Sheriff Harry Todd and the posse are out gunning for Broncho Billy. Vedah Bertram hides the desperado in her Conestoga wagon. Later, when Billy goes to visit her, he finds her mother and her unconscious, so he holds up a stage coach and steals it to carry the women to a doctor.
Broncho Billy Anderson was the first cowboy superstar. After performing three or four roles in THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, he went into the movie business in a big way. His company, Essanay, produced over two thousand movies of all descriptions through 1918, including works by Charlie Chaplin.
Billy's cowboy persona was a jack-of-all-trades. In one short subject, he might be a daring desperado, as here. In another, he might be a comic ranch hand. The plots were short, rough sketches that in twenty years became the standards for B westerns. One thing that was constant was the great camera-work. The copy of the movie that is on the Eye Institute site on YouTube might be very dupy and overly contrasted, but that lends a bleak beauty to the visuals.
Broncho Billy Anderson was the first cowboy superstar. After performing three or four roles in THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, he went into the movie business in a big way. His company, Essanay, produced over two thousand movies of all descriptions through 1918, including works by Charlie Chaplin.
Billy's cowboy persona was a jack-of-all-trades. In one short subject, he might be a daring desperado, as here. In another, he might be a comic ranch hand. The plots were short, rough sketches that in twenty years became the standards for B westerns. One thing that was constant was the great camera-work. The copy of the movie that is on the Eye Institute site on YouTube might be very dupy and overly contrasted, but that lends a bleak beauty to the visuals.
