''The White Desert'' is a 1925 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Reginald Barker Reginald C. Barker (April 2, 1886 – February 23, 1945) was a pioneer film director. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Barker's family moved to Scotland when he was an infant and then to the United States. Living in California, ...

. The film stars

Claire Windsor Claire Windsor (born Clara Viola Cronk; April 14, 1892 – October 24, 1972) was an American film actress of the silent screen era. Early life Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk (nicknamed "Ola") in 1892 in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas to ...

and Pat O'Malley, with

Robert Frazer Robert Frazer (born Robert William Browne, June 29, 1891August 17, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in some 224 shorts and films from the 1910s until his death. He began in films with the Eclair company which released through Universal ...

Frank Currier Frank Currier (September 4, 1857 – April 22, 1928) was an American film and stage actor and director of the silent era. Career Similar to Theodore Roberts, Kate Lester, Ida Waterman, and William H. Crane, Currier had a long and successfu ...

, and

Sōjin Kamiyama Sōjin Kamiyama or just Sōjin (; 30 January 1884 – 28 July 1954) was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1917 and 1954. He was the subject of a 1995 TV documentary by the Japanese film director Nobuhiro Suwa. ...

. It is written by

Monte M. Katterjohn Monte M. Katterjohn (October 20, 1891 – September 8, 1949) was an American screenwriter. He wrote the screenplays for 68 films between 1912 and 1931. He was born in Boonville, Indiana, and died in Evansville, Indiana. Selected filmography ...

and

Gordon Rigby Gordon Rigby (August 7, 1897 – July 11, 1975) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 40 films between 1921 and 1948. He was born and died in Los Angeles. Partial filmography * '' What Love Will Do'' (1921) * '' Hearts Afla ...

and adopted from Denver author

Courtney Ryley Cooper Courtney Ryley Cooper (October 31, 1886 – September 29, 1940) was an American circus performer, publicist and writer. During his career he published over 30 books, many focusing on crime; J. Edgar Hoover considered him at one time "the be ...

's novel ''The White Desert'' (1922). This

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

was produced to keep the Loew circuit and other cinemas supplied. The title refers to the snow covered Colorado landscape during winter.

Plot

As described in a film magazine and newspaper reviews, Barry, the engineer for a construction company, criticizes the foreman for the method he is pursuing for tunneling for railroad construction. The snow ledges have been weakened by the constant dynamiting. With the next explosion of dynamite, an avalanche results which destroys the ledges and nearly wipes out the camp. The surviving workers are isolated, desperate and shattered by the disaster, and unable to obtain food. Foster and his wife have no milk for their child. With hard work, Barry strikes out and works his way out and is able to reach a telephone line, which he taps and calls for help. A relief train with snow plows makes its way through the snow pile and arrives with food and assistance. The camp is saved and Barry wins the affection of Robinette, the daughter of the railroad president.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on

Rollins Pass Rollins Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass and active archaeological siteLaBelle, Jason M. & Pelton, Spencer R. "Communal hunting along the Continental Divide of Northern Colorado: Results from the Olson game drive (5BL147)", 2013 in the South ...

, Colorado, at the Corona townsite, during construction of the

Moffat Tunnel The Moffat Tunnel is a railroad and water tunnel that cuts through the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado. Named after Colorado railroad pioneer David Moffat, the tunnel's first official railroad traffic passed through in February 192 ...

, which commenced in 1923 and was completed in 1928. Corona was a town dedicated to keeping the rail line open during the harsh winter, and was partially underground in a trench along the tracks, and under a snow shed. Claire Windsor was invited to Denver for a celebration and parade on February 26, 1928, for the opening of the Moffat Tunnel.

Preservation

A print of ''The White Desert'' was donated by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

to the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

.The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The White Desert''
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References

External links

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at the Claire Windsor website 1925 films American silent feature films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1925 drama films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films Films directed by Reginald Barker 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub