AllMovie

In perhaps one of the most harrowing scenes in early American films, Barbara Castleton was brutally branded by her villainous husband in the 1920 Western The Branding Iron. It may have been the highlight of a career mainly spent in programmers. Castleton is hardly remembered by even the most ardent fan of silent films. From Arkansas, Castleton had come to films in 1916, playing a minor role in Annette Kellerman's A Daughter of the Gods. She earned leading roles from independent producers such as Ivan, Frank J. Seng and Frohman prior to signing with Goldwyn in 1920. The Branding Iron, however, was something of a last hurrah and she was gone from films by 1923.