Tom Mix & Tony the Wonder Horse in "The Great K & A Train Robbery" (1926)

When the K & A Railroad is subjected to a series of mysterious robberies, K & A President Eugene Cullen (Will Walling as William Walling) hires detective Tom Gordon (Tom Mix) to uncover the mystery and stop the robberies on his railroad.
Disguised as a bandit, Tom boards the train of K & A President Cullen, and works undercover by posing as a highwayman. But Cullen's daughter, Madge Cullen (Dorothy Dwan), senses that Tom is not a criminal and soon falls in love with him.
To help him bring in the gang Tom enlists the help of the hobo DeLuxe Harry (Harry Gripp).
Madge is sought after by Burton Holt (Carl Miller), her father's secretary, who is in league with the bandits, tipping off the gang.
Ultimately Tom discovers Holt's duplicity, and with the aid of Tony, his horse, rounds up the villains, thus winning the hand of Madge.
A 1926 American Black & White silent Western film produced & directed by Lewis Seiler, screenplay by John Stone, based on Paul Leicester Ford's "The Great K & A Train Robbery", cinematography Daniel B. Clark, starring Tom Mix, Dorothy Dwan, Will Walling, Harry Gripp, Carl Miller, Edward Peil Sr., Curtis 'Snowball' McHenry, Sammy Cohen, and Tony the Horse.
John Wayne worked in the Props Dept. as a property boy (uncredited). This is one of Wayne's earliest recognized roles, and came at a time when he was only receiving uncredited, minor parts in films. Tom Mix was a veteran of the screen by the time John Wayne's first appearance in front of the camera, debuting in a short for Selig Polyscope's "The Cowboy Millionaire" (1909).
The film is based on the actual foiling of a train robbery by Dick Gordon as related by Paul Leicester Ford in his book The Great K & A Train Robbery originally published as a serial in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1896.
Much of the film was shot on location in and around Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The film is notable for its use of breathtaking locations including shots along the Colorado River.
Each day for three weeks local residents gathered and lined the Glenwood Canyon (CO) road to watch Tom Mix and his famous horse, Tony the Wonder Horse, and the rest of the troupe complete the exterior shots. Mix and Tony performed all their own stunts, including rappelling down the walls of Glenwood Canyon. Mix and his horse also galloped the length of Shoshone Dam in one of the movie's chase scenes. Many locals were used as extras.
In July 1926 Tom Mix arrived by train in Glenwood Springs, CO, for the shooting. He was accompanied by his family, fifty-five cast and crew members and 22 horses, including Tony the Horse, who was just as popular as his human counterpart. Two Pullman cars along with two special baggage cars conveyed Mix's company and equipment.
Mix was Hollywood's top Western actor, pulling in well over $7,500 per week. Tom Mix was 46 when he made this film, wearing his trademark wide-brimmed white hat and wearing flashy clothes, Mix performed all his physical stunts. He's first seen in "The Great K & A Robbery" dangling high above the Colorado River eavesdropping on a conversation between two baddies on the edge of a cliff. By the time the silent film era ended, Mix had been in 282 movies. Sadly, 95% of all silent fims made, have been lost through nitrate decomposition or outright destruction. His transition to sound was not quite as successful, since, because of a previous accident where a bullet entered his throat, as well as several broken noses over the years from stunt work, Mix's voice didn't have that strength of authority required for a macho cowboy he had been portraying all those years. He did make nine films for Universal Pictures when talkies entered the pictures. But his extravagant spending and a purchase of a circus which his daughter ran into the ground, resulted his finances being squandered away. In 1940, while driving to visit a sheriff in Tucson, Arizona, Mix swerved to avoid construction barriers marking a washed out bridge. A heavy suitcase in the backseat hit him square in the back of his head as his car overturned in a gully, breaking his neck. He was instantly killed at the age of 60.
The character DeLuxe Harry says that he served with Mix's character at the World War One Battle of Verdun, the longest of the First World War and fought in 1916 on the Western Front in France, on the hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse.
The story isn't much, but this action packed film provides a rare look into movies as popular culture. If you're curious to see a film that might well have thrilled your great grandparents when they were kids, check this classic Tom Mix Movie out, with authentic furnishings of the railway cars and the steam engines. The comedy relief from Curtis McHenry is offensive to modern viewers, which may go some way to explaining this film's obscurity. Legendary in its day, it's a duster, not a great movie, but a brisk pace, exciting chases, thrilling stunts throughout, and an exciting climax make it fun to watch.

[@RetiredSchoolCook]

Thank you 🤠🐴 Good movie 👍 Great , interesting information

[@marianparoo1544]

Classic!

[@spacecowgurl57]

When Wyatt Earp passed away, Tom Mix wept❤

[@marianparoo1544]

If he’s a college man it must have been Vassar….😂

[@arthuroldale-ki2ev]

To me, these wonderful old silent films, are realistic, they are real Theatre and that is really what acting is all about. if you want real life, then just look out the window.