Summary
In an audacious narrative twist, the dissolute scion Bill Burnham finds himself confined by the law, his boisterous indiscretions having culminated in a stint behind bars for a public display of firearm-induced chaos. From his cell, a missive arrives, shattering his already precarious existence: his patriarch has passed, leaving his sister, Janet, perilously close to an ill-advised union with a fortune-hunting count, and the ancestral coffers teetering on the brink of fiscal ruin. Impotent in his incarceration, Bill orchestrates an elaborate deception, enlisting the unlikely aid of Johnny Wiggins, a flamboyant motion picture cowboy whose métier is the silver screen, not the gilded salons of Palm Beach. Johnny, a veritable anachronism, is tasked with assuming Bill's identity in the opulent Southern enclave Bill abandoned in his youth. His boisterous, unvarnished Western sensibilities clash spectacularly with the refined, albeit superficial, decorum of Janet and her aunt, yet they tolerate his peculiar presence, for Bill's proxy endorsement is a crucial prerequisite for Janet to claim her inheritance. The veneer of impersonation eventually cracks when the conniving count unmasks Johnny's true identity, precipitating a desperate attempt to abscond with Janet. But the celluloid cowboy proves his mettle, employing a quintessential Western skill – the lasso – to dramatically halt the fleeing automobile and foil the elopement. Subsequently, Johnny, with a theatrical flourish of frontier justice, compels the unscrupulous broker Milton C. Milton, at the barrel of a gun, to rectify Janet's substantial financial losses. His mission accomplished, the faux Bill Burnham, now a genuine hero, weds Ruth, the household maid, and departs, leaving behind a promise of invigorated dynamism upon the prodigal Bill's eventual return.
Synopsis
While Bill Burnham is jailed for drunkenly shooting up the town, he receives a letter saying that his father has died, his sister Janet is about to marry a worthless count, and the family fortune is in danger. Unable to leave, he convinces his friend, Johnny Wiggins, a motion picture cowboy, to go to his home in Palm Beach, which Bill left as a boy, and impersonate him. Although Johnny's Western manner irritates Janet and her aunt, they put up with him because Bill's sanction for Janet's marriage is needed for her to receive her inheritance. When the count discovers that Johnny is not Bill, he tries to elope with Janet, but is prevented when Johnny lassoes him from his moving automobile. After Johnny forces crooked broker Milton C. Milton, at gunpoint, to make restitution for the losses Janet suffered through Milton's bad stock investments, Johnny marries Ruth, the maid, and leaves, promising that when Bill returns, things will get livelier.
Review Excerpt
"
Stepping back into the hallowed halls of silent cinema, one occasionally unearths a true delight, a film that, despite the passage of a century, retains an effervescent charm and a surprisingly sharp wit. Such is the case with Johnny Get Your Gun, a 1919 offering directed by the prolific James Cruze and featuring the unique talents of Fred Stone. This isn't merely a historical curiosity; it's a vibrant, engaging piece of filmmaking that masterfully blends the boisterous energy of the Americ..."
