Desert Law (1918 film)

Desert Law is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Jack Conway and starring Gayne Whitman, Jack Richardson and George C. Pearce.^[1]

Desert Law
Directed by	Jack Conway
Written by	George Elwood Jenks Louis H. Kilpatrick
Starring	Gayne Whitman Jack Richardson George C. Pearce
Cinematography	William M. Edmond
Production company	Triangle Film Corporation
Distributed by	Triangle Distributing
Release date	September 15, 1918 (1918-09-15)
Running time	5 reels
Country	United States
Languages	Silent English intertitles

Plot summary

Don McLane and Julia Wharton are engaged. Rufe Dorsey, the local boss, who is above the law, covets Julia and "frames" Don for murder. He is given a prison sentence. Don is liberated at a junction point by Julia's brothers, and they beat a retreat to the Wharton homestead, whither Dorsey goes to get the prisoner again. A stranger who recently appeared in the town joins the defending forces, and when the fight goes against them, he reveals himself to Dorsey as the Governor of the state. Dorsey has gone too far and determines to kill the Governor too, but the Governor has sent for the militia and they arrive in time to rescue the besieged, while a friend of Don's rides in with the "murdered" man, who was "very much alive this morning, but plenty dead now," for he had been shot in self defense.

Cast

• Gayne Whitman as Donald McLane
• Jack Richardson as Rufe Dorsey
• George C. Pearce as The Stranger
• Leota Lorraine as Julia Wharton
• Ray Hanford as Sheriff
• Bert Appling as Deputy
• Jim Farley as Deputy
• Phil Gastrock as Logan
• Joseph Singleton as Jim
• Leo Pierson as Dick
• Curley Baldwin as Buck

Reception

Variety's review was positive, and found both the direction and cinematography to both be excellent despite the unoriginal story.^[2]