À l'assaut du boulevard

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I had not previously seen a very early John Ford film, but his directorial tropes are clearly evident here. The plot, though simple, is effective and I was happy to watch it all through (which is not something I could say about the last multiplex film I went to.

Running time in this version is 52:11, and it made me watch 'The Searchers' again to see if I could spot William Steele as he was 40 years after this film!

This is better. Obviously built from the ground up as a feature length film, Bucking Broadway, John Ford's fourth feature length film (and only second surviving), as the sinews of a story that fills its screen time healthfully. It's another simple tale with broadly drawn characters and situations, but it's told with care, energy, and clarity, creating a fun fifty-three minute film.

Harry Carey plays Cheyenne Harry (not the same character from Straight Shooting, presumably, because, you know, movies didn't work like that back then), a ranch hand who has fallen for the boss's daughter, Helen (Molly Malone). He's a hard-working man, and he whittles a small heart for her to keep, only to return to him if she were ever in trouble. In an amusing episode, after having won her heart, both Harry and Helen go to Helen's father (L. M. Wells) to ask for his permission to marry. Harry is so nervous while Ford puts an amusing focus on his feet as he stammers for the right words, eventually winning over her father with his spirit and gumption for taking care of his new bride in the future, including the fact that he built his own house.

Everything seems well until the rich city slicker, Thorton (Vester Pegg), shows up to buy some of the ranch's horses. He's dashing, arrives in a new fangled automobile, and he's good on a horse, too, wrangling the one they all called the "Cowboy Killer". He's handsome, and he pays Helen a lot of attention that she's happy to receive. It gets so much that on the night of her engagement announcement for the whole ranch to Harry, she steals away with Thorton, leaving the rolling hills of Wyoming behind for New York City.

Helen quickly begins to feel remorse at her decision, sending back the heart to Harry with the note saying that she remembers why he gave it to her. Harry isn't going to take this lying down, so he becomes the fish out of water when he buys a train ticket to New York, jumping on the train as it goes from his horse, taking his saddle with him as he jumps, and pushing his way to his seat. When he gets to his hotel, he refuses all help from the bellboy, pushing him out of the way as he flops his saddle onto the nice floor of the hotel lobby, doing everything wrong about signing in like licking the fountain pen and getting a mouthful of ink. He even confuses the radiator for a rattlesnake. Is this high art? No, not really. Is it consistently entertaining? Yes, yes it is.

Harry has come to New York to find his fiancée, but he doesn't know where to start looking. What gets him to Helen, though, isn't the most convincing series of events, but it's told lightly and entertainingly enough. He gets pickpocketed by a male and female pair of crooks, but he makes such an innocent and positive impression on the woman that she can't bear to steal from him, returning his wallet to his pocket without Harry realizing it. He shows her a picture of Helen, and then the criminal duo go off to find other rich people to fleece. At the next party they go to they see Helen and Thorton in a corner. At the same time, all of the other ranch hands have shown up in New York to deliver the horses that Thorton ordered. Quickly, the female pickpocket tells Harry about whom she's seen, Harry has her call the station where the ranch hands have just arrived, and Harry barrels into the party. Thorton has become a complete louse on the drink, becoming violent towards Helen, and Harry is there to save the day. It becomes a giant brawl as the rich young men of New York duke it out first with Harry and then the rest of the ranch hands.

It's organized chaos, and it's immensely amusing.

Bucking Broadway is a simple tale of how country folk are better than city folk told with a wonderful sense of propulsive and almost anarchic energy from John Ford. It's a small gem from his earliest days, and a very fun little movie.

Cheyenne Harry (Harry Carey) is a ranch hand who gets engaged to the owner's daughter Molly. However, she falls for the charms of city dude Thornton and runs off to marry him. When she finds that neither Thornton nor New York City high life to be to her taste, she sends a letter to Harry, who comes to New York and rescues her with some help from the other ranch hands.

A very well done movie, with a nice mix of action, drama and humor, though the beginning is a bit slow.

The French digital restoration is very nice, with scratches and most other damage to the print removed.

The second John Ford film after Straight Shooting (1917) known to survive.

This film was thought lost, but re-discovered recently and restored in France. The story is simple. Cheyenne Harry, a cowboy, gets engaged to the ranch boss' daughter, Helen. Unfortunately, a city slicker comes to town and quickly steals her heart away. She skips town to the surprise of Cheyenne and her father. However, New York does not work out very well for her.

Although this is a cheap Universal western, it has plenty of John Ford touches and themes that fans of Mr. Ford will appreciate. There is the typical drinking after work scene, and a big fist-fight involving cowboys. There is typical Ford humor also, such as when Harry tries on a new pair of pants in the general store, or he mistakes a hissing radiator for a rattlesnake.

The "horse-breaking" scene was unimaginatively filmed in extreme long shot. On the other hand, the proposal scene was shot at night with either simulated or actual firelight and it is beautiful. There are also unusual close-ups (for the time) of Harry Carey's face as well as his boots and a valentine charm he carves. Although the story is nothing special, the direction shows how talented John Ford was early in his career. Recommended for silent film and John Ford fans!

Bucking Broadway (1917)

*** (out of 4)

Considered lost for many decades, a print of this film would eventually show up in a French vault and making it one of the earliest films by John Ford to survive. In the film Harry Carey plays Cheyenne Harry, a simple cowhand who asks the woman (Molly Malone) he loves to marry him. She says yes but a few days later a city man (Vester Pegg) comes to town and steals her heart with a bunch of lies. She runs off to NYC with him before learning what a jerk is so it's up to Harry to show up and save the day. At just 52-minutes there's quite a bit wrong with this film including the middle sections that pretty much bring the thing to a complete halt. The scenes involving the city man wooing the girl were pretty bland and boring in my opinion and I think the scene with all the cowboys crying was pretty over dramatic as well. Outside those scenes this is a pretty good little Western that has the perfect mix of action and comedy. The scenery early on is downright breathtaking as Ford clearly showed his ability even at an early age to pick beautiful locations and do them great justice on the screen. You can't help but want to pause the film just so you can admire some of the terrific location shots here. Another major plus is some rather nice bits a comedy that are added in the second part of the film when the cowboy heads to NYC and doesn't understand too much about the city. It's even funnier when his friends show up and start a major fight with some of the city folks there. Carey was one of the biggest Western stars out there and it's pretty easy to see why. He's got that certain look that the best of the best had in this era and he's also quite believable in the tougher spots. You can't help but believe he's going to beat the crap out of anyone who gets in his way and that's always a plus. Malone is pretty good in her role as well but the character is so bland that you'd have to wonder why the cowboy would even bother going after her. Pegg is a delight as the city guy and L.M. Wells is good as the girl's father. Again, at just 52-minutes you'd wish that there weren't any slow spots but in the end this is a pretty solid little film that fans of Ford or just silent buffs will want to check out.