Discovering Henry Starr

Co-director of South West Silents James Harrison discovers a forgotten silent film star Henry Starr thanks to a new biography by Mark Archuleta and published by University of North Texas. Plus, a chance to win a copy below!

The great thing about loving classic cinema is finding something new that you have never seen before; your fellow cinephiles might have known about them (the star, the director etc). But for you, it’s very much your first encounter. And that feeling is always very special!

There’s always a thrill when that happens. It has happened a lot. I remember spotting German silent film star Fritz Rasp for the first time when I started on my silent film adventure (in the 1990s) and then clocking him with so many other films since (only last it happened again when I watched 1946’s Irgendwo in Berlin/ Somewhere in Berlin). And that adventure of discovering figures in the history of cinema continues.

And as you see more films, the wiser you think you are becoming. Then suddenly! Something catches you out and you are back as that novice cinemagoer all over again. And it’s a thrill. You are enjoying finding that star which you have never heard of before. Or discovering a director and their film for the very first time.

Ninón Sevilla, the Cuban born star, is another recent find thanks to the many Mexican Noireqsue titles such as Víctimas del Pecado (Victims of Sin/ 1951), Aventurera (Adventuress/ 1950) and Llévame en Tus Brazos (Take Me in Your Arms/ 1954) which we (Film Noir UK) are now distributing in the UK.

So when Mark Archuleta’s book, The Reel Thrilling Events of Bank Robber Henry Starr: From Gentleman Bandit to Movie Star and Back Again, landed on my desk; that feeling of excitement returned. A new filmic adventure was upon me. But who is/was Henry Starr?

Well, in 1919, Starr found himself talking to a film producer, who wanted to make him (or his story at least) into the next film sensation. But Starr really new the stardom, he was already a sensation in his own right, in another profession, as an all-out Outlaw!

Thankfully however, we have Mark Archuleta’s fantastic book to take us back to that now lost era of horse-riding bandits and bank holdups. This is more than just a film book to be honest, although, a good chunk of it covers the entire film career of Henry Starr; in which, there isn’t much of it; not to ruin the plot. But film fans might realise very early on that A Debtor to the Law (1920) was the first and only film to star Henry Starr. Worth just noting at this point; ‘Starr’ was actually Henry Starr’s surname. So, it was written in… the… stars.

Born into the Cherokee nation in 1873, Henry Starr became an outlaw from an early age, all of which Mark Archuleta highlights in great detail. The author also highlights the lawmen after such types as well; highlighting the lawmen’s own issues and vices and how, in so many ways, these lawmen are almost as bad as the men they are trying to catch.

Everything in Starr’s life comes to a point when he plans to rob two banks on the same day, in the same town, Stroud in Oklahoma. The chapter called ‘The Stroud Doubleheader’ is incredibly well written and lays out every aspect of the planned heist in the town. The chapter is also beautifully illustrated with a well-drawn map and period photographs to accompany. In the end, the heist turns into a full-blown shootout; a shootout which would make even Heat’s (1995) director Michael Mann want to take over and direct.

This is the key point in Henry Starr’s life as an outlaw, and the moment which he is turned from bandit to film star. For just a moment anyway. The following chapters cover the making of the film as well as Starr’s reaction to becoming a film star. Archuleta showcases all of this with great accuracy and with plenty of what remains of the visual publicity involved in the film.

Of course, Starr is the main protagonist here. But he also showcases other bandits turned would-be Hollywood stars. I won’t list them here; you will just have to buy the book to find who they are. But believe me, it’s all very worth it.

And so, Mark Archuleta’s book, The Reel Thrilling Events of Bank Robber Henry Starr: From Gentleman Bandit to Movie Star and Back Again is not just a book about Henry Starr and his one and only time in the film industry. It is about a now lost moment in time; it was the last moment when bandits were bandits and lawmen were lawmen. It is a book about that turning point in America history.

When the old West began to fade away and modern America was taking over. The age of the horse is being replaced by the age of the motor vehicle. It is a shame that A Debtor to the Law (1920) is (for now) lost. But Mark Archuleta’s book goes a long way to fill that blackhole.

If you love Westerns, you will love it! If you love silent film, you will love it! If you love crime films, you will love it! If you love cinema in general you will love it! Hell! If you play Red Dead Redemption, you'll love it! Go and buy yourself a copy!

Thanks to the University of North Texas team we have a brand new copy of Mark Archuleta’s Henry Starr book up for grabs! Just send us your answer to the question below via our contact page by mid-night on Sunday 28th September to be in with a chance. Good Luck!

Question: December 1903 marked the release of which famous Western which was directed by Edwin S. Porter?