Ridin' Kid from Powder River (1924)

Pulp writer Henry Herbert Knibb wrote the original story of this silent Hoot Gibson western, which enjoyed an above-average cast that included statuesque comedienne Gertrude Astor as a saloon belle, a devilish-looking Tully Marshall as a notorious outlaw named "The Spider," as well as future western series stars Fred Humes and Newton House. The last mentioned, a freckle-faced kid actor whose riding skills were highly admired at the time, played the hero as a child. Leading lady Gladys Hulette, a pioneering actress who had risen to fame as Princess Nicotine back in 1909, was suffering a career setback at the time despite having been Richard Barthelmess' leading lady in Tol'able David (1921). All that star power notwithstanding, Ridin' Kid from Powder River emerged as an average Gibson outing in which the cowboy star tracks down the villain who murdered his father. An enduring cliche, the story was remade by Gibson in 1930 as The Mounted Stranger. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi