The Chechahcos (1924)

A fire engulfs a shipload of prospectors and adventurers making their way to Alaska. In the confusion, Mrs. Stanlaw is separated from her young daughter, who ends up in the care of '... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis H. Moomaw

Writer:

Lewis H. Moomaw (story)

Stars:

William Dills, Albert Van Antwerp, Eva Gordon

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Dills	...	'Horseshoe' Riley
Albert Van Antwerp	...	Engineer Bob Dexter
Eva Gordon	...	Mrs. Margaret Stanlaw (as Miss Eva Gordon)
Baby Margie	...	Baby Ruth Stanlaw
Alexis B. Luce	...	Gambler Richard Steele
Gladys Johnston	...	Ruth Stanlaw

Storyline

A fire engulfs a shipload of prospectors and adventurers making their way to Alaska. In the confusion, Mrs. Stanlaw is separated from her young daughter, who ends up in the care of 'Horseshoe' Riley and Bob Dexter. Mrs. Stanlaw is told by gambler Richard Steele that her daughter is lost. Flash forward 10 years; Riley and Dexter are running a prosperous gold mine, and Steele has just come to town to run the local saloon. Ruth, meanwhile, has grown into a beautiful young woman, and finds herself falling in love with Dexter. Between Steele sending his henchman Pierre to kill Dexter, Dexter discovering that Steele tried to kill him on the ship, and the reunion of Mrs. Stanlaw and Ruth, there's plenty of drama even without the dramatic Alaskan scenery, including the majestic glaciers.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | prospector | glacier | alaska | fire | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

15 May 1924 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alaska Moving Picture Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 87 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only film ever made by the Alaska Moving Picture Corp.

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Goofs

When Bob Dexter gets up from his table at the dance hall, the number of patrons and girls behind him, standing at the bar, changes between shots. A lot of them dissappear, then reappear in different positions.

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Soundtracks

"There's No Place Like Home (Home, Sweet Home)"
Music partly composed, and arranged by H.R. Bishop from a Sicilian air
Lyrics by John Howard Payne (1823)
Sung by Eva Gordon on ship with some lyrics in the intertitles

User Reviews

Well Worth Seeing For the Scenery & Photography

The high quality scenery and photography in themselves make "The Chechahcos" well worth seeing. It was shot entirely on location in Alaska, and there are many sequences featuring beautiful and austere Alaskan scenery. All of the production end is of very good quality, down to the artistically detailed inter-titles that were clearly made with some care. It's especially impressive to see such attention to detail in a small-studio production.

The story is somewhat interesting, if overly melodramatic at times. While the setting is unusual and very interesting, the plot simply pulls together a number of stock elements that were well-worn even in the 1920s, from an orphaned girl to a dishonored woman to a villainous gambler and his henchman. In another setting, it would have gotten old quickly, but the background of nature's unforgiving forces and the frenzy of the gold rush usually help to keep the more hackneyed elements from becoming too obtrusive.

The cast consists of performers that were largely little-known even at the time, but most of them give creditable performances. Gladys Johnston is charming as the young heroine, and William Dills does a solid job as a crusty old codger who starts to care in spite of himself.

Overall, this is a good movie and worth seeing for anyone who enjoys silent films. The photography and scenery are especially worthwhile, and while this was supposed to have been a financial flop, several of the sequences anticipate scenes in Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" of the following year. Not to put it quite on that level, but "The Chechahcos" does have as much to offer as do a lot of other movies that are better remembered today.