''The Phantom City'' is a 1928 American silent

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Albert S. Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 – April 7, 1988) was an American film director who was born in Oklahoma City and died in Los Angeles. Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was known for an aggressive directing ...

and written by Adele Buffington and

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist topically-pointed radio program '' The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forw ...

. The film stars

Ken Maynard Kenneth Olin Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western (genre), Western stars in Hollywood. Maynard was also an occa ...

, Eugenia Gilbert,

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

Charles Hill Mailes Charles Hill Mailes (25 May 1870 – 17 February 1937) was a Canadian actor of the silent era. Biography Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1870, Mailes appeared in 290 films between 1909 and 1935. He married the actress Claire McDowel ...

, Jack McDonald and Blue Washington. The film was released on December 23, 1928, by

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

Plot

In a story set in the Wild West, an anonymous killer plots to steal a gold mine from its rightful owner. Tim Kelly (Maynard) and Joe Bridges (Mason) are summoned to Gold City, a long abandoned mining town, by a mysterious masked phantom. Tim learns he is to inherit a gold mine there which is still active, but he receives a dire warning from the killer telling him to leave town. It turns out the phantom who summoned them there was Tim's father, and Tim discovers the killer's identity is Joe Bridges, who was trying to get the mine for himself. As Bridges attempts to leave town with the gold, he accidentally rides off a cliff to his death.

Cast

as Tim Kelly * Eugenia Gilbert as Sally Ann Drew *

as Joe Bridges *

as Benedict * Jack McDonald as Simon * Blue Washington as 'Blue' *

Ben Corbett Ben Corbett (February 6, 1892 – May 19, 1961) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1915 and 1956. He was born in Hudson, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California. Corbett was a trophy-winning rodeo part ...

as Gang Member * Tarzan as Tarzan the horse

Production

Ken Maynard had earlier mixed the horror and western genres with his 1926 film '' The Haunted Ranch'', and its success led to ''The Phantom City''. ''Phantom City'' was regarded as one of Ken Maynard's best silent films, but in 1932 when the film was remade with sound as ''

Haunted Gold ''Haunted Gold'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Western film directed by Mack V. Wright and starring John Wayne. It is a remake of the 1928 film ''The Phantom City'', starring Ken Maynard and his horse Tarzan. Filmed in 1932, two years before the ...

'' (starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

), the silent version dropped out of circulation. Both versions featured African American actor Blue Washington doing his racially offensive "scared Negro" routine. The John Wayne remake utilized a lot of stock footage from the Ken Maynard version. Director Rogell later moved into directing television westerns such as ''Broken Arrow'' in the 1950s.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p.329. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom City 1928 films 1928 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1920s English-language films Films directed by Albert S. Rogell Films set in ghost towns First National Pictures films Silent American Western (genre) films 1920s American films English-language Western (genre) films