The Way of the West

Beleaguered Montana sheepman Dad Parker, in dire need of a two fisted foreman, hires rugged Wally Gordon after the cowpoke rescues Parker's daughter "Fiery" from runaway horses. "Cash" Horton is determined to drive the Parkers off their land by whatever means necessary. Framed for murder, Wally is tossed into jail and rendered powerless to prevent Horton from terrorizing his friends.

A textbook example of shoestring filmmaking during the early Depression years, The Way of the West was brought in for less than five thousand dollars - a trifling amount even by the modest standards of Poverty Row producers. But this quaint little antique is not without charm: in execution it's not much better than a home movie and could almost be a pet project of enthusiastic hobbyists. Devotees of Hollywood history will be delighted to see so many silent-era veterans in the cast, among them Wales, Desmond, Art Mix, Bill Patton, and Helen Gibson. - Ed Hulse

• western