Of the more than two thousand films produced by Selig Polyscope from 1896 through 1918, very few survive. That is a tragedy for lovers of early films. However, several of the films that Tom Mix, the second cowboy superstar (after "Broncho Billy" Anderson) do. They were filmed out of Selig's Edendale studio, the first permanent studio in Los Angeles. This is one of them.
The title pretty much tells you what is going on: a hard-luck rancher and his wife are ready to sell and by accident an oil speculator thinks there is oil on the land and bids an astonishing five thousand dollars for the place. After he discovers there isn't, he heads into town to stop the check, but Tom rides on ahead and brings back the cash.
The story is eked out with some comedy that is pretty nasty, but that works; it seems natural for a hard-bitten bunch of westerners. Mix's role is not a starring one -- it's an ensemble piece. There is none of the great riding and stunt-work that he became famous for. It's simply another highly competent one-reeler turned out on a breakneck schedule for the insatiable appetite of the movie audiences in 1915, but a good one for all that.
The title pretty much tells you what is going on: a hard-luck rancher and his wife are ready to sell and by accident an oil speculator thinks there is oil on the land and bids an astonishing five thousand dollars for the place. After he discovers there isn't, he heads into town to stop the check, but Tom rides on ahead and brings back the cash.
The story is eked out with some comedy that is pretty nasty, but that works; it seems natural for a hard-bitten bunch of westerners. Mix's role is not a starring one -- it's an ensemble piece. There is none of the great riding and stunt-work that he became famous for. It's simply another highly competent one-reeler turned out on a breakneck schedule for the insatiable appetite of the movie audiences in 1915, but a good one for all that.
