Tom Mix was the biggest cowboy star of the 1920's, and in keeping with the spirit of the age his movies were fast paced and flashy, with well choreographed action sequences and exciting chases. Fans of his '20s work will hardly recognize the guy in this early incarnation, one of the many two-reel Westerns he made for producer William Selig during his cinematic apprenticeship. This is a simple, straightforward drama that looks like the sort of vehicle designed for 'Broncho Billy' Anderson or William S. Hart. It's quite low-key however, and lacks the intensity often found in Hart's work.
The story concerns cowboy Tom Warner, who raises sheep on a cattle ranch owned by a man named Dixon, the father of his girlfriend Jean. Jean, meanwhile, is being menaced by a Mexican outlaw who wants to have his way with her. When Jean's father decides he no longer wants Tom to raise sheep on his ranch they quarrel, and Dixon later sends a gang of thuggish ranch hands to persuade Tom to see things his way. Things get fairly stressful for both Tom and Jean, but I don't think I'm giving anything away in reporting that Tom manages to straighten everything out in time for the final fade-out.
An Arizona Wooing was re-cut, re-titled and re-released in the early '20s to capitalize on Mix's growing fame. The print I saw dates from this reissue, but unfortunately whoever rewrote the text made the story difficult to follow; a key conversation between Tom and Mr. Dixon has no dialog cards at all, despite the fact that this scene is crucial to everything that follows. (Although it's possible the card was simply missing from this print, due to a splice.) Be that as it may, the story is clear enough -- if you use a little imagination to fill in the gaps -- and the film works pretty well over all. I happen to enjoy these early, rough-edged Westerns more than the slicker Hollywood productions that came along afterwards. Ironically, it was Tom Mix himself who inspired the trend for those big budget 'Rhinestone Cowboy' type horse operas. But for viewers interested in seeing a more modest Tom Mix in a more modest setting, this is a good place to start. I just hope you find a better print than the one I saw.
