''Eyes of The Totem'' is a 1927

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

directed by

W.S. Van Dyke Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Franci ...

. It was one of three films produced by H.C. Weaver Studios in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

between 1924-1928. Long 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 ...

, ''Eyes of the Totem'' is the only known surviving film of the three. It was rediscovered in a New York City film vault in 2014. The film re-premiered with a new original score at the Rialto Theatre in Tacoma in September 2015 (the same theater where the producers of the film first watched it in 1926). The cast included well-known silent movie actors

Tom Santschi Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

Wanda Hawley Wanda Hawley (born Selma Wanda Pittack; July 30, 1895 – March 18, 1963) was an American actress during the silent film era. She entered the theatrical profession with an amateur group in Seattle, and later toured the United States and Can ...

, and

Gareth Hughes Gareth Hughes (23 August 1894 – 1 October 1965) was a Welsh stage and silent screen actor. Usually cast as a callow, sensitive hero in Hollywood silent films, Hughes got his start on stage during childhood and continued to play youthful lead ...

. The film was shot on location in and around the city of Tacoma as well as at the 50,000 square foot production stage built by Weaver in the

Titlow Beach Titlow Beach is in Tacoma, Washington, USA. It is located along Puget Sound near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It has a beach, community center, park, water play area (all of which are run by Metro Parks Tacoma), two restaurants., a view of the Tacoma ...

area. Many local historic sites are featured in the film, including the Winthrop Hotel,

Annie Wright School Annie Wright Schools is a private school in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It is subdivided into Annie Wright Lower School (boys and girls in preschool through grade 5), Annie Wright Middle School (boys and girls in grades 6 to 8), Annie Wrigh ...

, the Tacoma Totem Pole, and Thornewood Castle.

Plot

Mariam Hardy, young daughter Betty and husband Jim live in a log cabin in the desolate and frozen north, where Jim works their mining claim. Mariam longs for a normal life in the civilized world. Her husband returns one day with cash and the news that he has sold the claim. They board a steamer bound for Tacoma. Upon reaching the city, Jim is murdered and the cash is stolen by a mysterious steely-eyed stranger. Left penniless with a small child to care for, Mariam becomes a beggar. Over the years she becomes a respectable member of society, but she always keeps a watch for the eyes of the murderer. A chance encounter reveals his identity, leading to a violent confrontation.

Cast

Credited cast: *

as Mariam Hardy *

as Philip La Rue *

Anne Cornwall Anne Cornwall (January 17, 1897 – March 2, 1980) was an American actress best known for her roles in ''College'' (1927) and ''The Roughneck'' (1924). Biography Born in Brooklyn in 1897, Cornwall performed for forty years in many silent film ...

as Betty Hardy *

as Bruce Huston *

Bert Woodruff William Herbert "Bert" Woodruff (April 29, 1856 – June 14, 1934) was an American actor of the silent era. Woodruff was born in Peoria, Illinois, and was the son of Mrs. Hannah Woodruff. He performed on stage before he began acting on fi ...

as Toby *Monte Wax as Jim Hardy *Violet Palmer as Stella Haynes *Mary Louise Jones as Mrs. Francis Huston *Dorothy Llewellyn as Peggy Huston *Nell Barry Taylor as Bessie Snyder Uncredited cast: *Emily Roudebush *

as the Police Chief

References

External links

1927 films American silent feature films 1920s rediscovered films American black-and-white films Pathé Exchange films Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Silent American drama films 1927 drama films Rediscovered American films 1920s American films {{silent-film-stub