Gary Cooper & William Powell in Zane Grey's "Nevada" (1927)
28A tall, two-fisted, gun-toting, feared, once notorious and lightning fast gunslinger, Nevada (Gary Cooper), springs his pal, Cash Burridge (Ernie Adams), from the jail in Lineville. After a narrow escape from the law, this pair of roughneck cowboys ride the plains until they reach the town of Winthrop, and decide that maybe they ought to go straight. After they arrive in the new town they rescue an Englishman, Ben Ide (Philip Strange), from a beating by a gang of cattle rustlers.
Fearing the cattle rustlers, Ide hires them for his ranch, specifically to keep an eye on and protect his pretty young and charming daughter, Hettie (Thelma Todd). So, the two men decide to take respectable jobs, which they learn to love.
Clan Dillon (William Powell), another rancher, the richest one around, is a suitor for Hettie's hand, and is angered by the hiring of Nevada and his sidekick. So, the villainous Dillon spreads a rumor of his rival's dark past to the sheriff, and the former outlaws are on the run again. Nevada and Cash soon join up with Cawthorne's gang in order to escape the sheriff. Unknown to Nevada, Cawthorne's gang takes its orders from Dillon, who is the leader of the gang of rustlers who have been plaguing the other ranchers for years. It's why he's the richest guy around.
During a raid, Dillon shoots both Cash and Cawthorne, but Nevada learns of his treachery from his dying pal. Later in a confrontation, Nevada is wounded by Dillon but is saved by the arrival of the posse and the evidence given by the wounded Cawthorne against the leader. Thus rehabilitated and with his reputation restored, Nevada is free to marry Hettie. Of course, Nevada and Hettie live happily ever after.
A 1927 American Black & White silent Western film directed by John Waters, produced by
Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor, written by Gordon Rigby and John Stone, based on the Zane Grey's novel "Nevada" (1928), cinematography by Charles Edgar Schoenbaum, starring Gary Cooper, Thelma Todd, William Powell, Philip Strange, and Ernie S. Adams.
Formerly a school teacher in New England, this was Thelma Todd's first starring role, and she was a natural. She holds her presence onscreen as effectively as Cooper and Powell, also at the beginning of their careers, but both still far more experienced than Todd, who was a recent graduate of Paramount studio's acting school. Todd's early death, when she was just 29 years old, robbed the world of what could have been one of history's great film stars.
The intertitles are credited to Jack Conway, formerly of Variety. A number of the captions are palpably of the Conway brand and laugh getters. It was a great loss to both journalism and screenwriting when Jack Conway died at the early age of 40.
Parts of the film were shot in Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Zane Grey 's novel was a sequel to his "Forlorn River" (1927). Prior to its book publication it was serialized in seven issues of "The American Magazine" (November 1926 – May 1927). Thes lavish oater was remade in 1935 with Buster Crabbe, and again in 1944 as a a B-movie version starring Robert Mitchum (https://youtu.be/do0oXemap-w). This was the only time Cooper and Mitchum played the same role. The remake was so early in Mitchum's career that his billing was "Introducing Bob Mitchum as Jim Lacy."
In 1927, Gary Cooper appeared in three important Clara Bow films, those being the flapper romance "It", the morality tale "Children of Divorce", and award-winner "Wings". These brought Cooper visibility with the masses, even if he was the male lead only in "Children". Studio hack John Waters, having spotted young Cooper in a screen test, recommended the lanky newcomer for "Arizona Bound" (1927). That film was successful enough for Paramount to conjure up this film. The only time you'll see two screen icons and future superstars, Cooper and Powell in the same film. Before this, Cooper had appeared as an extra in a few Zane Grey adaptations like "Riders of the Purple Sage" (1925) starring Tom Mix. This is the first Grey adaptation where he is the star.
Cooper looks tough and convincing and did all of his own riding. The film made some money at the box office, and it does manage to show Cooper in his element.
A murder was committed on the film set when a blank cartridge was swapped for a live bullet to settle a feud among the 40 cowboy extras.
The photography is excellent and showcases the locations very well, but surviving copies of this film are badly in need of restoration. Variety's review said, "One of tile very fine things in favor of this western Is the camera work. Some of the finest shots ever produced by the m.p. crank turners is on view in "Nevada." The photographic work for the most part Is about the best turned out by Fur in a long time."
While not great, this is a classic rare film and should be in every western collectors library. It shows us stars on rise. A must see for Cooper completists.