| The Toll Gate | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card featuringAnna Q. Nilsson andWilliam S. Hart | |
| Directed by | Lambert Hillyer |
| Screenplay by | William S. Hart Lambert Hillyer |
| Produced by | William S. Hart |
| Starring | William S. Hart Anna Q. Nilsson Joseph Singleton Jack Richardson Richard Headrick |
| Cinematography | Joseph H. August |
| Edited by | LeRoy Stone |
Production company | William S. Hart Productions |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Toll Gate is a 1920 AmericansilentWestern film directed byLambert Hillyer, written by Lambert Hillyer andWilliam S. Hart, and starring William S. Hart,Anna Q. Nilsson,Joseph Singleton,Jack Richardson, and Richard Headrick. It was released on April 15, 1920, byParamount Pictures.[1][2]
As described in afilm magazine,[3] bandit leader Black Deering (Hart) leads his band on what he declares to be their last raid only to be captured when Tom Jordan (Singleton), one of the members, betrays him to the authorities. Deering escapes and attempts to reach the Mexican border. However, hunger forces him to enter a western town. Here he meets Jordan, whose opposition results in a burning of the town and Deering's escape and pursuit by a posse. He takes shelter in the home of Mary Brown (Nilsson), a widow who lives in a lonely cabin with her little son (Headrick). She willingly poses as Deering's wife, but the Sheriff (Richardson) is not convinced and asks permission to house his men in the cabin for the night. This brings about the situation where Deering, on his honor, must reveal his identity. News comes of a threatened attack by Jordan on members of the posse, and Deering requests the opportunity to die fighting and is given it. During the fight Deering kills Jordan, who is Mary Brown's missing husband. The Sheriff grants Deering his freedom.
Copies ofThe Toll Gate are in theLibrary of Congress,Museum of Modern Art film archive, and theGeorge Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.[4] The film has also been released on DVD.
