''The Half-Breed'' is a 1916 film directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, wa ...

. It stars

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

as Lo ("Sleeping Water") Dorman a man competing for the love of the local preacher's daughter ( Jewel Carmen) with the local sheriff (

Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the uncle of cinematographer Robert De Grasse. Biography Samuel Alfred De Grasse was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick to Lange De Grasse (1828–1891) ...

). The audience, however, are informed that Sheriff Dunn is actually Lo's father. Monica Nolan has suggested that the film follows the "common strategy of exposing racism and then evading a real confrontation with its consequences" by arranging for Lo to meet a more worthy (and politically acceptable) love interest, Teresa (

Alma Rubens Alma Rubens (born Alma Genevieve Reubens; February 19, 1897 – January 21, 1931) was an American film actress and stage performer. Rubens began her career in the mid 1910s. She quickly rose to stardom in 1916 after appearing opposite Douglas F ...

), "who, as both a Mexican and an outlaw, is his social equal." The film was shot at in

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief ...

and near

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

. Prints and/or fragments were found in the

Dawson Film Find The Dawson Film Find (DFF) was the accidental discovery in 1978 of 372 film titles preserved in 533 reels of silent-era nitrate films in the Klondike Gold Rush town of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. The reels had been buried under an abandoned hock ...

in 1978.

Cast

as Lo Dorman *

as Teresa *

as Sheriff Dunn * Tom Wilson as Dick Curson *

Frank Brownlee Frank Brownlee (October 11, 1874 – February 10, 1948) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1911 and 1943. He was born in Dallas, Texas and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * ''Sold ...

as Winslow Wynn * Jewel Carmen as Nellie *

George Beranger George Beranger (27 March 1893 – 8 March 1973), also known as André Beranger, was an Australian silent film actor and director in Hollywood.Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central ...

as Jack Brace

References

External links

The Half-Breed at IMDb.com
*
Full restored film
1916 films 1916 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Allan Dwan Films shot in California 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub