Silent Westerns: The Ruse (1915) / The Great Train Robbery (1903) / Arizona Wooing (1915) / Out West (1921)

The Ruse (1915, B&W): After he abandons gunfighting for prospecting, Bat Peters believes his hard work has finally paid off when Chicago businessman John Folsom expresses an interest in his mine. Bat's trip to the Windy City takes a nasty turn when his supposedly generous patron is revealed as a swindler. But when the big-city crooks kidnap Bat's sweetheart, pretty stenographer May Dawson, the retired gunman straps on his six-guns determined to bring western justice to town. The Ruse, filmed in 1915 by legendary producer Thomas H. Ince, shows cowboy star William S. Hart at his rugged best and breaks with genre conventions by setting the bulk of its action in a contemporary urban setting.

The Great Train Robbery (1903, B&W): Produced by Thomas Edison.

An Arizona Wooing (1915, B&W): Starring Tom Mix.

Out West (1926, B&W): Starring Jimmy Adams.

• western