''The Narrow Trail'' is a 1917 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

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 ...

and written by William S. Hart and Harvey F. Thew. The film stars

Sylvia Breamer Sylvia Poppy Bremer (9 June 1897 – 7 June 1943), known professionally as Sylvia Breamer, was an Australian actress who appeared in American silent motion pictures beginning in 1917. Childhood and early career in Australia Sylvia Poppy Bremer ...

Milton Ross Milton Ross (December 2, 1876 – September 6, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1914 and 1948. Selected filmography * ''The Green Swamp'' (1916) * ''The Gunfighter'' (1917) * ''The Desert Man'' (1 ...

, and

Bob Kortman Robert F. Kortman (December 24, 1887 – March 13, 1967) was an American film actor mostly associated with westerns, though he also appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy comedies. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1914 and 1952. ...

. The film was released on December 30, 1917, 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

As described in a film magazine, Ice Harding (Hart), leader of a gang of outlaws, captures an attractive wild pony he names King and the two become fast friends. Single handed he holds up a stage coach and robs its occupants. Among the passengers is Bates (Ross), a notorious San Francisco

dive Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

keeper, and his niece Betty (Breamer), a pretty girl, who is used to lure men to the resort. The gang, fearing capture because of the distinctive

pinto horse A pinto horse has a coat color that consists of large patches of white and any other color. The distinction between "pinto" and "solid" can be tenuous, as so-called "solid" horses frequently have areas of white hair. Various cultures through ...

King that Ice rides, divides up their stake and quits. Ice Harding again meets Betty in Saddle City and they become acquainted, she believing him to be a wealthy rancher. Her uncle plans to fleece Ice, and on the day she leaves to return to the city, she gives Ice a paper with a false address. Ice follows her to San Francisco and, unable to find her, he feels dejected and lonely and wanders into a Barbary Coast waterfront saloon. There he discovers Betty, who is horrified that he found her, and Ice denounces her. Ice gets into a fight with two toughs who are in the business of

shanghaiing Shanghaiing or crimping is the practice of kidnapping people to serve as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as ''crimps''. The related term ''press gang'' ...

sailors, and then returns to the mountains. Betty, to get away from the dive, leaves and goes to Saddle City. Here she meets Ice, who was intending to rob a bank. They resolve to change their ways, and Ice enters his horse in a free-for-all race. His pinto horse wins, and Ice collects the $1000 prize. About to leave with Betty, Ice is confronted by the sheriff who notes the distinctive horse. Ice knocks him down, grabs up Betty, and the two ride away, outdistancing a posse that follows.

Cast

as Ice Harding *

as Betty Werdin *

as 'Admiral' Bates *

as Moose Holleran * Fritz as King

Survival status

Prints of the film are in collections at 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 ...

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 ...

, and

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

, and the film has been released on DVD.Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Narrow Trail''
at silentera.com

References

External links

* *
Lantern slide
(Wayback Machine) {{DEFAULTSORT:Narrow Trail 1917 films 1917 Western (genre) films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by William S. Hart Films directed by Lambert Hillyer American black-and-white films Silent American Western (genre) films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films