THE MAN OF THE FOREST

The Man of the Forest, a novel by Zane Grey, was originally published by Harper & Brothers Publishers in NYNY in 1920. Milt Dale is lives in the woods with his half-tame cougar. A stoic hero, he overhears a plan to kidnap the nieces (and only heir) to a local ranch owner as part of a larger plot to get the rancher’s land. Being the hero, Milt sets out to save the girls, Helen and Bo, and to stop the villains. The novel has been filmed three times. The first, a 1921 silent film directed by Howard Hickman, starred Carl Gantvoort, Claire Adams, and Robert McKim. The film ran for ninety minutes. The next film based on the novel, Man of the Forest is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by John Waters and written by Zane Grey, Max Marcin and Fred Myton. The film starred Jack Holt, Georgia Hale, El Brendel, Warner Oland, Tom Kennedy, George Fawcett and Ivan Christy. The film was released on December 27, 1926, by Paramount Pictures. Henry Hathaway directed a remake in 1933 starring Randolph Scott, with Scott darkening his hair and wearing a moustache to match stock footage of Jack Holt playing the part. Noah Beery Sr. took Warner Oland's part as Clint Beasley in the remake while Tom Kennedy reprised his role as the Sheriff.