The Canyon of Missing Men (Silent) (DVD)

For over five years Slug Sagel's rustlers have terrorized the county, disappearing after each raid into "The Canyon Of Missing Men," while the sheriff is completely baffled in his attempt to discover the secret entrance. Returning home on a train with cash from rustled cattle, outlaw Dave Brandon meets his beautiful neighbor, Inez Sepulveda, and the two fall in love. In an attempt to prove that he's gone straight, Dave turns himself in, but when he refuses to divulge the secret entrance to the canyon, he is locked up by sheriff. Sagel's gunmen kidnap Inez and blackmail her wealthy father. When Dave discovers that Inez is captive, he busts out of jail with loaded guns and rides off to take on his former gang.

After driving a chariot in the silent version of Ben-Hur, Tom Tyler began appearing in western features and serials. The former weightlifting champion (said to have hoisted an astonishing 760 lbs.) possessed a natural athletic strength and grace that made him a fan favorite. In 1940, he terrified audiences as the monster Kharis, in The Mummy's Hand. A year later he reached the zenith of his popularity in the title role in The Adventures of Captain Marvel. In addition to his starring roles in "B" movies, he appeared in major studio film productions including Stagecoach, Drums Along The Mohawk, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Westerner and Red River.

BONUS: Rare fragment of the Mexican western El Contrabandista Moderno (The Modern Bandit).

• western