Musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne and Frank Bockius
The stakes are high in this thrilling Universal Super-Jewel set deep in the redwood forest of Mendocino on the Fort Bragg railroad line. An above-the-title star in her day, Virginia Valli plays Sally, the beautiful wife of a signal towerman (Rockcliffe Fellowes) and devoted mother to their precocious darling boy (Frankie Darro). These are decent, hardworking people just trying to make ends meet when their simple, idyllic life is disrupted by the appearance of an oily outsider (Wallace Beery) with his ne'er-do-well mustache and slick city ways. His eye for the ladies respects no vow and he quickly turns his predatory attentions to Sally. Add a runaway train on a dark stormy night and the story picks up some serious steam. Directed by Clarence Brown before he helped jumpstart the career of a young Swedish actress named Garbo at MGM. Brown's gifts for creating fleshed-out characters and evocative atmosphere are on full display - not to mention fast-paced action that'll make your heart race in locomotive time!
Restoration by SFSFF and Photoplay Productions
Introduction by Kevin Brownlow
Copresented by California Historical Society and The Skunk Train, Mendocino Railways