''O'Malley of the Mounted'' 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

Lambert Hillyer Lambert Harwood Hillyer (July 8, 1893 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director and screenwriter. Biography Lambert Harwood Hillyer was born July 8, 1893, in Tyner, Indiana. His mother was character actress Lydia Knott. A graduate of ...

and written by Hillyer and

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

. The film stars William S. Hart,

Eva Novak Eva Barbara Novak (February 14, 1898 – April 17, 1988) was an American film actress, who was quite popular during the silent film era. Biography On February 14, 1898, Eva Barbara Novak was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Joseph Jerome Nov ...

Leo Willis Leo Willis (5 January 1890 – 10 April 1952) was an American actor who began his career in the silent era. He played mainly tough guys and comic villains, notably opposite Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy at the Hal Roach Stud ...

, Alfred Allen, Bert Sprotte, and

Antrim Short Antrim Short (July 11, 1900 – November 24, 1972) was an American stage and film actor, casting director and talent agent. As a juvenile he enjoyed some success on the Broadway stage notably appearing as a boy with Mrs. Fiske and Holbrook Blinn i ...

. The film was released on February 6, 1921, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

In 1921, the ''Motion Picture World'' summarized,

"O'Malley of the Mounted" is a sergeant who has won his stripes by getting any criminal he is sent out to arrest, this in wild Northwestern territory amid men who dare follow their own impulses rather than obey the law.

O'Malley is assigned to arrest La Grange, a man who murdered a saloon keeper. O'Malley believes La Grange went south to escape over the border into America. He encounters outlaws at a saloon in Forker City. He joins their gang by robbing a bank of $5,000. He soon develops a crush on Rose Lanier and a friendship with her brother, Bud, a fugitive of the law. Later, O'Malley fights a character named Red Jaeger who later exposes O'Malley as a Mountie and traitor. O'Malley is bound to a tree as the criminals plan to execute him at daybreak via hanging. Rose Lanier pretends to be against him, but clandestinely hands him a knife to rescue him. According to ''Motion Picture World,'' the film concludes:

By Rose and Bud the sergeant is rescued from sure death. While riding with them toward the border he confirms his suspicions that Bud is the murderer he is seeking, but finds that the killing was done to avenge a wronged sister. He leaves the brother and sister to make his report, and finds his act justified by his commanding officer. He returns to his loved one no longer "O'Malley of the Mounted."

Preservation

A copy of the film is in 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 ...

and the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

film archives. ''O'Malley of the Mounted'' at silentera.com
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Cast

as Sergeant O'Malley *

as Rose Lanier *

as Red Jaeger * Alfred Allen as Big Judson * Bert Sprotte as Sheriff *

as Bud Lanier

Legacy

In 1959, the film's plot, as well as its characters, were lampooned as part of ''

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the American Broadca ...

.'' The inspired segment is called ''Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties''. Dudley Do-Right's first appearance specifically incorporates silent film tropes such as

intertitles In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

and

iris shot An iris shot is a technique used in silent film and television sometimes to emphasize a detail of a scene above all others, more commonly to end or open a scene. The film camera's iris is slowly closed or opened, so that what is visible on film app ...

s as well as incorporating a similar plot. OMalley_of_the_mounted_lobby_card

References

External links

* * {{Lambert Hillyer 1921 films 1921 Western (genre) films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Lambert Hillyer American black-and-white films Surviving American silent films Silent American Western (genre) films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films