The Man in the Saddle (1926)
Directed by Lynn Reynolds / Clifford Smith / Cliff Smith
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Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein
This typical Hoot Gibson Western starred the rumpled cowboy as Jeff Morgan, Jr., the son of a famous outlaw (Charles Hill Mailes) who, on his father's behest, looks into a series of hold-ups claimed to be part of a dude-ranch "package tour." Lawrence (Lloyd Whitlock) assures that the hold-ups are staged for the benefit of the tourists but is actually a real outlaw and in cahoots with one of the guests, city flapper Laura Mayhew (Sally Long). Gibson, however, with the assistance of lovely Pauline Stewart (Fay Wray), the daughter of the dude ranch owner (Emmett King), forces a confession out of Lawrence, who is arrested. Both Fay Wray and Sally Long were elected WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1926, but the similarities ended there. While Wray went on to cult status as King Kong's leading lady, Long retired in 1930 to marry composer Jean Schwartz. Another future star, Boris Karloff, earned a bit as one of the villain's henchmen in this film.