''The Timber Queen'' is a 1922 American

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

silent

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

directed by

Fred Jackman Fred Wood Jackman Sr. (July 9, 1881 – August 27, 1959), was an American cinematographer and film director of the silent film, silent era. He worked on 58 films as a cinematographer between 1916 and 1925. He also directed eleven films betw ...

. The film serial stars

Ruth Roland Ruth Roland (August 26, 1892 – September 22, 1937) was an American stage and film actress and film producer. Early life and career Roland was born in San Francisco, California to Elizabeth Lillian Hauser and Jack Roland. Her father managed a t ...

and Bruce Gordon. Produced by

Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the ...

, the serial was advertised as "The beautiful scenery! The forest, the train, everything just looks so 'outdoors'! Great cinematography." Next to

Pearl White Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at the age of six, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serials. Dubbed the "Queen of ...

, another of Pathe studio's prominent serial queens, Ruth Roland appears in Western serials like ''

Ruth of the Rockies ''Ruth of the Rockies'' is a 1920 American silent Western film serial directed by George Marshall. Two of the 15 episodes survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Plot As described in a film magazine, in New York City breezy Bab Murphy ...

'' (1920) and '' White Eagle'' (1922).

Plot

After the death of her father, Ruth Reading (

) inherits ownership of a large acreage of forest. Don Mackay ( Bruce Gordon) is a neighboring farmer who is in love with Ruth, but is too bashful to tell her. Ruth's cousin, James Cluxton (

Val Paul Val Paul (April 10, 1886 – March 23, 1962) was an American actor and director of the silent era. He appeared in 99 films between 1913 and 1922. He also directed 10 films between 1920 and 1932. He was born in Denver, Colorado and died in ...

) receives a letter informing him that if Ruth does not marry by the time of her 21st birthday, then the ownership of the forest will be his. He remembers that in three months, Ruth will turn 21. Cluxton's confidant, "Bull" Joyce (

Leo Willis Leo Willis (5 January 1890 – 10 April 1952) was an American actor who began his career in the silent era. He played mainly tough guys and comic villains, notably opposite Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy at the Hal Roach Stud ...

) tells him that Ruth is spending a lot of time with Don Mackay. Joyce is sure if the relationship was to continue, Cluxton can say goodbye to inheriting the forest. Vance (

Frank Lackteen Frank Lackteen (born Mohammed Hassan Lackteen August 29, 1897 – July 8, 1968) was an American film actor best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1965, including several Three Stooges shorts. ...

), another lumberjack overhears the conversation. He rides off to warn Don. Back at the sawmill, Vance watches Cluxton and Joyce who are already scheming to get control of the timber lands. The pair see Ruth seated atop a box car precipitating the idea to do away with her. Cluxton "accidentally" throws a piece of lumber onto a rail track which releases the box car into an uncontrollable descent, rushing down the hillside with Ruth helplessly on top of it. Don comes to her rescue, riding on his horse and reaching out to Ruth. He saves her in the nick of time, swinging from a rope attached to a tree and grabbing her as the boxcar dives off the track and into a creek. Thanking him for saving her life, Ruth and Don talk of their future together, oblivious they are standing in the path of an oncoming train. The train stops; they laugh and jump onto the front of it... They talk about: "... from out of the abyss and into a bright future". Cluxton and his men continue to find ways to threaten Ruth and Don. He even fakes his own death from drowning and makes sure that Bull Joyce will implicate Don.

Chapter titles

The serial consisted of 15 two reel episodes: #The Log Jam #The Flaming Forest #Guilty as Charged #Go Get Your Man #The Yukon Trail #The Hidden Pearl #Mutiny! #The Smugglers Cave #Horned Fury #Human Vultures #The Runaway Engine #The Abyss #The Stolen Wedding #One Day to Go #The Silver Lining

Cast

as Ruth Reading * Bruce Gordon as Don Mackay *

as James Cluxton *

as Bull Joyce *

as Vance *

Bull Montana Lewis Montagna (born Luigi Montagna; May 16, 1887 – January 24, 1950), better known as Bull Montana, was an Italian-American professional wrestler, boxer and actor. Biography Born in Voghera, Italy, into a poor country family — and at a tim ...

Al Ferguson Al Ferguson (19 April 1888 – 4 December 1971) was an Irish-born American film actor. Born in County Wexford, Ireland, he appeared in nearly 300 films between 1912 and 1956. Billed as Smoke Ferguson, by 1912 he was making Westerns for Selig ...

* Al Freez (credited as Otto Freez) * Chris Lynton (credited as Chris Linton)

Production

Filming of ''The Timber Queen'' took place in and around

Truckee, California Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highe ...

from October 3, 1921 – February 27, 1922. A

Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...

"Jenny" was featured in the film.Farmer 1984, p. 332.

Reception

Aviation film historian James H. Farmer in ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1984), described ''The Timber Queen'' as: "In one of Ruth Roland's finest stunt-suspense series, she vies with a timber trust for control of rich Sierra timberland. Aerial stunting featured in some chapters." A modern appraisal of the serial "Short and sweet, a bit too short in fact! Great outdoors photography, exciting mounted camera footage and a happy ending. I liked it."~ Lord Heath."Review: Chapter Twelve: The Abyss."
''lordheath.com'', 2019. Retrieved: July 30, 2019.

Preservation status

''The Timber Queen'' is considered to be

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 ...

, although the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

has episodes one, four, eight and nine, as does a private collection."Progressive silent film list: 'The Timber Queen'."
''Silent Era'', 2019. Retrieved: July 30, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Timber Queen, The 1922 films 1920s action films American aviation films American silent serial films American black-and-white films Lost American films Films directed by Fred Jackman American action films Films set in forests Films about lumberjacks Films set on trains 1920s American films Silent action films 1920s English-language films