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Western Blood
(1018) United States of America
B&W : Five reels
Directed by Lynn Reynolds
Cast: Tom Mix [?] [Tex Wilson or Tex Taylor]?, Victoria Forde [Roberta Stephens], Barney Furey [Wallace Payton], Frank Clark [Colonel Stephens], Pat Chrisman [Juan], Buck Gebhart (Buck Jones) [a cowboy]
Fox Film Corporation production; distributed by Fox Film Corporation [Fox Special Features]. / Scenario by Lynn Reynolds, [?] from a screen story by Tom Mix? Presented by William Fox. / © 14 April 1918 by William Fox [LP12304]. Released 14 April 1918. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama: Western.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Tex Taylor has met the heroine on one of his visits to Los Angeles. He is owner of one of the biggest ranches in Texas and she is a daughter of a Colonel buying horses for the Government. He is invited to a dance by the Colonel and comes in his old clothes, as he is traveling light, yet has given his promise to appear. The foil to the hero is another horse buyer, agent for the Allies, who loves the girl. The bandit messenger mistakes him for Tex and entices him out of the ranch while the punchers are doing the honors to the Colonel and his daughter. The girl follows this man out and is captured by the Mexicans, for Phul. This gives Tex a chance to ride over the Rio Grande to rescue her by his own right arm and skill. The cowboys, after being fooled for a minute, beat off the raiders and then the girl and the hero come riding back on the same noble steed.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 4 May 1918, page ?] There will be a large clientele that will like the new Fox five-reel melodrama, “Western Blood.” Tom Mix is the hero of it and Victoria Ford gracefully fills the second part in the love story. Besides this, it plays up humorous situations in a way that will be liked by many. It is undoubtedly a little too long, though it works steadily toward an exciting and interesting wild west climax with dashing horses and smoky shooting. One unusual situation is that of the cowboys all in fifteen-dollar evening suits at a party just before the ranch is raided by Mexican bandits at the instigation of Phul, the German agent. The direction by Lynn Reynolds of these out-of-door scenes is much abler than his work in the society scenes in the early part of the picture. It is not an absolutely sure picture for the highbrows or particular audiences, as it is not critic proof. The players “play up to their parts” in the accepted way in many places and the scenes with running horses are really fine. The lesser characters are likable. The photography is good.
Survival status: The film is presumed lost.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 6 November 2023.
References: Website-AFI; Website-ASFFDb; Website-IMDb.
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