''A Man's Country'' is a 1919 silent Western drama film directed by

Henry Kolker Joseph Henry Kolker (November 13, 1874 ome sources 1870– July 15, 1947) was an American stage and film actor and director. Early years Kolker was born in Quincy, Illinois. Career Kolker, like fellow actors Richard Bennett and Robert Wa ...

, and starring

Alma Rubens Alma Rubens (born Alma Genevieve Reubens; February 19, 1897 – January 21, 1931) was an American film actress and stage performer. Rubens began her career in the mid 1910s. She quickly rose to stardom in 1916 after appearing opposite Douglas F ...

Alan Roscoe Alan Roscoe (born John Albert Rascoe; August 23, 1888 – March 8, 1933) was an American film actor of the silent and early talking film eras. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1933. Roscoe was born John Albert Rascoe ...

, and

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

. It was written by

Richard Schayer Richard Schayer (December 13, 1880 – March 13, 1956) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 100 films between 1916 and 1956. He was born in Washington, D.C., son of Col. George Frederick Schayer and writer Julia Schayer, and ...

based on a screen story by John Lynch. The poster's tagline was "A forceful and spectacular drama of the primitive West in the days of the Gold Rush, when men fought hard, women lived fast and human life was cheap." The film was considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

for decades. A small fragment was discovered at the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute ( da, Det Danske Filminstitut) is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. Also known as ''Filmhuset'' ("the film h ...

film archive in Denmark. The fragment does not contain any Chaney footage at all, however. Richard Schayer later went on to write the screenplay for Chaney's 1927 ''Tell It to the Marines''.

Plot

Kate Carewe (Rubens), the dance hall favorite of a western community of the early 1850s, is denounced for her evil ways by Ralph Bowen (Roscoe), a minister recently arrived from the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

. She leads a band of her worshipers to his church on the first night of his services, shooting up the place and dispersing the congregation. She returns to her element and the preacher continues to do what good work he can under the circumstances in the community. Three Card Duncan (Lon Chaney) kills the dance hall's owner Oliver Kemp, and then proceeds to kill Kemp's business partner as well. Kate plays a winner-takes-all poker game with the murderer for possession of the place. She wins and becomes the sole owner of the saloon. When a plague drives most of the residents of the town into the hills, Kate, the preacher, and three children take refuge inside the dance hall building. As time goes on, she and the preacher both see the narrowness of their views and they fall in love with each other. Three Card Duncan returns and, finding Kate alone, seeks revenge on her for beating him at cards. The preacher fights Duncan to protect Kate. The timely arrival of Marshall Leland (Dowling) saves the preacher's life and, with the plague abated, Kate gives up the dance hall life, and she and the preacher are married.

Cast

as Kate Carewe *

as Preacher Ralph Bowen (billed as Albert Roscoe) *

as 'Three Card' Duncan *

Joseph J. Dowling Joseph Johnson Dowling (September 4, 1850 – July 8, 1928) was an American stage and silent film actor. Early life and career Born in Pittsburgh, the son of James and Fredericka (''nee'' Edstrem) Dowling. His father was a native of Pennsy ...

as Marshall Leland (billed as Joseph Dowling) * Edna Mae Wilson as Ruth Kemp *

Alfred Hollingsworth Alfred Hollingsworth was an American actor during the silent film era. He was in dozens of films from 1911 until 1925. According to IMDb he also directed four short films in 1916. ''Hell's Hinges'' has been described as a classic and Hollingswort ...

as Oliver Kemp * Phil Gastrock as Connell

Reception

"Alma Rubens is seen in the stellar role and the story closely follows the rules laid down for western drama... Lon Chaney is a brutal villain." ---Exhibitor's Trade Review "There is not a great deal of merit in the Robertson-Cole production, A MAN'S COUNTRY, if viewed from the critic's corner. It belongs to the school of melodrama, the kind that is loved by the ordinary throng; but the reins of production have not been governed by skilled hands...Alma Rubens' work (as Kate) is the saving grace of the production." ---Moving Picture World "Except for an occasional indulgence of heroics, Miss Rubens and her players are excellent. The picture is rich in locations and atmosphere and action, and should appeal through its glamour of '49. Especially noticeable is the fine acting of Lon Chaney in the character of the bad man." ---Motion Picture News

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Man's Country, A 1919 films 1919 Western (genre) films Films set in the 1850s American black-and-white films Films directed by Henry Kolker 1910s rediscovered films Film Booking Offices of America films Rediscovered American films Silent American Western (genre) films 1910s American films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer