KNIGHT OF THE TRAIL (1915) Starring: William S. Hart, Leona Hutton, Frank Borzage Directed by Hart Produced by Thomas Ince New York Motion Picture, Kay-Bee Pictures William Thomas Sherman, wts@gunjones.com, www.mn-hp.com
I'm 74 now and Mr. Hart's silent movies are still very entertaining to watch. I have always been very much into the Silents 30's 40's 50's 60's movies and music. Unlike the youngsters of today I can look back and see the talent of the bygone years. Black and white film has never been a detriment. It's interesting to me that many of us old timers can look back and appreciate the entertainment arts of the eras. The genius of Charlie Chaplain, William S. Hart, Buster Keaton, the Big Bands of the 40's, the Roaring 20's and the list goes on. It's history and film art. Actors of such talent as the steel eyes of William S. Hart will live forever in my heart. Thank you for this posting.
I'm a fan of western movies and TV westerns since the 1950s, watching and loving Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, The Rifleman, Lawman and so many others, and of course watching John Wayne, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, Charles Starrett., Henry Fonda, Alan Ladd, Ben Johnson, Jock Mahoney, Rory Calhoun, John Russell, Chuck Conners, Clint Walker, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, James Arness and many more. But I have to pay tribute to actors and western stars from the silent era as well, with people like William S. Hart and Tom Mix. God bless our western movie, television, and rodeo stars from a by-gone era.🐴
We went to his ranch in the mid-Sixties and a horse of Hart's was still alive at 43 years of age. He was very swaybacked and had a scuffy gray beard. Never forget that.
Amazing how Mr. Hart, originally a classically-trained stage actor, became a cowboy star of the first-rank, way back when silent movies still were so primitive technically but enthusiastic audiences never thought that or even cared. Movies were a mesmerizing & magical new medium of entertainment & almost every conceivable type of story, no matter how simplistic, happily was accepted by the public without question. Though not handsome in the traditional sense, Hart somehow conveyed & combined both realism & sincerity in his performances better than any other cinematic saddle tramp of the silent era, proving that looks aren't everything. He was the first cowboy star to insist on historical accuracy & authentic Old West settings, factors that audiences came to appreciate & expect in his films. Plot, ability to tell a story in gripping fashion, & believably low-key acting are what truly matter in film & these Hart possessed these characteristics in abundance. This is an enjoyable little flick, the first William S. Hart movie I've seen from start to finish. I'm stickin' with 'im!
I am reading a Lakeside Press book "My Life East and West" by William S. Hart. He learned to speak some Sioux growing up around Indians and rode all manner of horses and entered footraces too. Tough upbringing, his dad worked the flour mills from Minnesota to New York. Always believed in a fair deal, like in this movie giving the lady back her money.
What's the tune beginning at 2:40? Lots of music here is not Dark Eyes, which is the only music that is named. Stairway to the Stars, for instance starts ar 9:00.
