“The silent pictures were the purest form of cinema.”
Alfred Hitchcock
In the early days of filmmaking before movies came with sound and Hollywood took over, something big was happening in Texas. Many of the first silent films were being made. Mostly westerns, they were set among the mesquite plains and scrub oak of the Hill Country and filmed with real cowboys. And some of those cowboys were girls – cowboy girls.
The silent movies were a unique art form. The absence of dialogue elevated their visual storytelling. Emotion had to be conveyed through physical movement and graphic imagery. It could be said that silent films gave us a more pristine cinema. And some of the best early cinematic work was done in Texas.
In 1910 a pioneering crew of actors and technicians from the Star Film Company in New York City made their way south to a rented ranch in what is now the Padre Park area of San Antonio with the intention of making movies. And make movies they did. From early 1910 through the spring of 1911, they made more than 70 short silent films, most of them westerns. They worked non-stop, only taking a break in late summer of that first year when the Texas heat started melting their camera film. They returned to work when the weather cooled in December.
The talking heads and tech geniuses at Star Film Company were drawn to San Antonio because they wanted to make authentic westerns, shot in realistic and picturesque settings. Working at what became known as the Star Film Ranch, they were successful. Audiences loved these Texas-made westerns. And the movies were praised for their authenticity and action.
Much of the filming was done along the San Antonio River. Other scenes were often shot in the barrio neighborhoods downtown and around the missions (Missions San Jose, San Juan, Concepcion, and Espada). Because of lighting challenges, all scenes were shot outdoors, with most staged at midday to avoid shadows. Interior shots were improvised, with bed sheets hung to soften the light and create indoor settings.
Movie stories were packed with action and included threatened heroines, last-minute rescues, chases on horseback, and plenty of fistfights and shootouts. And women played a prominent role. Every film required a country girl, daring damsel of the plains, or rugged ranch wife ready to fight the bad guys of every stripe. The list of rough and ready silent film leading ladies who worked for Star and other movie companies during this era is long. Among them were Jehanne D’Alcy, Dolly Larkin, Helen Holmes, Marie Walcamp, Olive Carey, Ruth Roland, Victoria Ford, Fritzi Ridgeway, Hazel Keener, Louise Lester, and many more. But of all the silent film female stars, one stood out. She was the lovely and talented 17-year-old Edith Storey.
Edith Storey was born on March 18, 1892, in New York City, and began acting as a child. She was onstage at the age of eight and made her motion picture debut at 13. By the time she was 21 she had 75 film roles under her belt. Many of those films were westerns. Working in Texas, she won the respect and admiration of the cowboys on set for her good temper, grit, and equestrian abilities. She performed her own stunts and was at home on horseback with excellent riding skills. It was said that she could ride “anything with hair on it.”
Besides being a good hand with her horses, Edith Storey was a marvelous and sensitive emotional actress and deft comedienne. Her fresh and unmannered acting lit up the screen. People loved her. And despite her fame, Edith was a down-to-earth girl. She loved her little fluffy white dog “Sooner.” And she liked to knit. In her down time on set, she could often be found knitting sweaters for her brother in the Navy. He served on a torpedo boat, and she knew he got cold at sea. She would knit several for him every year.
During her career, Edith Storey made over 150 films. Known for her historic contributions in the silent film era, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 1523 Vine Street in Hollywood.
Edith Storey retired from acting at the early age of 29 and moved to a small farm on Long Island. After retirement she served as a clerk for the village of Asharoken in Huntington, Suffolk County, Long Island. She died in the neighboring village of Northport on October 9, 1967, at the age of 75.
The silent westerns were pure and golden cinema. And stars like Edith Storey made them live. She gave us a taste of the wild and wooly west, and we loved it.
Thank you Edith Storey – you were a real cowboy girl…