''Devil Dog Dawson'' is a 1921 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

Karl R. Coolidge Karl R. Coolidge (March 29, 1890 – March 2, 1964) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 73 films between 1913 and 1935. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * Riders of the ...

and starring

Jack Hoxie John Hartford Hoxie (January 11, 1885 – March 28, 1965) was an American rodeo performer and motion-picture actor whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1930s. Hoxie is best recalled for his roles in ...

Helene Rosson Helene M. Rosson (June 14, 1897 – May 5, 1985), also known as Hellene M. Rosson, was an American silent film actress. Biography Hellene M. Rosson, born June 14, 1897, was the sixth child and third daughter of jockey and horse trainer Arthur ...

and

Evelyn Selbie Evelyn Selbie (July 6, 1871 – December 7, 1950) was an American stage actress and performer in both silent and sound films. Biography Born in Louisville, Kentucky, as a young woman Selbie was a sidesaddle rider. She had a career which last ...

. It was produced by Unity Photoplays and released on the states-rights market by Arrow Film Corp. Many remaining scenes from this film were thought to have been cut at the time because they depicted alcohol consumption, which was illegal at the time.

Plot

A group of three settlers in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

have their horses stolen by outlaws. Their horses are returned by three cowboys. The cowboys later save the settlers again when they are threatened by farmworkers.

Cast

Wilbur McGaugh Wilbur McGaugh (March 12, 1895–January 31, 1965) was an American film actor of the silent era, appearing mostly in westerns. He also directed five films. He also worked extensively as an assistant director in film and television. McGaugh's care ...

Arthur Mackley Arthur Mackley (3 July 1865 – 21 December 1926) was an English actor and director of the silent era. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1910 and 1925. He frequently took the part of a sheriff in Westerns, earning the nickname "Sher ...

Preservation

The film was considered

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 ...

. Previously, the only surviving footage from this film—38 seconds' worth—was found in a mislabeled tin by a collector in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The title marked on the tin was ''Dangerous Hour –

Eddie Polo Eddie Polo (1 February 1875 – 14 June 1961) was an Austrian-American actor of the silent era. He was of Jewish descent.Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn B ...

''. The canister and its contents were the subject of an investigation in a 2006 episode of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

History Detectives ''History Detectives'' is a documentary television series on Public Broadcasting Service, PBS. It features investigations made by members of a small team of researchers to identify and/or authenticate items which may have historical significance or ...

''. The film segment was preserved and restored by 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 ...

. Another copy has been since located in the French archive

Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Fort de Bois-d'Arcy The Fort de Bois-d'Arcy, also called the Batterie de Bois-d'Arcy, is one of the forts constructed at the end of the 19th century to defend Paris. It is located in the commune of Bois d'Arcy in the Yvelines département of France. The fort is loc ...

.American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Devil Dog Dawson''
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References

External links

at ''History Detectives'' website * 1921 films 1921 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1920s rediscovered films Rediscovered American films Arrow Film Corporation films Silent American Western (genre) films 1920s American films {{silent-film-stub