Genevieve Bert
- 1923
This low-budget Western starred Franklyn Farnum as the hero. Shorty Hamilton, usually the comic relief in Farnum's pictures, is completely miscast here as the villain. Although the Hero (that's how Farnum's character is billed) is supposed to be appointed sheriff of a border town, a wily Mexican, Onate (Hamilton), has forged some papers which make him sheriff instead. He proceeds to make life miserable for the Hero and forces him to kill a man in self-defense. The Hero escapes arrest and finds romance with Jackie (Genevieve Bert), a friendless girl who is thought to bring bad luck to those who associate with her. Onate's men capture our Hero, but Jackie goes to the governor and gets him a pardon. Meanwhile, Onate's Indian servant (Al Hart) turns traitor and takes the Hero's side. Onate gets the punishment due him, the Hero gets his appointment to sheriff, and Jackie's bad luck comes to an end. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1922
More a prairie whodunit than a straight western, this minor silent melodrama starred the veteran Franklyn Farnum as a rancher solving the mystery of the missing Jack Frayne (George Rheem). It seems that Frayne was shot, in self defence, by his twin brother (also Rheem), who then assumed his identity. Francis Ford, the older brother of John Ford directed this low-budget mess for producer William M. Smith. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franklin Farnum, Peggy O'Day, (more)
- 1922
John Ford's older brother Francis Ford directed this very minor, independently produced silent western starring Franklyn Farnum and made on location at Tulsa, Oklahoma. More suited to character roles (of which he would later do hundreds), Farnum benefitted from a case of mistaken identity. He was assumed to be related to brothers Dustin and William Farnum, major stars of the early silent screen, but although hailing from Boston like them, there was no connection. Farnum played a mining engineer in Gold Grabbers, hired to run a valuable mine formerly belonging to lovely Peggy O'Day's family. He naturally falls for the girl and decides to work out a peaceful settlement. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franklin Farnum, Shorty Hamilton, (more)
- 1922
Silent Western star Franklyn Farnum travels West to locate a missing girl in this comedy-oater directed by John Ford's older brother Francis. Attempting to return a lost purse to a girl, Farnum finds himself in the middle of a furious labor dispute among miners. Poor Farnum is soon falsely accused of theft, trapped by outlaws in a cave and spurned by the young woman (Genevieve Bert). This inexpensive Western was one in a series of six produced by screenwriter William M. Smith for release by poverty row company Merit in 1922-1923. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franklin Farnum, Genevieve Bert, (more)
- 1921
This minor silent Western was one in a series of oaters produced independently by the founder of the pioneering Selig Company, Colonel William N. Selig, and starring veteran screen cowboy Franklyn Farnum. Based on Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair's The Happy Family, the film featured Farnum as a ranch hand battling an evil sheep man (Bud Osborne). Osborne doesn't take the interference lying down, however, but kidnaps the interloper and takes him to a deserted cabin in the mountains. Although tied to a powder keg, Farnum manages to escape and bring the entire gang to justice. As a reward, he marries his pretty boss, Genevieve Bert. Comedy is provided by five-year-old Joseph Chatterton as the son of a ranch hand (Vester Pegg). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franklin Farnum, Genevieve Bert, (more)
- 1921
Film pioneer Colonel William N. Selig had watched his once-powerful organization, the Selig Polyscope Company, dissolve in 1918 because of his own aversion to multi-reel feature films. The colonel stayed in the business, however, and in the early 1920s produced a series of low-budget westerns starring Franklyn Farnum. The old Selig films were remembered for their fast-paced, no-nonsense style, and Selig had not lost his touch. In The Struggle, Farnum plays a war veteran defending a woman millworker in a fight with a notorious gang leader. Assuming he killed the brute, Farnum's Dick Storm flees out West, hiding out with a gang of outlaws. The gang plans to rob a ranch belonging to lovely Norma Day (Genevieve Bert), and Storm blows his cover to aid the defenseless woman. The gang, as it turns out, is led by the brute from back East, very much alive and ready for revenge. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
