Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

OVERLOOKED FILM: RIDERS OF THE LAW (1922)

Jack Hoxie (1885-965), the silent film star of over a hundred westerns, plays Jack Meadows, who, with his comic sidekick Toby (Frank Rice) find a sheriff shot dead, the only clue being a broken horse shoe print.  Here, "in the high places near the Canadian border where mystery and romance are wont to dwell," the duo face a gang of whiskey smugglers and meet the sheriff's lovely daughter (Marin Sais, who was Howie's wife at the time).

Hoxie's fame faded with the advent of the talkies.  His rodeo and athletic skills served him well in the silents, but the fact that he was uneducated and had great difficulty reading scripts hampered his later career.  Marin Sais (1890-1971) was Hoxie's third wife, following bit actress Dixie Starr and trick rider Hazel Panky; Sais and Hoxie divorced after six years of marriage.  Notably, Sais played Calamity Jane in the 15-part Deadwood Dick movie serial mentioned on this blog yesterday.

Enjoy this silent western.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFIp94gmfkA

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