''Canyon of the Fools'' is a 1923 American silent

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Val Paul Val Paul (April 10, 1886 – March 23, 1962) was an American actor and director of the silent era. He appeared in 99 films between 1913 and 1922. He also directed 10 films between 1920 and 1932. He was born in Denver, Colorado and died in ...

and starring

Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * Harry Carey (footballer) (1916–1991), Australian rules footballer See also * Henry Carey (disambiguation) * Harry Car ...

that was released by

Film Booking Offices of America Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an Anglo-Americ ...

(F.B.O.).

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Robert McCarthy (Carey) beats his way on a passenger train to a mining camp located near an unexplored waste called the Canyon of the Fools. En route he discovers that his former sweetheart May (Clayton) is on the train, having promised to marry Jim Harper (Stanton) whom she is to meet at the camp. Bob is seen by Sheriff Maricopia Jim (Curtis) as he arrives at the camp. The Sheriff hires him as deputy on his promise to help run down the head of an outlaw gang that is operating in the canyon. Bob's one desire is to revenge himself on a man named Torrance who double-crossed him and had him unjustly convicted of a crime. Bob makes his presence known to May, who still loves him even though engaged to Jim. Together they go into the canyon. Bob discovers a secret mine being operated by a mysterious person named Polhill. The outlaws and their leader have long been seeking Polhill's treasure. It turns out Jim Harper is the leader of the bandits. He follows Bob into the mine entrance and stuns him with a blow from behind. Jim captures May and makes her a prisoner of Polhill's room above the mine, and then the gang seizes the gold. After several adventures Bob rescues May and is rewarded with her love and Polhill's gold.

Cast

as Robert 'Bob' McCarthy * Carmen Arselle as Incarnación *

Marguerite Clayton Marguerite Clayton (born Margaret Fitzgerald; April 12, 1891 – December 20, 1968) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 170 films between 1909 and 1928, many of which were westerns with Broncho Billy Anderson ...

as May * Jack Curtis as Maricopia Jim * Mignonne Golden as Aurelia * Joe Harris as Terazaz (credited as Joseph Harris) * Charles Le Moyne as Swasey (credited as Charles J. Le Moyne) *

Murdock MacQuarrie Murdock MacQuarrie (August 25, 1878 – August 20, 1942) was an American silent film actor and director. His name was also seen as Murdock McQuarrie. MacQuarrie was born in San Francisco, California, and attended school there. He was the ...

as Sproul *

Vester Pegg Vester Pegg (May 23, 1889 – February 19, 1951) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in 140 films between 1912 and 1941, mainly Westerns. He was born in Appleton City, Missouri and died in Los Angeles, California. Pegg ...

as Knute * Fred R. Stanton as Jim Harper / Polhill (credited as Fred Stanton)

Preservation

Once thought to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

, ''Canyon of the Fools'' was one of ten silent films digitally preserved in Russia's

Gosfilmofond Gosfilmofond is a state film archive in Russia. It is the main film archive of the Russian Federation and a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). It is a state cultural institution — curator of films collection and othe ...

archive and provided to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

in October 2010.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Canyon Of The Fools 1923 films 1923 Western (genre) films 1920s rediscovered films American black-and-white films Films directed by Val Paul Film Booking Offices of America films Films with screenplays by John Grey Rediscovered American films Silent American Western (genre) films 1920s American films