The Shrinking Rawhide (1912)
In the carefree days of California, "before the Gringoes came," the blood of caballero and senorita ran hot and the little god of love was forever on the rampage in that tempting field. Jealousies flared up with brilliant suddenness, back in the fandango times, and jilted lovers often took awful revenge on their rivals. To the early Spanish-Californians, intrigue was what made life worth living; and in the photoplay, "The Shrinking Rawhide," the spirit of the time is most dramatically displayed. A pompous, middle-aged alcalde, or judge, seeks the hand of beautiful Mercedes, daughter of the rich Don Enrique, but Mercedes, of course, loves a younger and poorer gentleman, Juan by name. But Mercedes, being somewhat of a coquette, does not let Juan know all at once how much she loves him, and her teasing manner at the brilliant fandango at Don Enrique's home, when she flirts outrageously with the stupid alcalde during the "Sombrero" dance, brings down a lot of trouble onto the heads of all concerned. The alcalde, finally freed from his pleasant belief that Mercedes would marry him, concocts a terrible scheme for doing away with Juan. He bargains with the chief of a wild Indian tribe, with whom he has had some shady dealings in the past, to capture Juan as the latter rides to San Diego with a message from the Padre at the mission; conduct him to the desert, and there subject him to the awful rawhide torture. When a man is staked down with rawhide thongs, and water is thrown on the rawhide, it gradually contracts in the heat of the sun until the victim is strangled. How Juan is saved from this horrible death by his sweetheart is one of the most thrilling scenes ever thrown on the screen.
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GenresShort
Western
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Frank Montgomery | Director |
| Lanier Bartlett | Writer |
| Ralph Spence | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Herbert Rawlinson | |
| Frank Richardson | |
| Hobart Bosworth | |
| Phil Stratton |
