''The Wilderness Trail'' is 1919 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
Edward J. Le Saint and starring
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...
and
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...
. It was one of the first of two films that featured Mix and Moore. ''The Wilderness Trail'' is based on the 1913 Western novel of the same name by
Francis William Sullivan and was adapted for the screen by
Charles Kenyon
Charles Kenyon (November 2, 1880 – June 27, 1961) was an American screenwriter, who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for more than 110 films between 1915 and 1946. He was married to actress Jane Winton from 1927 to 1930. Kenyon was born i ...
.
No prints of ''The Wilderness Trail'' are known to exist and the film is now presumed
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 ...
.
Plot
Set in the
Northwoods of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, Tom Mix stars as Donald MacTavish, the newly appointed head commissioner of the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
. This promotion infuriates MacTavish's rival Angus Fitzpatrick (
Frank Clark) who wanted the job. Angus Fitzpatrick takes his anger and resentment out on MacTavish then sets out to get MacTavish fired. Fitzpatrick accuses MacTavish of stealing furs that were actually stolen by a group of thieving traders led by Sergius (
Sid Jordan
Sid Jordan (August 12, 1889 – September 30, 1970) was an American film actor.
Biography
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1889, Jordan was introduced to acting through his close friend Tom Mix, when both men were serving as the "Night Marsh ...
). To complicate matters, both MacTavish and Sergius are in love with Fitzpatrick's young daughter Jeanne (Moore). After Sergius kidnaps Jeanne, Angus Fitzpatrick attempts to rescue his daughter but is injured by the thieving traders. MacTavish rescues Jeanne and the two return home to Angus Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick forgives MacTavish and the two work together to catch the group of thieving traders who kidnapped Jeanne.
Cast
*
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...
as Donald MacTavish
*
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...
as Jeanne Fitzpatrick
*
Frank Clark as Angus Fitzpatrick
*
Lule Warrenton
Lule Warrenton (June 22, 1862 – May 14, 1932) was an American actress, director, and producer during the silent film era. She appeared in more than 80 films between 1913 and 1922. She was born in Flint, Michigan and died in Laguna Beach, C ...
as Old Mary
*
Sid Jordan
Sid Jordan (August 12, 1889 – September 30, 1970) was an American film actor.
Biography
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1889, Jordan was introduced to acting through his close friend Tom Mix, when both men were serving as the "Night Marsh ...
as Sergius
*
Pat Chrisman as Indian
*
Jack Nelson as Half-Breed
Production notes
''The Wilderness Trail'' was shot in and around
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...
from February 3 to February 24, 1919. Interior shots were filmed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
[Codori 2012 pp. 47-49.]
See also
*
Tom Mix filmography
Tom Mix (1880–1940) was an American motion picture actor, director, and writer whose career spanned from 1910 to 1935. During this time he appeared in 270 films and established himself as the screen's most popular cowboy star. Mix's flair ...
References
External links
*
*
* Sullivan, Francis William (1913).
The Wilderness Trail'. New York: W. J. Watt & Company, on the Internet Archive.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilderness Trail
1919 films
1919 Western (genre) films
Fox Film films
American black-and-white films
Films based on American novels
Films based on Western (genre) novels
Films set in Canada
Films shot in Arizona
Films shot in California
Lost American Western (genre) films
1919 lost films
Silent American Western (genre) films
Films directed by Edward LeSaint
1910s American films