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A Major Disappointment

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Gold, on the other hand, I still think is the better movie. Although the heroine, Alice Day, is less attractive, Gold features a fine performance by Lafe McKee as Day's dad (a somewhat unsympathetic role) and a brilliant impersonation of the villain by Hooper Atchley. The sequence in which Hoxie ties Atchley to the wagon is one of the most unforgettable moments in western cinema. I was in the middle of writing a comparison of this movie with "Gun Law" (1933) when a visit from Mr. "Let's Cross This One Off Your List Now" forced me to click the sign-off button. I can't understand why the authorities who stamp down on you like an elephant stampede if you miss a payment, still haven't cornered this guy. Fortunately, what I wrote about "Gun Law" should be now available here at IMDb, so you can now look it up for yourselves.

Jack Hoxie had quite a career as a movie cowboy in the silents, but he had been off the screen for three years when he made GOLD. He's partners in a gold claim with whiny drunkard Lafe McKee, who sells out to Hooper Atchley (boo! Hiss!) and promptly gets shot, and his corpse robbed. Naturally, his daughter, Alice Day, thinks Jack has done it, so it's up to Dynamite the Wonder Horse to prove Jack's innocence, so he can get on to his next movie. A horse has to think of his future.It's a thoroughly mediocre effort, despite the efforts of director Otto Brower to get a few interesting camera angles in. Hoxie looks every inch the cowboy star, but he can't act in the talkies for beans, and after his contract with Larry Darmour ran out the following year, he went touring in a live show and then retired to a ranch. Miss Day gave up the movies entirely. Brower would keep working and gain a reputation as a western director with some style, but never quite hit the big time.

To appreciate this film you must go back to the past, when there was no TV and you would go to an enormous movie theater. To see a routine western would be fun but this one has something more. First the horse Dynamite which is tamed by the cowboy Jack Tarrant (Jack Hoxie), which buys it from his boss. Through the edition of the film they make Dynamite perform quite a number of funny tricks, the best one when he throws what looks like a Ford Model T down a slope. Then there is the character of Jeff Sellers (Lafe McKee). At the beginning one assumes that he is the typical Gabby Hayes old nice guy, but he shows himself quite mean and treacherous, even though he is the father of Marion, the leading lady (Alice Day). Probably to keep costs down, many important scenes take place during the night and you can barely see what is going on. Interesting western, mostly for its historical value.

Jack Hoxie was one of the biggest silent western stars. He was born and grew up in the west, working as a real cowboy, before becoming a rodeo champion and wild west show performer. He had the physical skills needed to impress in the action sequences and enough pantomime talent to get by in silent movies, but sound exposed his limitations. Hoxie had a good speaking voice but was untrained as an actor, and could not read, which made learning lines all but impossible. Still, off the evidence of this film, he had much to offer.I bought the DVD of GOLD to see Hoxie and I understand why he was a star in his day. A big, bluff man, moon-faced but handsome, he reminded me of a slimmer, handsome version of Babe Ruth. He had an engaging smile and manner. He was 47 when he made this movie, but could have passed in the black and white photography for 20 years younger. He seems a good match for the youthful heroine. His riding skills were still impressive in some well-photographed scenes.GOLD is a low budget B western, made by the small Majestic Pictures, but they managed to back Hoxie with a professional cast. Alice Day is attractive as the somewhat trigger-happy heroine who takes three separate shots at the innocent Hoxie after she jumps to the conclusion that he shot her father. Lafe McKee enacts his usual old codger, father role, but with more depth than usual, including an excellent drunk scene. Old pro Tom London is on hand as the sheriff. Hooper Atchley is the urbane boss of the bad guys, with Matthew Betz, Robert Kortman, and Jack Byron his henchmen. Jack Clifford is Hoxie's pal, fishing for laughs with a now politically incorrect stutter. The plot has the bad guy claim-jumpers murdering McKee and framing Hoxie, but there is an ironic twist at the end for the evil Atchley. All ends well for a final fadeout with Hoxie and Day together and his horse apparently confused.All in all, nothing exceptional, but for film buffs who might want to see a Hoxie movie, this is a good choice.