Mon 18 May 2015
A Western Movie Review by Walter Albert: THUNDERING HOOFS (1924).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Silent films , Western movies[4] Comments
THUNDERING HOOFS. FBG, 1924. Fred Thomson, Fred Huntley, Charles Manes, Ann May, Carrie Clark Eard, Willie Fung, Silver King. Director: Albert S. Rogell. Shown at Cinefest 18, Liverpool NY, March 1998.
Fred Thomson films are rare indeed. Thomson was married to noted screenwriter Frances Marion and died before the advent of sound films. Willie Fung is a familiar face from sound films, but the real co-star is Silver King, Thomson’s horse.
In addition to the superb action sequence in which Thomson stops a runaway stage (and injured himself so severely by falling under the horses that the film was completed by stunt man Yakima Canutt), a sequence shows Thomson’s character’s father slipping from Silver King and dying, with a quick cut to a staged shot of Silver King kneeling by a roadside grave marked by a crude cross.
A good friend’s unforgettable comment was his curiosity about why the footage showing the horse burying the father was cut. In spite of this irreverent comment that broke me up, the film is a top-notch western. I am convinced that had Thomson made more surviving films, he would have made it to the pantheon that includes Tom Mix, Tim McCoy and Buck Jones.
May 18th, 2015 at 9:40 pm
I’ve read about Thomson, and know the face, but I don’t think I’ve seen anything other than a clip of him in a film. There have recently been some nice color posters from his films posted on Facebook.
As for the horse burying the guy, and we thought Trigger was talented. We taught my horse to pray and dig an oil well, but I think a grave would have been beyond his talents.
May 19th, 2015 at 6:06 pm
Thank you for an informative review.
Albert S. Rogell is an obscure director today. Only film seen here: a pleasant science fiction film, “Air Hawks” (1935).
May 20th, 2015 at 9:10 pm
Just watched a TCM special on Frances Marion (boy, did she write some great movies) where they mention that Fred Thomson was scratched on his leg by a rusty nail, avoided going to the doctor and died ten days later of tetanus!
May 20th, 2015 at 11:37 pm
I’m sorry I missed that special. I’ll be on the lookout for it when it’s on again.
Frances Marion is listed on IMDb as being an unconfirmed screenwriter for THUNDERING HOOFS. AS Walter said in his review, she and Fred Thomson were married at the time of his death.