''Thieves' Gold'' is a 1918 American Western film directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

and featuring Harry Carey. It is considered to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

Plot

Cheyenne Harry tries to help his outlaw friend Padden evade arrest after Padden has drunkenly shot another man. In the end, the two mismatched friends fight it out, leaving Padden dead. In a romantic subplot, Harry's fiancée Alice leaves him, but finally returns.

Cast

* Harry Carey as Harry "Cheyenne Harry" Henderson * Molly Malone as Alice Norris * John Cook as Uncle Larkin * Martha Mattox as Mrs. Larkin * Vester Pegg as Curt Simmons / "Padden" * Harry Tenbrook as Colonel Betoski * Helen Ware as Mrs. Savage * L. M. Wells as Savage * Millard K. Wilson as Undetermined Role

Production

''Thieves' Gold'' was released as a Universal Special Feature in 1918. It was a 50-minute

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

on five reels, part of the "Cheyenne Harry" series of film featurettes. The original story, "Back to the Right Train" by Frederick R. Bechdolt, was adapted for the screen by scenarist George Hively. This installment of "Cheyenne Harry" won notably negative reviews by critics at the time of its release.

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''Thieves' Gold'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Reel 2, six scenes of women at bar and women drinking, flashed two scenes of tough dancing by Cheyenne Harry and young woman, Harry shooting a Mexican, Reel 4, four holdup scenes, Reel 5, shooting of Padden, two scenes of Harry shooting.

References

External links