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The Soul Herder
Also known as [The Sky Pilot]
(1917) United States of America
B&W : Three reels
Directed by Jack Ford (John Ford)
Cast: Harry Carey [Cheyenne Harry], Hoot Gibson [Chuck Rafferty], Jean Hersholt [the parson], Elizabeth James [Mary Jane, the parson’s daughter], Vester Pegg [Topeka Jack], Fritzi Ridgeway [Jane Brown], William Gettinger (William Steele) [Bill Young], Molly Malone, Duke R. Lee
New York Motion Picture Company production; distributed by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated [101-Bison]. / Scenario by George Hively, from a screen story by George Hively. Cinematography by Ben F. Reynolds. / © 24 July 1917 by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated. Released [?] 2 or 6? August 1917. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Ford’s fourth film as director; his first with Carey and Gibson. The film was rereleased in two reels by Universal Pictures Corporation on 17 September 1922, and © 1 September 1922 by Universal Pictures Corporation. [?] Braff-Short n. 20986, Braff-Universal n. 7508 and Website-IMDb list the release date as 6 August 1917.
Drama: Western.
Synopsis: [The Universal Weekly, 9 September 1917, page ?] Cheyenne Harry, told to leave town, comes across a parson who has been killed by Indians and buries him. A little girl, the parson’s daughter, hides in a bush. Cheyenne takes her to her Aunt Jane’s houses and poses as the parson. The saloon owner and his pals laugh at Cheyenne when he is on his way to church and he beats them up. Cheyenne meets an old pal of his. Jane tells Cheyenne to leave her house; that he is an impostor. Just as he is about to do so, Cheyenne is told that the little girl is calling for him in her delirium and he goes to her. Because of the child’s love for Cheyenne, Jane forgives him. For three Sundays no one comes to church, but finally Cheyenne changes his method. He raids the saloon and forces the people to sit through four hours of service because they didn’t come before. He then “forces” a collection. He closes the saloon. The money he receives he gives to the girls from the saloon to start life anew, and wins Jane for a wife.
Survival status: The film is presumed lost.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Crime: Murder - Death: Murder - Religion: Clergy, Ministers
Listing updated: 4 January 2025.
References: Braff-Short nn. 20986, 20987; Braff-Universal nn. 7508, 7509; Edmonds-BigU pp. 95, 116; Gallagher-Ford pp. 17, 18, 22, 25, 297; Sinclair-Ford pp. 21, 229; Spehr-American p. 273 : Website-IMDb.
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