Across the Plains (1911 film)

Across the Plains is a 1911 American western directed by Broncho Billy Anderson and Thomas H. Ince and starring Anderson. The films plot has Jennie Lee and her father heading to California in a prairie schooner. Jennie Lees father becomes intoxicated before Indians attack them for trespassing on the land. Unable to convince her father to get in the carriage, Jennie Lee flees and races the Indians and is lead to a deserted shack by a cowboy as his partner heads off for aid. The two are saved as the ranchmen return and disperse the Indians. The film was not released with a cast of credits as typical of its production era. The production took place on the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and released under Essanays license. The completed film was approximately 990 feet in length and was met with mixed reviews. The films status is unknown, but likely lost.

Film credits were almost universally unheard of in 1910 and 1911, because the films actors were unidentified fans would often come up with their own names for prominent actors. Film studios were reluctant to credit the actors because other studios might hire or the actors could demand a higher wage. Due to public demand and interest, studios began adding credits to their film lists in later productions. noteIn the book Father Goose, a passage notes that Ince was allowed to lease an 8,000 acre ranch on the shores of the Pacific beyond Santa Monica. The land became known as Inceville and became a famous production site. Across the Plains was the first of the Bison Company at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch. The film had an approximate length of 990 feet and was released on April 1, 1911. The film was released by under Essanays label. ........

Source: Wikipedia