Whispering Smith
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
J. P. Mcgowan
Helen Holmes
Belle Hutchinson
J. P. Mcgowan
Paul Hurst
Leo D. Maloney
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The railroad officials at the small mountain town of Medicine Bend, concerned about the many robberies occurring after the frequent freight train wrecks in the area, hire detective Whispering Smith to investigate. Upon learning that his old sweetheart Marion, who chose to marry dashing Murray Sinclair, the foreman of the railroad's wrecking crew, is unhappy with Sinclair, Smith leaves because his feelings of love reawaken and sends his brother to do the job. After his brother is seriously wounded, Smith returns, and with Marion's help, kills the assailant. He learns that Sinclair and his gang were responsible for the robberies, but to protect Marion, Smith only has Sinclair discharged. Marion leaves Sinclair when life with him becomes unbearable and works in the village. Sinclair, in a frenzy, burns the trestle, which causes a wreck. Smith gathers evidence against Sinclair, but after Sinclair asks for a chance to go straight, Smith, although he is still in love, effects a reconciliation between Sinclair and Marion.
Director
J. P. Mcgowan
Cast
Helen Holmes
Belle Hutchinson
J. P. Mcgowan
Paul Hurst
Leo D. Maloney
F. M. Van Norman
Samuel Appel
Walter Rogers
Thomas G. Lingham
E. Howland
William Behrens
C. U. Wells
J. E. Perkins
N. Z. Wood
G. H. Wisschussen
Chance Ward
William Brunton
Hugh Adams
Slim Roe
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Director McGowan received permission from G. Pellissier to film the round-up at the Pellissier ranch for this film. This film was the first Mutual Star Production, and the first feature starring Helen Holmes and J. P. McGowan, who earlier had starred in the railroad serials The Hazards of Helen and The Girl and the Game. Whispering Smith originally was to be filmed in ten reels. Instead, the first part of the novel was released in five reels, and a sequel entitled Medicine Bend, starring Helen Holmes and J. P. McGowan, was released by Mutual in five reels on July 3, 1916. In 1917, Universal produced Money Madness featuring "Whispering Smith". Producers Distributing Corp. released a film based on the same source on March 28, 1926, entitled Whispering Smith, directed by George Melford, and starring H. B. Warner and Lilyan Tashman (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1920-30; F2.6286). A serial entitled Whispering Smith Rides was released by Universal Pictures Corp. in 1927. Whispering Smith Speaks, a Sol Lesser production, directed by David Howard, starring George O'Brien and Irene Ware, was released by Twentieth Century-Fox in February 1936. Although this film used the same characters as the novel, the story was new. A new version of Whispering Smith, produced by Mel Epstein in Technicolor, directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Donald Crisp and Brenda Marshall, was released in December 1948 by Paramount. This version used the same story as the novel. Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard was released by RKO in March 1952. It was a Julian Lesser production, filmed in England in association with Exclusive Films, Ltd., with an all-English cast, except for the lead, played by Richard Carlson. This version was directed by Francis Searle, and concerned the adventures of Whispering Smith in London. In 1961, a television series entitled Whispering Smith, starring Audie Murphy, was shown on NBC.
