Runtime: Only 59 minutes
Directed by: Lynn Reynolds
Starring: Tom Mix, Eva Novak, J. Farrell MacDonald, Sid Jordan, William Buckley
From: The company that would later become 20th Century Fox
Now I can say I've seen one movie from the first Western star, Tom Mix. Of course, I did not see anything that would inspire me to try and track down a filmography I presume is mostly either lost or the prints available are of poor quality. At least I found a decent print of this on YouTube, which was a main reason why this was watched. Sure, unlike some of Mix's films he did not have his costar Tony the Wonder Horse but alas... at least I can give Mix props for doing many of his own stunts & becoming pals with legendary cowboy Wyatt Earp in real life during the twilight of the latter's life.
It's a simple plot where the protagonist Grant Newbury goes undercover to investigate the smuggling of Chinese immigrants into the United States via Mexico. Turns out, they are hiding them out in... the Grand Canyon! Most of this is filmed there so at least there's lovely scenery to look at. The “ward” of the main villain shows up-she doesn't know her guardian is a criminal SOB. Newbury and the young blonde lady meet up, his cover is blown, things happen, the hero wins, the end.
On the face of it, saying that the movie was average could have been what I determined the rating to be. However, I do appreciate how this has a Western flavor where many people still ride on horseback yet as it's set in 1922, there are Model T vehicles and even a biplane used. Said biplane was the apparatus behind the most impressive stunt in the picture. As this was only 59 minutes long it was an easy hour watch & even if the story wasn't revolutionary by any means, there are no regrets in finally seeing something from Tom Mix.
No comments:
Post a Comment