The River Pirate

(William K. Howard, US 1928, 77 min., 35mm)

Silent Tuesdays. At the advent of sound, Fox released films with the soundtrack printed onto the film using the “Movietone” system. The River Pirate, released with a music and sound effects soundtrack, stars Victor McLaglen as a convict who has been assigned to a reform school to teach the art of sailmaking as part of his sentence. His influence over Sandy (Nick Stuart), a waterfront urchin at the school, is evident—particularly when the convict is paroled and breaks Sandy out of the school to become a warehouse thief. Sandy is torn between his loyalty to the convict and his burgeoning love for Marjorie (Lois Moran), a detective’s daughter who wants him to go straight.