The_Chechahcos_(1924)_glass_advertising_slide

''The Chechahcos'' is a 1924 American silent

adventure drama film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, anim ...

about the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Ze ...

days in the Klondike. ''Chechahco'', more commonly spelled ''cheechako'', is a Chinook Jargon word for "newcomer", and the film focuses on a group of would-be

prospectors Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking. Traditionally prospecting reli ...

sailing for

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. The film was directed by Lewis H. Moomaw and produced by

Austin E. Lathrop Austin Eugene "Cap" Lathrop (October 5, 1865July 26, 1950) was an American politician, industrialist, and outspoken opponent of Alaskan statehood. He has been called "Alaska's first home-grown millionaire." Early life "Cap" Lathrop was born in 186 ...

, who himself was once a prospector. The film was distributed by

Associated Exhibitors Associated Exhibitors was an American film distribution company active during the silent era. The company did not produce its own pictures but released productions by independent producers, handling a mixture of low-budget and more prestigious fi ...

.Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Chechahcos''
at silentera.com

Plot

A ship headed towards the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s catches on fire and all onboard must abandon ship. Passenger Margaret Stanlaw (Eva Gordon) loses her young daughter Ruth (Baby Margie) in the ensuing panic, and is informed by shady gambler Richard Steele (Alexis B. Luce) that she did not survive. In actuality, Ruth is saved by prospective prospectors “Horseshoe” Riley and Bob Dexter (William Dills and Albert Van Altwerp). This new makeshift family arrives in Anchorage and almost immediately strikes gold. 15 years later Ruth is now a young adult (Gladys Johnson), who is having an inexplicable attraction to Dexter, the man who helped raise her and is essentially her father. When Margaret and Richard come into town to run the local saloon, secrets will be revealed, pasts will be confronted, and the Alaskan terrain will be filmed for the first time.

Cast

* William Dills as 'Horseshoe' Riley * Albert Van Antwerp as Engineer Bob Dexter * Eva Gordon as Mrs. Margaret Stanlaw (credited as Miss Eva Gordon) * Baby Margie as Baby Ruth Stanlaw * Alexis B. Luce as Gambler Richard Steele * Gladys Johnson as Ruth Stanlaw (credited as Gladys Johnston) * Guerney Hays as Pierre - Steele's Henchman (uncredited) * H. Mills as Engineer (uncredited) * Howard Webster as Professor Stanlaw (uncredited)

Preservation

A print of the film was maintained in the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for clas ...

film archive. In 2003, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States

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 ...

and selected for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

References

External links

* *
"The Chechahcos" essay
by Chris Beheim on the National Film Registry website.

by Daniel Eagan in ''America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry'', A&C Black, pages 91–92, 2010
National Film Preservation Foundation
(with film clip)
''The Chechahcos'' with stills
at alaskarails.org *Debra McKinney (May 1, 2015),

" at anchoragepress.com (requires subscription) 1924 films Klondike Gold Rush United States National Film Registry films American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1924 adventure films Films shot in Alaska 1920s American films Silent adventure films {{silent-adventure-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Preservation

See also

References

External links