''War on the Plains'', also called Across the Plains, is a 1912 American silent

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

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

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

and starring Francis Ford,

Ethel Grandin Ethel Grandin (March 3, 1894 – September 28, 1988) was an American silent film actress. Grandin was born in New York City. She was married to Ray C. Smallwood from 1912 until his death on February 23, 1964; they had a son named Arthur Small ...

and

Ray Myers Ray Myers (June 21, 1889 – November 4, 1956) was an American film actor and director of the silent film era. He appeared in 43 films between 1912 and 1924. He also directed five films between 1910 and 1915, including ''The Siege and Fall o ...

. It was produced by

Bison Motion Pictures Bison Film Company, also known as 101 Bison Film Company, is an American film studio established in 1909 and disestablished in 1917. It partnered with Miller Brothers 101 Ranch to lease 20,000 acres to build a Western town set and an Indian villa ...

, a subsidiary of the

New York Motion Picture Company The New York Motion Picture Company was a film production and distribution company from 1909 until 1914. It changed names to New York Picture Corporation in 1912. It released films through several different brand names, including 101 Bison, Kay- ...

. The film was made at

Inceville Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mot ...

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez (; Spanish for "St. Agnes") is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley. It features the Santa Ynez Airport ...

. This short is referred to as ''Across the Plains'' in Daniel Blum's ''Pictorial History of Silent Films''.''Pictorial History of Silent Films'', p.21 c.1953 by Daniel Blum Several other films with this title were released before and after this short was initially distributed.

Cast

* Francis Ford as Drake, a Treacherous Prospector *

as Ethel, the Wagon Captain's Daughter *

as A Young Emigrant * Howard Davies as A Prospector *

William Eagle Shirt William "Good Lance" Eagle Shirt was a Native American actor, performer, and screenwriter who was born and raised on the Great Plains of South Dakota. He appeared in a string of Hollywood films in the 1910s and is credited with co-writing two of ...

as Indian *

J. Barney Sherry J. Barney Sherry (March 4, 1874February 22, 1944) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 210 films between 1905 and 1929. He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from card ...

as Frontiersman *

Art Acord Arthemus Ward "Art" Acord (April 17, 1890 – January 4, 1931) was an American silent film actor and rodeo champion. After his film career ended in 1929, Acord worked in rodeo road shows and as a miner in Mexico. Early life and career Acord ...

as Frontiersman * Clayton Monroe Teters as Indian (''unbilled'')

Preservation status

This film is preserved in the UCLA Film & TV archive.

References

External links

* 1912 films 1912 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films American silent short films Films directed by Thomas H. Ince Silent American Western (genre) films 1910s American films {{silent-film-stub