The Toll Gate
Back when we introduced this series, we said some of these ‘Not so classics’ are so not classic there may not be enough bio to do a post. This could have been one of those. Fortunately, The Toll Gate stars William S. Hart. Hart comes in for a couple of cameos in my book Friends Call Me Bat.
Before he turned to film Hart got his start on Broadway in the role of a westerner. Bat Masterson, a sportswriter in New York in later life, saw the play and thought Hart a believable western character. High praise from Bat. The Toll Gate is the first film Hart produced with his own production company in 1920. He employed a ‘technical advisor’ on his films, a friend of Bat by the name of Wyatt Earp. Around the time he was making The Toll Gate, Hart visited Bat in New York. They had lunch and hit it off quite well. Hart asked Bat if he would appear in one of his films. Bat declined. So did Wyatt.
Oh, and Toll Gate? Hart played outlaw going straight Black Deering. He is turned in by gang member Tom Jordan and arrested. Deering escapes and heads to Mexico. Along the way he stops in a small town for supplies where he encounters Jordan. The confrontation results in the town burning down. How you ask – don’t know, bio didn’t say. See what we mean about obscure.
Deering is now on the run with a posse on his trail. He takes shelter with a widow and her small son. Deering and the widow fall in love. The posse catches up. The widow says Deering is her husband. The sheriff doesn’t buy it. When the sheriff and his posse stay the night, Deering confesses. Jordan and the gang attack, Deering offers to fight with the posse. He does and kills Jordan, who turns out to be the widow’s missing husband.
Deering is freed for his part in beating off the attackers. He declines to marry the widow for having killed her husband. The ending is unique in Hart films, lacking the proverbial ‘Happily ever after’.
The Toll Gate is enshrined in the Library of Congress Museum of Modern Art film archive. More than a little to be said for a silent film.
Next Week: The Man from Laramie
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Ride easy,
Paul
Before he turned to film Hart got his start on Broadway in the role of a westerner. Bat Masterson, a sportswriter in New York in later life, saw the play and thought Hart a believable western character. High praise from Bat. The Toll Gate is the first film Hart produced with his own production company in 1920. He employed a ‘technical advisor’ on his films, a friend of Bat by the name of Wyatt Earp. Around the time he was making The Toll Gate, Hart visited Bat in New York. They had lunch and hit it off quite well. Hart asked Bat if he would appear in one of his films. Bat declined. So did Wyatt.
Oh, and Toll Gate? Hart played outlaw going straight Black Deering. He is turned in by gang member Tom Jordan and arrested. Deering escapes and heads to Mexico. Along the way he stops in a small town for supplies where he encounters Jordan. The confrontation results in the town burning down. How you ask – don’t know, bio didn’t say. See what we mean about obscure.
Deering is now on the run with a posse on his trail. He takes shelter with a widow and her small son. Deering and the widow fall in love. The posse catches up. The widow says Deering is her husband. The sheriff doesn’t buy it. When the sheriff and his posse stay the night, Deering confesses. Jordan and the gang attack, Deering offers to fight with the posse. He does and kills Jordan, who turns out to be the widow’s missing husband.
Deering is freed for his part in beating off the attackers. He declines to marry the widow for having killed her husband. The ending is unique in Hart films, lacking the proverbial ‘Happily ever after’.
The Toll Gate is enshrined in the Library of Congress Museum of Modern Art film archive. More than a little to be said for a silent film.
Next Week: The Man from Laramie
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
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