''Bells of San Juan'' is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Scott Dunlap and starring Buck Jones. It was based on the

Jackson Gregory Jackson Gregory (March 12, 1882 – June 12, 1943) was an American teacher, journalist, and writer. Biography Jackson was born in Salinas, California, the son of Monterey county attorney Durrell Stokes Gregory (1825 – 1889) and Amelia (Hartne ...

novel ''The Bells of San Juan''. It was the first of five films where

Claude Payton Claude Duval Payton (March 30, 1882 in Centerville, Iowa – March 1, 1955 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor in many silent films and other films. On stage, Claude Payton toured with the Spooner Stock Company, which was head ...

was cast alongside Jones.

Plot

Buck Jones plays Roderick Norton, a sheriff on a crusade to find and apprehend the man who murdered his father. Unable to restore order in the mining town where he is appointed, he loses favor with the townspeople. The villain, revealed to be Jim Garson (Claude Payton) and his gang make life miserable for Norton, culminating with the abduction of his girlfriend, frontier doctor Dorothy Page (played by Fritzi Brunette), by Garson's henchmen the Rickard brothers, in order to entrap the hero. Roderick is successful in rescuing Dorothy, but in the process he suffers a head injury which changes his personality, turning him into a thief whom his friends are unable to trust. He is brought back to his old self through the medical ministrations of Dorothy, and is able to obtain a confession regarding the murder of his father from the Rickards, allowing the capture and arrest of Garson.

Reception

'' Motion Picture News'' reviewed the film on October 28, 1922. It found the plot entirely predictable, and thought that it was one of Jones' weaker films.

Cast

* Charles "Buck" Jones as Roderick Norton * Fritzi Brunette as Dorothy Page *

as Jim Garson *

Harry Todd Harry Todd (December 13, 1863 – February 15, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1909 and 1935. On Broadway, Todd was a member of the ensemble in '' The American Way'' (1939). Todd died in Glendale, Cal ...

Dr. Caleb Patton * Hardy Kirkland as John Engel * Katherine Key as Florrie Engel * William Steele as Kid Rickland *

Otto Matieson Otto Matieson (27 March 1893 – 19 February 1932) was a Danish actor of the silent era. He appeared in 45 films between 1920 and 1931. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and died in a car accident in Safford, Arizona. Filmography * '' T ...

as Antone * Sid Jordan as Tom Cutter

References

External links

* * {{allmovie, 84765, Synopsis 1922 films 1922 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films Films directed by Scott R. Dunlap Fox Film films American silent short films Silent American Western (genre) films 1920s American films