A Westerner's Way

This documentary traces the history of the B-Western from it's silent movie origins to its demise in the early 1950s. The film contains a large number of scenes from early silents and seldom seen films, as well as old photographs of the stars and one-sheet advertisements for lost films.

The custom of young women "tagging" men on the public streets (on a day specially set aside and called "Tag Day") to secure funds for various charitable purposes is the basis for this Comedy short.

Broncho Billy and his pals plot to rob the general store. Broncho Billy is elected to go into the store and engage the proprietor in conversation while the others enter the rear door and rob the till.

The girl gets a job on the local newspaper and is sent out to get the story of one of the escapades of a rich bachelor. While she is on her way she determines to break into the house, because she is sure the bachelor will refuse her an interview. She breaks into the house and is blithely gathering the details of her story when the bachelor surprises her and calls the police. Just as the police arrive, the bachelor puts on a housecoat and an old cap. He looks very much like a burglar.

Broncho Billy becomes enraged when a stranger comes to town and wins the affections of his sweetheart. On the night of the wedding Broncho Billy "shoots up" the church, wounding the bridegroom. He then escapes across the border, after leaving a note to his rival telling him he will finish the job on Christmas night.

Pioneer filmmaker J. Stuart Blackton was intrigued by the idea of a film about the history of the movies as early as 1915. He finally released a 52-minute feature called The Film Parade that was shown in New York and favorably reviewed by "Variety" in 1933. He continued tinkering with the film for the rest of the decade, and later filmmakers and distributors used Blackton's footage for stock or to produce their own variously titled and truncated versions. -UCLA Film & Television Archive

Ethel Walker and Tom Phelps are engaged to marry, but father objects. Later, when the old gentleman finds his daughter writing a note to Tom, promising him to elope, he calls in blacksmiths and has them put bars on the windows and grating in the door.

Andy of the Royal Mounted and another trooper are both in love with a little school teacher, who shows the light of knowledge to the children of the settlers in a tiny Canadian hamlet. The school teacher favors Andy's suit and the other trooper is correspondingly despondent. He loses gracefully because Andy is his best friend, but his trouble preys on him. He goes into a saloon, gets drunk and is caught by his colonel and discharged from the service. Later, he shoots a gambler in a brawl and while making his getaway, rescues the school teacher from death when her horse runs away.

After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot pursuit of the fleeing bandits.

While looking for work, Broncho Billy meets a girl and falls in love with her. Broncho is then accused of horse theft by a jealous lover of the girl. At the moment that he is to be hanged, Broncho’s beloved girl comes to his rescue.

Walking along with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes a training camp advertising for a boxing partner "who can take a beating." After watching others lose, Charlie puts the horseshoe in his glove and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love.

Rhubarb Vaselino lives in a small village, when he and his friend, Sapo, enter a bullfighting contest, Sapo dies, but Rhubarb kills three bulls and becomes a local hero earning money. Two years later, he is living in Madrid as a national hero , when he becomes involved with Filet de Sol, and his lover finds out, he must fight the most deadliest in Spain, in the last bull fight of the season.

Willie Duggans, a tenderfoot from the east, arrives in the wild west and soon experiences its violence. Willie discovers the easy money in bounty killing and must choose between that violent lifestyle and the love of a beautiful saloon singer.

"Broncho Billy and the Schoolmistress" (1912, 14 minutes) is a comedy-drama about yet another girl from the East who doesn't need to be protected from the local dangers. Broncho Billy plays a passive role, and even takes a bullet when a jealous villain tries to eliminate him from the new teacher's dance card. Filmed in the wilds of Fairfax, California and at Essanay Studios in San Rafael.

It's Christmas, and a young woman is on her way to celebrate the holidays with her parents. A group of drunk cowboys startle her horses making her wagon, with the woman on it, speed off. By chance Broncho Billy saves her life and the grateful girl invites him over for Christmas dinner. Little does he know that the young lady is the Sheriff's daughter…

A rough criminal gets a second chance at life thanks to a kindly (and wealthy) lady saloon patron. But he hasn't gone straight yet, as he and a partner attempt to rob the home of a rich homeowner-- whose wife is asleep in the next room.