''A One Man Game'' is a 1927 American silent

Western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

directed by

Ernst Laemmle Ernst Laemmle (25 September 1900 – 1 May 1950) was a German-American screenwriter and film director. He was the nephew of Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle and like many of his relatives he was brought over to America to work for the stud ...

and written by

William Berke William A. Berke (October 3, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – February 15, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a three-dec ...

. The film stars

Fred Humes Fred Humes (June 15, 1896 – January 3, 1971) was an American actor best known for his work in Western films. Humes was born and educated in Pittsburgh. He appeared in the films ''Ride for Your Life'', ''The Ridin' Kid from Powder River'', ''T ...

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

Harry Todd Harry Todd (born John Nelson Todd;Kiehn, David (2003). Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company'. Berkeley, CA: Farwell Books. p. 291. . December 13, 1863 – February 15, 1935) was an American actor. Early life and career A native ...

Clarence Geldart Clarence Geldart (June 9, 1867 – May 13, 1935) was an American film actor. He appeared in 127 films between 1915 and 1936. He was sometimes credited as C.H. Geldart or Charles H. Geldart. He was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and died i ...

, Norbert A. Myles, and

Lotus Thompson Lotus Thompson (26 August 1904 – 19 May 1963California Death Index 1940–1997, Lotus Thompson, Los Angeles, 19 May 1963.) was an Australian actress of silent and sound films. Her film career began in Australia in 1921 and ended in California ...

. The film was released on January 30, 1927, by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine, Fred Hunter, the uncouth and unshaven owner of Black Butte Ranch and one of the directors of the local bank, makes a bitter enemy of Steve Balan when he casts the deciding vote against giving Balan a big loan on slim security. Balan threatens to do him harm. Hunter knocks him down and warns him to leave the county. After the fracas, Hunter is introduced to Mrs. DeLacey and her daughter Millicent, sister and niece of Jake Robbins, a neighboring rancher. Both are social upstarts and accomplished snobs. They turn a cool side to the ill kempt Hunter, earning the contempt of Roberta, Jake's daughter, who is called Bobby and is affectionately referred to as "Jake's only son." Just to see how much difference a few clothes will make, Hunter rigs himself out like a Broadway sheik and visits the Robbins ranch under the title, "the Duke of Black Butte." With a clean shave he is completely disguised. The women fall for the sham and Millicent plays a bold hand for the favor of the "duke." Hunter is so well pleased with his progress that he determines to win the young city woman or bust, much to the distress of Bobby, who is disgusted with his performance, but does not give him away. She discovers that she loves Hunter herself and decides to give Millicent some competition. When she dons some more traditional female clothing, it occurs to Hunter for the first time that Bobby is a woman, but he fails to take her seriously and makes a date with Milly to go riding at night. Vowing to save Hunter from the vixen, Bobby attacks her cousin and locks her in a closet while she puts on the riding togs that Milly has laid out for herself, and then goes galloping off with Hunter, who assumes that the young woman at his side is Milly. Hunter now realizes that Milly is not the girl for him. They stop at a spring where he tells his companion that he does not love her — that Bobby is the woman he is going to marry. Just then he is held up by the Balan gang, who have plotted to kidnap the duke and hold him for ransom. Balan is delighted when he finds that he has captured his old enemy. He places Hunter and Bobby in the charge of two of his men and then rides to the bank, where he forces the president to hand over a wallet full of bank notes. He lays the old man cold and then strides out, to be struck down by Hunter, who has escaped from Balan's men. After the rest of the bandits are rounded up, Hunter rushes Bobby to the office of the Justice of the Peace for the wedding.

Cast

as Fred Hunter *

as Roberta *

as Sam Baker *

as Jake Robbins * Norbert A. Myles as Stephen Laban *

as Millicent Delacey * William Malan as John Starke * Julia Griffith as Mrs. Delacey

Preservation

With no prints of ''A One Man Game'' located in any film archives,Library of Congress FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''A One Man Game''
/ref> it is 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. ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:One Man Game 1927 films 1927 Western (genre) films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Ernst Laemmle American black-and-white films Silent American Western (genre) films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films English-language Western (genre) films