Rayart Pictures was one of the early film production and distribution companies operating independently of the major
Hollywood studios in the United States during the later
silent film era from the mid-to-late 1920s and into the early "talkies" era of early films with sound in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It established its own distribution network,
specialising in westerns.
It was begun by
W. Ray Johnston
W. Ray Johnston (January 2, 1892 – October 14, 1966) was an American film producer. He was associated with low-budget filmmaking, in particular with the larger Poverty Row studios Rayart Pictures and Monogram Pictures.Pitts p.131 Before foundi ...
in 1924, after whom the company was named. It was originally created as a low budget release agent,
and like the other so-called
Poverty Row
Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did ...
studios, was based in a small plot off
Sunset Strip, by
Gower Street.
An early Poverty Row studio,
it was a forerunner of
Monogram Pictures, whom was also founded by W. Ray Johnston.
In 1929, Rayart produced a series of musical pieces—featuring
Tommy Christian and His Palisades Orchestra— as well as shorts and the feature-length film ''
Howdy Broadway'', a musical set in college with "an entirely predictable" script.
Rayart was renamed Raytone with the advent of sound in films. The company became part of
Monogram Pictures in a merger with
Sono Art-World Wide Pictures
Sono Art-World Wide Pictures was an American film distribution and production company in operation from 1927 to 1933. Their first feature film was ''The Rainbow Man'' (1929), while one of their most prominent was '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929) starr ...
in 1933.
Filmography
![Fighting Thorobreds 1926 lobby card](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Fighting_Thorobreds_1926_lobby_card.jpg)
* ''
Midnight Secrets
''Midnight Secrets'' is a 1924 American silent action film directed by Jack Nelson and starring George Larkin, Kathleen Myers, and Pauline Curley. It was part of a series of six films featuring New York City newspaper reporter character Tip O' ...
'' (1924)
* ''
The Street of Tears'' (1924)
* ''
For Another Woman'' (1924)
* ''
The Pell Street Mystery
''The Pell Street Mystery'' is a 1924 American silent action film directed by Joseph Franz and starring George Larkin, Frank Whitson, and Ollie Kirby. It is part of a series of films featuring Larkin as a New York City newspaper reporter.
Pl ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Trail Dust
''Trail Dust'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Nate Watt, written by Al Martin, and starring William Boyd, James Ellison, George "Gabby" Hayes, Morris Ankrum, Gwynne Shipman, Britt Wood and Dick Dickson. It was released on Decembe ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Lightning Romance
''Lightning Romance'' is now not considered a lost film. This 1924 American silent action film was directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Reed Howes, Ethel Shannon and Wilfred Lucas.Langman p.259
Cast
* Reed Howes as Jack Wade
* Ethel Shan ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Geared to Go
''Geared to Go'' is a 1924 American silent action film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Reed Howes, Carmelita Geraghty and George Nichols.Darby p.153
Cast
* Reed Howes
* Carmelita Geraghty
* George Nichols
* Winifred Landis
* Joe ...
'' (1924)
*''
Double Fisted'' (1925)
* ''
Ace of Clubs'' (1925)
* ''
Buried Gold'' (1925)
* ''
The Pride of the Force'' (1925)
* ''
Cyclone Cavalier
''Cyclone Cavalier'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Reed Howes, Carmelita Geraghty, and Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Right Man'' (1925)
* ''
The Fear Fighter
''The Fear Fighter'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Billy Sullivan, Ruth Dwyer and J.P. McGowan.Munden p.234
Cast
* Billy Sullivan as Billy Griffin
* Ruth Dwyer as Catherine Curtis
* J.P. ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Bashful Buccaneer'' (1925)
* ''
Fighting Luck'' (1925)
* ''
The Road Agent'' (1925)
* ''
Goat Getter
''Goat Getter'' is a 1925 American silent action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourcefu ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Knockout Kid
''The Knockout Kid'' is a 1925 American silent Western comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Jack Perrin, Molly Malone, and Eva Thatcher.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, Jack is the son of a millionaire, and keen ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Starlight, the Untamed'' (1925)
* ''
The Flame Fighter'' (1925)
* ''
Border Vengeance'' (1925)
* ''
Mistaken Orders'' (1925)
* ''
Fighting Fate'' (1925)
* ''
Secret Service Sanders'' (1925)
*''
Super Speed'' (1925)
*''
Winning a Woman
''Winning a Woman'' is a 1925 American silent action film directed by Harry S. Webb and starring Jack Perrin, Josephine Hill and William J. Turner.Munden p.909
Cast
* Jack Perrin
* Josephine Hill
Josephine Hill (October 3, 1899 – ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Crack o' Dawn'' (1925)
* ''
Dangerous Fists'' (1925)
* ''
Once in a Lifetime'' (1925)
* ''
The Snob Buster'' (1925)
* ''
A Desperate Chance'' (1925)
* ''
Youth's Gamble'' (1925)
* ''
Getting 'Em Right
''Getting 'Em Right'' is a 1925 American silent action film, directed by Jack Harvey. It stars George Larkin, Jane Thomas, and Ollie Kirkby.
References
External links''Getting 'Em Right''at the Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbre ...
'' (1925)
*''
Easy Money'' (1925)
*''
The Wolf Hunters'' (1926)
* ''
The Dixie Flyer
''The Dixie Flyer'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring Cullen Landis, Eva Novak and Ferdinand Munier.Monaco p.559
Cast
* Cullen Landis as 'Sunrise' Smith
* Eva Novak as Rose Rapley / Rose Jones ...
'' (1926)
*''
Temporary Sheriff'' (1926)
* ''
One Punch O'Day'' (1926)
* ''
The Midnight Limited'' (1926)
* ''
Somebody's Mother'' (1926)
* ''
Perils of the Coast Guard'' (1926)
* ''
Phantom Police'' (1926)
* ''
Broadway Billy'' (1926)
* ''
The Self Starter'' (1926)
* ''
Moran of the Mounted
''Moran of the Mounted'' is a 1926 American silent western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Sheldon Lewis and Virginia Warwick.Connelly p.388 A northern, it was distributed by the independent Rayart Pictures, the foreru ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Danger Quest
''Danger Quest'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Ethel Shannon and J.P. McGowan.Munden p.164
Cast
* Reed Howes as Rob Rollins
* Ethel Shannon as Nan Colby
* J.P. McGowan as Col. Sp ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Patent Leather Pug
''The Patent Leather Pug'' is a 1925 American silent sports drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Billy Sullivan, Ruth Dwyer, and J.P. McGowan.Munden p. 593 Completed in 1925, it first premiered in London under the alternative t ...
'' (1926)
*''
West of Rainbow's End
''West of Rainbow's End'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Alan James and written by Stanley Roberts and Gennaro Rea. The film stars Tim McCoy, Kathleen Eliot, Walter McGrail, George Cooper, Mary Carr and Bob Kortman. The film was ...
'' (1926)
*''
The Heart of a Coward'' (1926)
*''
The Fighting Thorobreds
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Mystery Pilot'' (1926)
* ''
The Windjammer'' (1926)
* ''
The Call of the Klondike'' (1926)
* ''
The Dangerous Dude'' (1926)
* ''
The Last Alarm'' (1926)
* ''
Thrilling Youth'' (1926)
* ''
The Man from Oklahoma
'' The Man from Oklahoma '' is a 1945 American western film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and George 'Gabby' Hayes. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures.Hurst p.232
Plot
Jim Gardner, hoping to ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Racing Romance'' (1926)
* ''
Crossed Signals'' (1926)
* ''
The Baited Trap
''The Baited Trap'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Stuart Paton and starring Ben F. Wilson, Neva Gerber and Al Ferguson.
Cast
* Ben F. Wilson as Jim Banning
* Neva Gerber as Helen Alder
* Al F ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The High Flyer'' (1926)
* ''
Scotty of the Scouts'' (1926)
* ''
Kentucky Handicap
''Kentucky Handicap'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Alice Calhoun and Robert McKim. It is also known by the alternative title ''Kentucky Luck''.
Cast
* Reed Howes
* Alice Calhoun
...
'' (1926)
* ''
Rapid Fire Romance'' (1926)
* ''
Oh Billy, Behave'' (1926)
* ''
The Winner'' (1926)
* ''
Speed Crazed'' (1926)
* ''
The Smoke Eaters'' (1926)
* ''
A Captain's Courage
''A Captain's Courage'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Louis Chaudet and starring Edward Earle, Dorothy Dwan and Lafe McKee.Munden p.111
Cast
* Edward Earle
* Dorothy Dwan
* Lafe McKee
* Ashton Dearholt
* Jack Henderson
* Al ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Tentacles of the North
''In the Tentacles of the North'' is a 1926 American silent adventure film directed by Louis Chaudet and starring Gaston Glass, Alice Calhoun and Joseph W. Girard.Munden p.791 Two ships, on a journey lead by Captin Van Horn, become trapped in i ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Trooper 77'' (1926)
* ''
Speed Cop'' (1926)
* ''
Wolves of the Desert'' (1926)
* ''
Hi-Jacking Rustlers'' (1926)
* ''
Stick to Your Story'' (1926)
* ''
The Night Owl'' (1926)
* ''
The Grey Devil
''The Grey Devil'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Bennett Cohen and starring Jack Perrin, Lorraine Eason and Tom London.
Cast
* Jack Perrin
* Lorraine Eason
* Tom London
* Andrew Waldron
* Jerome La Grasse
* Milburn Mor ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Gallant Fool'' (1926)
* ''
West of the Law'' (1926)
* ''
Sheriff's Girl'' (1926)
* ''
Fighting for Fame'' (1927)
* ''
The Mystery Brand'' (1927)
* ''
The Scorcher
''The Scorcher'' is a 1927 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Thelma Parr and Hank Mann.Connelly p.688 It was distributed by the independent Rayart Pictures, the forerunner of Monogram Pictures.
Sy ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Speeding Hoofs
''Speeding Hoofs'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Louis Chaudet and starring Dick Hatton, Elsa Benham and Ray Turner.Langman, p. 329
Cast
* Dick Hatton as Richard Stanton
* Elsa Benham as Elsa McGuire
* Ray Turner as ...
'' (1927)
*''
The Show Girl'' (1927)
* ''
Where North Holds Sway'' (1927)
* ''
A Yellow Streak
''A Yellow Streak'' is a 1915 American silent Western film directed by William Nigh and starring Lionel Barrymore, Irene Howley and Niles Welch.Nevins & Keller, p. 130.
Plot
After a Wall Street broker is ruined by his wife's lover, a busines ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Laffin' Fool'' (1927)
* ''
The Midnight Watch'' (1927)
* ''
Riders of the West'' (1927)
* ''
The Lost Limited'' (1927)
* ''
The Range Riders'' (1927)
* ''
Western Courage
''Western Courage'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Ben Wilson, starring Richard Hatton, Elsa Benham, and Robert Walker.
Cast
* Richard Hatton
* Elsa Benham
* Robert Walker
* Art Mix
* Ed La Niece
* Al Ferguson
Al Fe ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Thunderbolt's Tracks'' (1927)
* ''
Code of the Range
''Code of the Range'' is a 1936 American western film directed by Charles C. Coleman and starring Charles Starrett, Mary Blake and Edward Coxen.
Synopsis
A feud breaks out between cattle ranchers and sheepherders who dispute each other's graz ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Speedy Smith
Kenneth J. "Speedy" Smith Jr. (born January 28, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He was named Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 2015.
Early l ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Racing Fool'' (1927)
* ''
Ridin' Luck'' (1927)
* ''
Smiling Billy'' (1927)
* ''
A Wanderer of the West'' (1927)
* ''
The Silent Hero
''The Silent Hero'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Duke Worne and starring Robert Frazer, Edna Murphy and Joseph W. Girard.Connelly, p. 410.
A man travels north to take part in the Alaska Gold Rush, leaving the woman he l ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Cruise of the Hellion
''The Cruise of the Hellion'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Duke Worne and starring Donald Keith (actor), Donald Keith, Edna Murphy and Tom Santschi.Munden p.157
Cast
* Donald Keith (actor), Donald Keith as Jack H ...
'' (1927)
* ''
A Boy of the Streets'' (1927)
* ''
Gun-Hand Garrison
''Gun-Hand Garrison'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Edward Gordon and starring Kermit Maynard, Ruby Blaine and Jack Anthony.
Cast
* Kermit Maynard
Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an Ame ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Prince of the Plains'' (1927)
* ''
The King of the Jungle'' (1927)
* ''
Heroes in Blue'' (1927)
* ''
On the Stroke of Twelve
''On the Stroke of Twelve'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring David Torrence (actor), David Torrence, June Marlowe and Lloyd Whitlock.Connelly p.392
Cast
* David Torrence (actor), David Tor ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Casey Jones
John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi.
Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois C ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Wild Born'' (1927)
* ''
The Royal American'' (1927)
* ''
Daring Deeds
''Daring Deeds'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Duke Worne and starring Billy Sullivan, Molly Malone and Earl Metcalfe.Munden p.170
Synopsis
After arguing with his father, an airplane manufacturer, William Gordon Jr. flies ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Modern Daughters
''Modern Daughters'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring Edna Murphy, Bryant Washburn and Ernest Hilliard.Munden p.519
Cast
* Edna Murphy
* Bryant Washburn
* Ernest Hilliard
Ernest Hilliard (Januar ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Romantic Rogue'' (1927)
* ''
A Light in the Window'' (1927)
* ''
The Wheel of Destiny'' (1927)
* ''
When Seconds Count
''When Seconds Count'' is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Survivor, released in October 1986. It is the second album featuring vocalist Jimi Jamison. The album included the hit single, " Is This Love", which peaked at #9 in the ...
'' (1927)
*''
Gypsy of the North'' (1928)
* ''
You Can't Beat the Law'' (1928)
* ''
The Law and the Man
''The Law and the Man'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Tom Santschi, Gladys Brockwell and Robert Ellis.Wlaschin p.252
Cast
* Tom Santschi as Dan Creedoon
* Gladys Brockwell as Margaret Grayson
* ...
'' (1928)
* ''
The Phantom of the Turf'' (1928)
* ''
My Home Town'' (1928)
* ''
The Painted Trail'' (1928)
* ''
Danger Patrol
''Danger Patrol'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Lew Landers from a screenplay by Sy Bartlett based on a story by Helen Vreeland and Hilda Vincent. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on December 3, 1937 ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Mystery Valley
''Mystery Valley'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Buddy Roosevelt.Munden, p. 536
Cast
* Buddy Roosevelt as Steve Larkin
* Carol Lane as Marie Ladeaus
* Tom Bay as Dan Mason
* Art Rowlands
* Jimm ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Sweet Sixteen'' (1928)
* ''
The City of Purple Dreams'' (1928)
* ''
The Branded Man'' (1928)
* ''
Trail Riders'' (1928)
* ''
Lightnin' Shot'' (1928)
* ''
The Devil's Tower
''The Devil's Tower'' is a 1928 American silent western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Buddy Roosevelt, Thelma Parr and McGowan.Munden p.187
Cast
* Buddy Roosevelt as James Murdock
* Frank Earle as Tom Murdock
* J.P. McGowan as G ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Trailin' Back
''Trailin' Back'' is a 1928 American silent western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Buddy Roosevelt, Lafe McKee and Leon De La Mothe.Munden p.827
Cast
* Buddy Roosevelt
* Betty Baker
* Lafe McKee
* Leon De La Mothe
* Tom B ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Ships of the Night'' (1928)
* ''
The Black Pearl'' (1928)
* ''
The Man from Headquarters
''The Man from Headquarters'' is a 1928 American mystery film directed by Duke Worne and starring Cornelius Keefe, Edith Roberts and Charles West.Weaver p.307
Cast
* Cornelius Keefe as Yorke Norray
* Edith Roberts as Countess Jalna
* Charl ...
'' (1928)
* ''
The Divine Sinner
''The Divine Sinner'' is a 1928 American silent film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Vera Reynolds, Nigel De Brulier and Bernard Siegel.
This film is now lost.
Cast
* Vera Reynolds as Lillia Ludwig
* Nigel De Brulier as Minister of ...
'' (1928)
* ''
The Midnight Adventure
''The Midnight Adventure'' is a 1928 American silent mystery film directed by Duke Worne and starring Cullen Landis, Edna Murphy and Ernest Hilliard.Weaver p.201
Synopsis
Guests a country mansion all fall under suspicion when a murder is commit ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Sisters of Eve
''Sisters of Eve'' is a 1928 American silent mystery film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Anita Stewart, Betty Blythe and Creighton Hale.Goble p.353 It is based on the 1911 novel '' The Temptation of Tavernake'' by E. Phillips Oppenheim ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Isle of Lost Men'' (1928)
* ''
Should a Girl Marry?'' (1928)
*''
The Heart of Broadway
''The Heart of Broadway'' is a 1928 American silent melodrama film directed by Duke Worne and starring Pauline Garon. It was produced by Worne and distributed by Rayart Pictures.
Cast
*Pauline Garon as Roberta Clemmons
*Robert Agnew as Billy Win ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Some Mother's Boy'' (1929)
* ''
Handcuffed
''Handcuffed'' is a 1929 American silent mystery film directed by Duke Worne and starring Virginia Brown Faire, Wheeler Oakman and Dean Jagger.Munden p.322
Synopsis
Gerald Morely's father is ruined in a stock fraud and commits suicide. When sho ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Bride of the Desert
''Bride of the Desert'' is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Duke Worne and starring Alice Calhoun, LeRoy Mason and Ethan Laidlaw.
Cast
* Alice Calhoun as Joanna Benton
* LeRoy Mason as Fugitive
* Ethan Laidlaw as Tom Benton
* L ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Howdy Broadway'' (1929)
* ''
Brothers
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
'' (1929)
* ''
The Devil's Chaplain
''The Devil's Chaplain'' is a 1929 American silent romance film directed by Duke Worne, written by Arthur Hoerl and George Bronson Howard and featuring Boris Karloff. It was produced by Trem Carr and released by Rayart Pictures.
Cast
* Corneli ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Anne Against the World
''Anne Against the World'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Duke Worne and featuring Boris Karloff.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30'' by The American Film Institute, c.1971
Cast
* Shirley Mason as Anne
* Ja ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Overland Bound
''Overland Bound'' is a 1929 American Western film directed by Leo D. Maloney and starring Maloney, Allene Ray, Jack Perrin and Lydia Knott. It is considered to be the first all-talking B Western to be made, following on from the success of t ...
'' (1929)
* ''
When Dreams Come True'' (1929)
* ''
Shanghai Rose'' (1929)
*''
Two Sisters'' (1929), a production with sound
* ''
Beyond the Law'' (1930), a production with sound
References
{{Reflist
Film production companies of the United States
American companies established in 1924
Mass media companies established in 1924