Scarlet West

Financed to a great extent by local businessmen and historical societies, this Colorado-lensed silent western once again portrayed a highly fictionalized nine-reel account of General George Armstrong Custer's last stand. Former serial hero Robert Frazer starred as a college-educated Native American army captain whose loyalties are divided. There were a few scenes of the army captain romancing the commander's daughter (Clara Bow, of all people), and he later rescued Helen Ferguson from a war party. But the film centered mainly on the famous final battle, with Custer as the absolute hero and the Sioux braves a mostly anonymous enemy. Veteran actress Ruth Stonehouse portrayed Custer's widow, Libby, while Johnnie Walker and Walter McGrail played rival army lieutenants. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi