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The Taking of Luke McVane
Also known as [The Fugitive]
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Two reels
Directed by William S. Hart + [S.C. Smith (Clifford Smith)]
Cast: William S. Hart [Luke McVane], Enid Markey [Mercedes], S.C. Smith (Clifford Smith) [Sheriff Stark], Ernest Swallow [Jack Ashley], Fritz the horse
New York Motion Picture Corporation production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation [Kay-Bee]. / Produced by Thomas H. Ince. Scenario by Richard V. Spencer and Thomas H. Ince, from a screen story by Richard V. Spencer and Thomas H. Ince. / Released 16 April 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The production was shot 17 January through 1 February 1915.
Drama: Western.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Luke McVane, a big, good-natured, desert miner, comes into the little adobe frontier outfitting town of Sage on the Arizona desert with about $300, the result of three months’ hard work and a clean up on his desert claim. Not a bad sort at heart, but crazed by desert fire water and fleeced of his wad by “Crooked Jim” Ashley, a tough gambler. Luke turns bad, kills his man and, sobered by the tragedy, makes for the desert with the sheriff in pursuit. Jim Daly, the sheriff’s deputy, forms a posse and follows the trail of the sheriff and Luke. Luke lures the sheriff into the sand hills and ambushes him and shoots him from his horse. Unaware of the pursuing posse, and not having the heart to let the sheriff die in the desert, Luke takes the wounded man with him to his claim. He matches up the sheriff’s wound and nurses him back to health. The posse find the sheriff’s horse but lose the trail in a sand wash and return to town. During the sheriff’s convalescence, Luke tells him the facts of the case: that he really shot in self-defense and fled fearing that he would be lynched by the gambler’s friends before he could secure a fair trial. The sheriff believes him and promises to use his influence to have the charge against Luke dismissed if Luke will surrender and accompany him back to town. Luke thinks it over and decides to take the sheriff’s advice. When the sheriff is able to travel but still weak from the wound, they start back. Hostile Apaches jump their reservation nearby and they intercept Luke and the sheriff on the way back to town. In the battle that follows both the sheriff and Luke lose their lives. They are found by a posse from town after the Indians. Luke with a revolver in each hand wounded by a number of bullets, with his back supported by a small sand hill and across his lap the body of the dead sheriff.
Survival status: Print exists in the Museum of Modern Art film archive.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Animals: Horses - Weapons: Guns
Listing updated: 15 November 2022.
References: Koszarski-Hart pp. xix, 17, 18 : Website-IMDb.
Home video: DVD.
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