Copyright 28 January 1930 by Universal Pictures. U.S. release: 8 February 1930. 65 minutes (sound). 50 minutes (silent).
SYNOPSIS: Young boy witnesses his father (a nester) being shot down by a rancher and his cowhands. Years later, he dubs himself "The Ridin' Kid"and sets out for revenge.
COMMENT: Despite its stark storyline, this is a typical Hoot Gibson vehicle with as many laughs as thrills - and both rather cleverly balanced. Most of the humor is provided by Hoot's run-ins with lovely heroine, Louise Lorraine, (the plucky star of silent serials such as The Great Circus Mystery, The Silent Flyer, The Final Reckoning). But it's character actor, Francis Ford, in a really meaty role, who steals the picture from both of them. However, my main reason for drawing attention to this film, is that it's available (an 8/10 DVD from Grapevine) in both its silent and talkie versions. To my surprise, the silent version, which runs a tidy 50 minutes (and has tinted sequences to boot) is far superior to the talkie account, which runs 65 minutes, and often seems rather leaden-footed. True, Francis Ford needs his voice and tends to be somewhat less than charismatic in the silent footage. He's okay, but nothing special. In the sound version, however, Ford uses his voice most beguilingly. On the other hand, the rest of the players seem more at home in the silent sequences. And of course, the whole film moves faster by dispensing with loquacious scenes that were added simply to provide dialogue. And as stated above, the silent is also far more attractive to look at - due to a mistaken belief at the time that tinting would interfere with the sound track and compromise its quality.
P.S, As I would rate the silent and talkie versions differently, I have compromised with an overall 10/10.
SYNOPSIS: Young boy witnesses his father (a nester) being shot down by a rancher and his cowhands. Years later, he dubs himself "The Ridin' Kid"and sets out for revenge.
COMMENT: Despite its stark storyline, this is a typical Hoot Gibson vehicle with as many laughs as thrills - and both rather cleverly balanced. Most of the humor is provided by Hoot's run-ins with lovely heroine, Louise Lorraine, (the plucky star of silent serials such as The Great Circus Mystery, The Silent Flyer, The Final Reckoning). But it's character actor, Francis Ford, in a really meaty role, who steals the picture from both of them. However, my main reason for drawing attention to this film, is that it's available (an 8/10 DVD from Grapevine) in both its silent and talkie versions. To my surprise, the silent version, which runs a tidy 50 minutes (and has tinted sequences to boot) is far superior to the talkie account, which runs 65 minutes, and often seems rather leaden-footed. True, Francis Ford needs his voice and tends to be somewhat less than charismatic in the silent footage. He's okay, but nothing special. In the sound version, however, Ford uses his voice most beguilingly. On the other hand, the rest of the players seem more at home in the silent sequences. And of course, the whole film moves faster by dispensing with loquacious scenes that were added simply to provide dialogue. And as stated above, the silent is also far more attractive to look at - due to a mistaken belief at the time that tinting would interfere with the sound track and compromise its quality.
P.S, As I would rate the silent and talkie versions differently, I have compromised with an overall 10/10.