| ~The Aryan~ 1916 |
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| ~Plot Synopsis~ |
With the assistant of his trusted associate Clifford Smith (who handled most of the second-unit stuff),
William S. Hart directed his own starring vehicle The Aryan. After years of labor, miner Steve Denton
(William S. Hart) gathers up his fortune and sets out to visit his ailing mother (Gertrude Claire). He is
detained, however, in the town of Yellow Ridge, where a dance hall girl named Trixie (Louise Glaum)
not only cheats him of his gold, but also conceals a message wired to him from his dying mother.
Learning the next day that his mother is dead, Steve kills Trixie's lover (Herschel Mayall) and then
drags the dance hall girl into the desert, where he assumes the leadership of a band of Indian and
Mexican bandits. Two years later, a caravan of Mississippi farmers, lost in the desert, appeals to Steve
for help, but he refuses. That night, one of the settlers, little Mary Jane (Bessie Love), visits him
secretly to plead their cause and express her belief that no white man would refuse to protect a
woman in distress. Deeply moved, Steve guides the caravan out of the desert and then resumes his
wanderings. Incredibly, despite his box-office clout, William S. Hart's salary as both actor and
director was a paltry $150 per week.
Plot Synopsis is a combination of Plot Synopses from allmovie.com & afi.com
William S. Hart directed his own starring vehicle The Aryan. After years of labor, miner Steve Denton
(William S. Hart) gathers up his fortune and sets out to visit his ailing mother (Gertrude Claire). He is
detained, however, in the town of Yellow Ridge, where a dance hall girl named Trixie (Louise Glaum)
not only cheats him of his gold, but also conceals a message wired to him from his dying mother.
Learning the next day that his mother is dead, Steve kills Trixie's lover (Herschel Mayall) and then
drags the dance hall girl into the desert, where he assumes the leadership of a band of Indian and
Mexican bandits. Two years later, a caravan of Mississippi farmers, lost in the desert, appeals to Steve
for help, but he refuses. That night, one of the settlers, little Mary Jane (Bessie Love), visits him
secretly to plead their cause and express her belief that no white man would refuse to protect a
woman in distress. Deeply moved, Steve guides the caravan out of the desert and then resumes his
wanderings. Incredibly, despite his box-office clout, William S. Hart's salary as both actor and
director was a paltry $150 per week.
Plot Synopsis is a combination of Plot Synopses from allmovie.com & afi.com
| Directed by: Reginald Barker William S. Hart Clifford Smith Written by: C. Gardner Sullivan - story & screenplay |
| ~Cast~ William S. Hart ... Steve Denton Gertrude Claire ... Mrs. Denton Charles K. French ... 'Ivory' Wells Louise Glaum ... Trixie, 'the Firefly' Herschel Mayall ... Chip Emmett Ernest Swallow ... Mexican Pete Bessie Love ... Mary Jane Garth Enid Bennett Jean Hersholt John Gilbert ... Extra (uncredited) |
| ~Remaining Credits~ Production Company: Kay-Bee Pictures Distributed by: Triangle Distributing Produced by: Thomas H. Ince Original Music by: Hugo Riesenfeld Cinematography by: Joseph H. August Length: 5 Reels Runtime: 50 Minutes Released: April 9, 1916 |
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