"The Virginian" was a follow up of sorts by Director Cecil B. De Mille to his "The Squaw Man" released earlier in 1914. It has largely the same cast, a practice that De Mille would follow the rest of his career.
The Virginian (Dustin Farnum) is a fun loving cowboy who takes his work seriously. He and Steve (Jack W. Johnston) are good buddies but Steve is a mite wilder in his ways. School teacher Molly Wood (Winnifred Kingston) accepts a post in Wyoming and arrives in town after The Virginian has rescued her from a drunken stagecoach driver. A party is held in honor.
At the party The Virginain and Lin McLean (Hosea Steelman) play a prank on the party goers by switching their young children. The parents become angry when they discover the ruse and Molly scolds The Virginian as they become attracted to each other.
Steve meanwhile, has joined the gang of Trampas (Billy Elmer) a hell raisin' cattle rustler. After some cattle are stolen, the towns people ask The Virginian to head up the posse. The Virginian knowing that his friend Steve is among the rustlers, reluctantly agrees.
The posse corners the gang but Trampas and Shorty (Tex Driscoll) manage to escape. Trampas and another bandit are captured. The Virginian is forced to administer some frontier justice and Steve and the bandit are lynched. The Virginian pursues Trampas and Shorty who have only one horse so Trampas takes care of Shorty and escapes as The Virginian is closing in on him.
Trampas incites the local Indian tribe to attack the Virginian, He is wounded but manages to escape. Molly finds him just as she is about to go back east, and nurses him back to health, cementing their relationship in the process.
Later, The Virginian learns that Trampas is in town. He confronts the outlaw who calls him a nasty name. In the story's trademark line (often attributed to Gary Cooper in the remake) The Virginian replies: "When you call me that...smile!" Trampas gives The Virginian until sundown to get out of town and.................................
As I was with "The Squaw Man", I was amazes at how good these early westerns really were. "The Virginian" has all of the elements of the later remakes and has what I believe to be the first ever street shootout, a staple in many later westerns.
Dustin Farnum looks at home in the saddle and makes a creditable hero even though he didn't fit the later mold of the western hero. Winnifred Kingston makes an appealing heroine and Billy Elmer an excellent rotten good for nothing villain.
Followed by two sequels in 1929 a sound version with Gary Cooper and again in 1946 in color with Joel McCrea.
The Virginian (Dustin Farnum) is a fun loving cowboy who takes his work seriously. He and Steve (Jack W. Johnston) are good buddies but Steve is a mite wilder in his ways. School teacher Molly Wood (Winnifred Kingston) accepts a post in Wyoming and arrives in town after The Virginian has rescued her from a drunken stagecoach driver. A party is held in honor.
At the party The Virginain and Lin McLean (Hosea Steelman) play a prank on the party goers by switching their young children. The parents become angry when they discover the ruse and Molly scolds The Virginian as they become attracted to each other.
Steve meanwhile, has joined the gang of Trampas (Billy Elmer) a hell raisin' cattle rustler. After some cattle are stolen, the towns people ask The Virginian to head up the posse. The Virginian knowing that his friend Steve is among the rustlers, reluctantly agrees.
The posse corners the gang but Trampas and Shorty (Tex Driscoll) manage to escape. Trampas and another bandit are captured. The Virginian is forced to administer some frontier justice and Steve and the bandit are lynched. The Virginian pursues Trampas and Shorty who have only one horse so Trampas takes care of Shorty and escapes as The Virginian is closing in on him.
Trampas incites the local Indian tribe to attack the Virginian, He is wounded but manages to escape. Molly finds him just as she is about to go back east, and nurses him back to health, cementing their relationship in the process.
Later, The Virginian learns that Trampas is in town. He confronts the outlaw who calls him a nasty name. In the story's trademark line (often attributed to Gary Cooper in the remake) The Virginian replies: "When you call me that...smile!" Trampas gives The Virginian until sundown to get out of town and.................................
As I was with "The Squaw Man", I was amazes at how good these early westerns really were. "The Virginian" has all of the elements of the later remakes and has what I believe to be the first ever street shootout, a staple in many later westerns.
Dustin Farnum looks at home in the saddle and makes a creditable hero even though he didn't fit the later mold of the western hero. Winnifred Kingston makes an appealing heroine and Billy Elmer an excellent rotten good for nothing villain.
Followed by two sequels in 1929 a sound version with Gary Cooper and again in 1946 in color with Joel McCrea.