The Texan | 1920 | Western, Comedy

Title: The Texan | 1920 | Western, Comedy Director: Lynn Reynolds Studio: Fox Film Corporation Starring: Tom Mix, Gloria Hope, Robert Walker, Charles K. French, Sid Jordan, Pat Chrisman Based on: The Texan by James B. Hendryx Release Date: October 1920 Runtime: 50 minutes Format: Silent, black-and-white, 4:3, 5 reels, English intertitles Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Western, Comedy --- Summary: Cowboy Tex Benton tests the old fable of the tortoise and the hare by racing a rabbit against a turtle, a lighthearted prelude to his own romantic and social contests on the frontier. In a border town he befriends Bat, enters a rodeo at Wolfville, and sets his sights on Alice Marcum, only to find himself rivaled by an earnest suitor from the East. As Tex weighs bravado against patience, his showmanship and sense of independence collide with courtship and small‑town expectations. The film blends action, rodeo spectacle, and gentle humor while teasing out whether the fast-moving “hare” or the steady “tortoise” approach wins in life and love. --- Background: Produced and released by Fox Film Corporation and directed by Lynn Reynolds, The Texan was one of Tom Mix’s popular silent Western vehicles and an early credit for scenarist Jules Furthman. Portions were filmed during the 1920 Prescott Frontier Days rodeo in Arizona. Despite many silent-era losses, prints of The Texan survive today in the collections of the Danish Film Institute and the EYE Filmmuseum. --- Trivia: Scenes were shot on location during Prescott’s Frontier Days rodeo in 1920, capturing authentic arena action and local color. The story was adapted from James B. Hendryx’s 1918 novel The Texan, aligning Mix’s screen persona with a then-contemporary Western bestseller. The film was released as part of Fox’s Tom Mix series in October 1920. Surviving copies are held by the Danish Film Institute and the EYE Filmmuseum, making it one of the Mix features still extant from the silent era. Paramount remade the story a decade later as The Texan starring Gary Cooper. The film’s cast includes character players Charles K. French and Sid Jordan, familiar faces across numerous silent Westerns. --- Hashtags: TheTexan 1920s SilentFilm Western TomMix LynnReynolds FoxFilm PublicDomain