Desert Greed (1926)
Directed by Jacques Jaccard
Genres - Western |
Release Date - Dec 11, 1926 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 52 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein
With titles such as "If a mule had my brain it will still be a mule!" this minor Yakima Canutt Western from Ben Wilson's Goodwill Productions is typical low-budget silent action fare. Yak is an off-duty ranger visiting the town of Peaceful Valley. Belying its name, the place turns out to be a den of inequity, what with nasty, whip-wielding Sam Lucas (Dick LaReno) forcing his stepdaughter Mary (Rose Blossom) into marrying crooked lawyer William Devlin (Henry J. Hebert). Devlin runs a lucrative smuggling business and has a cheap-looking floozie (Lucille Younge) stashed away, but Yak is on to him after overhearing the confession of a dying accomplice. Despite its age and innate cheapness, Desert Greed contains several quite strong sequences, such as Boy, Canutt's "Horse in a Million," busting his master out of jail, or LaReno whipping poor Rose Blossom into submission. A trifle plump, perhaps, by modern standards, the blond Miss Blossom was a popular leading lady to also-ran cowboys like Canutt, Bill Cody and Wallace MacDonald.