The Unknown Ranger | 1920 | Western, Drama

Title: The Unknown Ranger | 1920 | Western, Drama Director: Harris Gordon Studio: Aywon Film Corporation Starring: Rex Ray, Ben Hill, Marie Newall Release Date: June 1920 Runtime: 54 Format: Silent, black-and-white, 1.33:1, English intertitles Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Western, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Devil’s River arrival 00:10:30 The novelist in town 00:21:00 Card game confrontation 00:32:00 Trail into the hills 00:44:00 Raid on the smuggling den 00:52:00 Identities revealed --- Summary: In the border country near Devil’s River, ranch hand Buck Manning grows wary of John Chandler, a suave newcomer who presents himself as a New York novelist seeking local color. Manning’s suspicions deepen after Chandler makes advances toward Jo Blair and is later exposed cheating at cards. Tracing a band of outlaws to their hideout in the hills, Manning uncovers an opium-smuggling ring operating across the Mexican border and moves to dismantle it. The Unknown Ranger blends undercover investigation with frontier melodrama, using rugged outdoor locations and a compact narrative that centers on vigilance, deception, and the restoration of order. --- Background: Produced and distributed on the states-rights circuit by Nathan Hirsh’s Aywon Film Corporation, the picture is an independently made silent Western headlined by Rex Ray with Ben Hill and Marie Newall. Contemporary sources and surviving credits attribute supervision and direction to actor Harris Gordon. A later 8mm home-movie print titled Unknown Ranger is held by the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the film has circulated on modern home video paired with Black Cyclone . --- Trivia: Aywon Film Corporation, founded by Nathan Hirsh and active mainly from 1919 to 1929, specialized in releasing Westerns and action pictures via states-rights distribution. Surviving copies vary in running time; one viewed print runs about 41 minutes, though trade and database listings report a longer 54-minute length. Harris Gordon, primarily known as a silent-era actor , is credited with supervising or directing this feature. The plot’s focus on an opium-smuggling ring is atypical for 1920 Westerns, which more often centered on rustling and range feuds. The title The Unknown Ranger was later reused for an unrelated 1936 Columbia sound Western starring Bob Allen. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: June 1920 Original Studio / Distributor: Aywon Film Corporation Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: PublicDomain SilentFilm Western 1920sCinema Aywon RexRay HarrisGordon FilmHistory RestoredFilm Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/2024601073/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/02340960/02340960.mp4