The Return of Draw Egan (1916)
Directed by William S. Hart
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Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein
With a price on his head, the notorious bandit "Draw" Egan (William S. Hart) is hired to bring law and order to the lawless frontier town of Yellow Dog by reformist Mat Buckton (J.P. Lockney). Hiding his criminal past, Egan rules the town with an iron hand until, that is, a former collaborator, Arizona Joe (Robert McKim), arrives to make trouble. "Draw" manages to scare off his opponent, however, and the grateful town forgives his past and elects him sheriff to the delight of Buckton's daughter (Margery Wilson). William S. Hart excelled in playing outlaws reformed by the love of a good woman and The Return of Draw Egan is perhaps the quintessential Hart western. Like so many times before and since, Hart's hero has to choose between two disparate women, a hardened dance-hall harlot (played to the hilt by veteran silent screen femme fatale Louise Glaum) and the naive, but God-fearing and just Margery Wilson.
Characteristics
Keywords
criminal, bad-guy-turns-good, blackmail, going-straight, outlaw [Western], sheriff, silence