds and returns to duty, he discloses the true identity of Buck. Buck attempts to escape, but an attack on the railroad by his old gang forces him to remain. After he captures all of them, president of the railroad Murray Lemantier (MacDowell) assists by allowing Buck to escape.

Cast

Reception

Like many American films of the time, Wolves of the Rail was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 1, of beams on rail tracks, first three scenes of handling loot, Buck shooting Mexican bandits, two scenes of shooting Buck from horse, flagging train, holding up engineer, three scenes of holdup of train, Buck blowing tobacco smoke into detective's face, Buck shooting detective, Reel 4, two intertitles "Renegade deserter from the garrison" etc. and "That train will never get here—we'll wreck it", holdup of engineer in cab, fourteen scenes of Mexican bandits shooting at train, two scenes of bandits falling after Buck shoots, Reel 5, holdup of engine, six scenes of bandits shooting at train, intertitle "I'm going to kill you with my hands", and Buck choking bandits. [3]

Survival status

A print of Wolves of the Rail is held by the Library of Congress and the Gosfilmofond archive. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Phantom Riders</i> 1918 film

The Phantom Riders is a 1918 silent American Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. The film is considered to be lost.

<i>The Scarlet Drop</i> 1918 film

The Scarlet Drop is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. Just over 30 minutes of footage of the film now survives in the Getty Images Archive.

<i>Hell Bent</i> (film) 1918 film

Hell Bent is a 1918 American Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. A print of the film exists in the Czechoslovak Film Archive.

<i>Three Mounted Men</i> 1918 film

Three Mounted Men is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. The film is considered to be lost.

<i>The Woman in the Web</i> 1918 film

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.

<i>The Mystery Ship</i> 1917 film

The Mystery Ship is a 1917 American adventure film serial directed by Harry Harvey and Henry MacRae. The film is considered to be lost.

<i>The Brass Bullet</i> 1918 film

The Brass Bullet is a 1918 American silent adventure film serial directed by Ben F. Wilson. It is now considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Bulls Eye</i> (serial) 1917 film

The Bull's Eye is a 1917 American film serial directed by James W. Horne. It is now considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Fatal Ring</i> 1917 film

The Fatal Ring is a 1917 American action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. Silentera.com reports that the UCLA Film and Television Archive may have a complete print.

<i>The Hidden Hand</i> (serial) 1917 film

The Hidden Hand is a 1917 American film serial directed by James Vincent. This is a lost serial.

<i>The Seven Pearls</i> 1917 film

The Seven Pearls is a 1917 American silent action film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie. Fragments are held by the Library of Congress.

<i>The House of Hate</i> 1918 film

The House of Hate is a 1918 American film serial directed by George B. Seitz, produced when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

<i>Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman</i> (1917 film) 1917 film by George Irving

Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman is a 1917 American silent film starring John Barrymore and Evelyn Brent. The movie also co-stars Frank Morgan and Mike Donlin, and was directed by George Irving. The film has been released on DVD.

<i>The Bargain</i> (1914 film) 1914 film

The Bargain is a 1914 American silent Western film starring William S. Hart. It was the first feature film starring Hart, who would go on to become the most popular Western actor of the silent film era. In 2010, it was one of the 25 films added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." The second Hart Western to be named to the National Film Registry, The Bargain was said to have been selected because of Hart's charisma, the film's authenticity and realistic portrayal of the Western genre.

The Man From Montana is a 1917 silent black and white film directed by George Marshall. It stars Neal Hart and George Berrell. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film. The film should not be confused with the 1941 film Man from Montana.

<i>Selfish Yates</i> 1918 film

Selfish Yates is a 1918 American silent Western film starring William S. Hart. It was directed by and co-produced by Hart along with Thomas H. Ince. Paramount Pictures handled distribution.

<i>Who Is Number One?</i> 1917 American film

Who Is Number One? is a 1917 American silent mystery film serial directed by William Bertram and written by Anna Katharine Green. The film stars Kathleen Clifford, Cullen Landis, Gordon Sackville, Neil Hardin, Bruce Smith, and Ethel Ritchie. The film serial was released on October 29, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It is presumed to be a lost film.

<i>The Silent Man</i> (film) 1917 film

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.

<i>The Fighting Trail</i> 1917 film

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.

<i>The Gun Woman</i> 1918 film

The Gun Woman is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Texas Guinan. It was produced and distributed by the Triangle Film Corporation.

References

  1. AFI Catalog of Feature Films; Wolves of the Rail
  2. "Reviews: Wolves of the Rail". Exhibitors Herald. New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company. 6 (6): 25. February 2, 1918.
  3. "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald. 6 (7): 29. February 9, 1918.
  4. Progressive Silent Film List: Wolves of the Rail at silentera.com
  5. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Wolves of the Rail