A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2013 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

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The Covered Wagon
(1923) American
B&W : Ten reels / 9407 feet
Directed by James Cruze

Cast: J. Warren Kerrigan [Will Banion], Lois Wilson [Molly Wingate], Alan Hale [Sam Woodhull], Ernest Torrence [William Jackson], Tully Marshall [Jim Bridger], Charles Ogle [Jesse Wingate], Ethel Wales [Mrs. Wingate], Guy Oliver [Kit Carson], Johnny Fox [Jed Wingate], Constance Wilson

Famous Players-Lasky Corporation production; distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation. / Produced by James Cruze. Scenario by Jack Cunningham, from the novel The Covered Wagon by Emerson Hough. Technical advisor, Colonel Tim J. McCoy (Tim McCoy). Cinematography by Karl Brown. Edited by Dorothy Arzner. Music score arranged by Hugo Riesenfeld. Presented by Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky. / © 14 March 1923 by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation [LP18707]. Premiered 16 March 1923 in New York, New York. General release, 8 September 1924. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. / Wilson replaced actress Mary Miles Minter. Location photography was taken in Utah and Nevada. Genuine Conestoga wagons were used in the film. A De Forest Phonofilm sound version of the filmscore was made; sources vary on whether this recording was of the entire score or about two reels worth of the film.

Drama: Western.

Synopsis: Synopsis available in AFI-F2 n. F2.1044.

Survival status: Prints exist [incomplete 35mm preservation duplicate positive, with fragments lost; 16mm reduction positive].

Current rights holder: (unknown)

Keywords: Animals: Horses - Early sound film - Native Americans - People: Kit Carson - Synchronized sound film - Transportation: Wagons (Covered) - Wagon trains - Weapons: Guns

Listing updated: 4 June 2010.

References: Film credits, film viewing : AFI-F2 n. F2.1044; Baer-Film p. 54; Ball-Shakespeare pp. 152, 386; Bardèche-History pp. 178a, 210, 294; Basten-Technicolor p. 39; Bohn-Light pp. xxiii, 92, 93, 374; Brownlow-Parade pp. 287, 293, 295, 332, 333, 334-335, 360; Card-Seductive pp. 76, 86; Cary-Hollywood p. 129; Dowd-Vidor p. 115; Drew-Speaking pp. 247, 256, 257, 258-259, 289; Edmonds-BigU pp. 60, 83, 122, 130, 135; Everson-American pp. 14, 47, 147, 176, 182f, 223, 250, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 292, 323; Fell-History p. 91; FilmDaily-1923 p. ix; Gallagher-Ford p. 31; Geduld-Birth pp. 38, 99-100; Jewell-RKO p. 75; Kerr-Silent pp. 8, 46, 303; Koszarski-Hart p. xxiii; Lahue-Collecting pp. 27, 43-44, 48, 62; Leish-Cinema p. 53; Limbacher-Feature p. 51; Maltin-Guide p. 256; McGhee-Wayne p. 146; Pitts-Hollywood pp. 97, 187; Quirk-Colman p. 103; Ramsaye-Million pp. 86, 134; Sherwood-Best p. xvii; Shipman-Cinema pp. 79, 84; Sinclair-Ford p. 34; Sinyard-Silent pp. 140, 141; Smith-Colman p. 75; Tarbox-Lost pp. 53, 171; Vermilye-Twenties pp. 26, 154, 249; Wakeman-World p. 4 : AmerCine-199510 p. 100; ClasIm-240 p. 44; ClasIm-279 p. 35; Photoplay-192306 p. 27.

Home video: Laserdisc, VHS.