Lillian Russell and Lionel Barrymore face off in a horse-racing revenge thriller from 1915.
John Keefe, a gambler, shoots and kills Robert Barrington in an argument over a card game. Keefe steals Barrington's papers and forges a bill of sale to himself for Barrington's stable of race horses back east. The stable includes the prize filly, Wildfire. Meanwhile, Barrington's daughters, Henrietta and Myrtle, are becoming worried about their father's long absence in the West. John Garrison, the sheriff of the town in which Barrington was killed, goes East to investigate. He suspects Keefe (now called John Duffy) and begins to build a case, causing Henrietta to become suspicious. Keefe, realizing that the game is almost up, tries to get Wildfire's jockey to throw the big race, but Henrietta saves the day and Wildfire wins.
Acting
Lillian Russell's commanding final screen performance.
Direction
Edwin Middleton's race-to-the-finish climax editing.
Director
Edwin Middleton
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was legendary stage star Lillian Russell's final film—she retired completely after this, making Henrietta her cinematic swan song.
Wildfire's plot of a woman securing justice through a horse race victory was surprisingly progressive for 1915, giving Henrietta agency rare in silent melodramas.
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