$50,000 Reward (1924)

Tex Sherwood has just come into possession of a valuable piece of land that will be irrigated by a new dam. Banker Holman knowing the deed must be registered the next day, offers a $50,000 reward for Tex's capture.

Director:

Clifford S. Elfelt

Writer:

Frank Howard Clark (story)

Stars:

Ken Maynard, Esther Ralston, Bert Lindley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Maynard	...	Tex Sherwood
Esther Ralston	...	Carolyn Jordan
Bert Lindley	...	Anthony Jordan
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Buck Scofield (as Edward Peil)
Lillian Leighton	...	Mrs. Miller
Charles Newton	...	Pa Miller (as Chas. Newton)
Frank Whitson	...	Asa Holman
William F. Moran	...	Eli Higgins (as Wm. Moran)
Augusta Ain	...	Freckles
Ananias Berry	...	Snowball
Olive Trevor	...	Follies Girl
Fern Lorraine	...	Follies Girl
Katherine DeForrest	...	Follies Girl
Edythe Flynn	...	Follies Girl (as Edith Flynn)
Grace Fay	...	Follies Girl

Storyline

Tex Sherwood has just come into possession of a valuable piece of land that will be irrigated by a new dam. Banker Holman knowing the deed must be registered the next day, offers a $50,000 reward for Tex's capture.

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Plot Keywords:

number in title | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1924 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fifty Thousand Dollar Reward

Filming Locations:

Mulholland Dam, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clifford S. Elfelt Productions, J. Charles Davis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Just a few dam comments

"$50,000 Reward" is an entertaining if fairly typical 1920s silent western. In it, Our Hero in the White Hat (Ken Maynard) avails himself of The Damsel in Distress (Esther Ralston) to help save the dam construction project that would otherwise bankrupt her Poor Old Father (Burt Lindley). Horse chases, shootouts, fisticuffs, and et cetera.....and of course, Our Hero and the Damsel fall in love at the end.

What makes this film interesting is that in later prints, there is a lengthy disclaimer at the begining telling how the film was shot at the construction site of The St. Francis Dam which a few years later failed, releasing a devastating flood that killed over 500 people. And while it's true that there was a St. Francis Dam near Los Angeles that collapsed and killed hundreds, it is actually the St. Francis Dams nearly identical sister, the Mulholland Dam, that is seen in the film!

The Mulholland Dam, which still stands today, is located in the Hollywood Hills, conveniently only a few miles from all the major studios. Only recently, experts on the St. Francis Dam disaster have studied the film and determined that the topography around the dam under construction in "$50,000" is that of the Hollywood Hills, and not San Francisquito Canyon - the site of the St. Francis Dam, some 35 miles away.

It's an interesting piece of obscure cinema trivia, and know you're stuck with it in your brain cells. But you never know - it might come up on Jeopardy!

Enjoy.