The Glorious Trail
| The Glorious Trail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Albert S. Rogell |
| Written by | Marion Jackson Don Ryan |
| Produced by | Harry Joe Brown Charles R. Rogers |
| Starring | Ken Maynard Gladys McConnell Frank Hagney |
| Cinematography | Frank B. Good |
| Edited by | Fred Allen |
Production company | Charles R. Rogers Productions |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Glorious Trail is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Ken Maynard, Gladys McConnell and Frank Hagney.[1]
Plot
As the frontiers of the American West push ever farther outward, a brave telegraph crew works to connect the nation by wire. But progress has its enemies—and danger lies ahead.
At the start of the story, a team of wire-layers is ambushed by Indians. One of them, Jones, manages to climb a pole and tap out a desperate message to the nearest fort. The call is received by Pat O’Leary (Ken Maynard), a tough, resourceful scout and soldier stationed nearby with the telegraph operator (Les Bates). Jones attempts to warn that a white man is behind the Indian aggression—but is killed before he can finish.
Meanwhile, the crew is wiped out by the attacking braves.
Behind the violence is Gus Lynch (Frank Hagney), a ruthless frontiersman who manipulates High Wolf (Chief Yowlachie), the powerful Indian leader, to attack all men associated with the telegraph line. Lynch’s aim is to halt the telegraph's progress—and seize control of the territory for himself.
Lynch’s partner, the comically gruff Horse-Collar Keller (James Bradbury Jr.), arrives with his niece from the East, Alice Harper (Gladys McConnell), unaware of Lynch’s treachery. As their wagon nears the site of the massacre, Alice leaps down to comfort the dying Jones. With his final breath, he gives her a bundle of important documents—and a photograph of Pat O’Leary—urging her to find him and deliver them.
Soon after, Pat O’Leary sets out to locate the white traitor behind the unrest.
Back at the camp, Lynch reveals his plan to marry Alice. To escape this unwanted advance, Alice quickly claims she’s already engaged—to O’Leary—and presents Jones’s photograph as proof. Just then, Pat arrives, and Alice rushes to embrace him in front of Lynch to maintain the ruse. O’Leary, suspicious and unaware of her motive, believes he’s being duped.
Soon, a supply train must be sent to an outpost. O’Leary secretly arms the wagons—hiding men inside barrels in anticipation of an attack. Overhearing that Lynch and High Wolf plan an ambush, Alice writes a warning note and hides herself in a tool box on one of the wagons to make sure it reaches him.
Thanks to her message, O’Leary alters the route—but the convoy is still attacked in the open plains. A fierce skirmish follows. Amid the chaos, the wagon containing Alice breaks free, and her team of horses runs wild. In a spectacular chase, O’Leary races on horseback and captures the runaway team, saving Alice.
Lynch, enraged, pressures High Wolf into organizing a final, all-out assault on the telegraph camp, hoping to crush the whites once and for all.
That night, Alice gives O’Leary the papers from Jones and reveals the truth about her false engagement. Pat proposes they make it a real one—and she happily agrees.
The day dawns on a historic milestone: the telegraph lines are completed. Settlers and soldiers gather to hear the first message from the East. But just as the message comes through, the Indian attack begins.
Outnumbered and low on ammunition, O’Leary performs a daring ride to a point farther down the line, where he taps into the wire and sends an urgent plea for help to a nearby fort. Reinforcements arrive just in time to save the camp.
Realizing he has been used and betrayed by Lynch, High Wolf turns his gun on the white instigator, killing him and ending the bloodshed.
With the telegraph secured, the West one step closer to civilization, and his future with Alice assured, Pat O’Leary rides proudly into a new frontier.
Cast
- Ken Maynard as Pat O'Leary
- Gladys McConnell as Alice Harper
- Frank Hagney as Gus Lynch
- James Bradbury Jr. as Bill Keller
- Billy Franey as Jimmy Bacon
- Chief Yowlachie as High Wolf
- Les Bates as Telegrapher
Production
Exterior scenes for The Glorious Trail were shot on location at Cheyenne, Wyoming.[2]
References
- ^ Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1997) [1971]. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1. University of California Press. p. 297. ISBN 0-520-20969-9.
- ^ Exhibitors Herald World. Chicago: Quigley Publishing Company. June 16, 1928. p. 52.