The Desert Man 107 years old

The Desert Man

William S. Hart directs and stars in a film that is a typical Western of the era. He plays Jim, a prospector who lands in the town of Broken Hope, and the name pretty much describes its inhabitants. Jim meets and falls in love with Jennie (Margery Wilson), whose father (Walt Whitman) is gravely ill. Jim rounds up a reluctant doctor from another town to tend to the old man, but he dies anyway. The doctor, however, gains Jennie's trust and she runs off with him. Only then does he tell her he's already married. She leaves immediately, but is too proud to go home so she finds work as a dance hall girl at Tacoma Jake's saloon. Jim, meanwhile, finds gold near Broken Hope, which raises its inhabitants' attitudes considerably. But the bad element is still there, and Jim is chasing after a group of kidnappers when he enters Tacoma Jake's saloon and sees Jennie. Jim not only overcomes the bad guys, he gets the girl, too.

Credits

The Desert Man Cast

Name Character
Milton Ross He was 44, 68 years old when he died
Walt Whitman He was 97, 72 years old when he died
William S. Hart He was 52, 81 years old when he died
Margery Wilson She was 20, 89 years old when she died

The Desert Man Crew

Name Department
Lambert Hillyer as Writer. He was 23 (75) years old when He died Writing
Joseph H. August as Cinematography. He was 26 (57) years old when He died Crew
Thomas H. Ince as Producer. He was 34 (42) years old when He died Production
William S. Hart as Director. He was 52 (81) years old when He died Directing
Martin Brown as Story. He was 82 (63) years old when He died Writing
The Desert Man poster
The Desert Man (107 years)

  • Release day: Sunday, April 22, 1917
  • Runtime: 50 minutes