Broncho Billy's Christmas Dinner (1911)
It's Christmas, and a young woman is on her way to celebrate the holidays with her parents. A group of drunk cowboys startle her horses making her wagon, with the woman on it, speed off. By chance Broncho Billy saves her life and the grateful girl invites him over for Christmas dinner. Little does he know that the young lady is the Sheriff's daughter…
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At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
This film is a novelty in western productions. The idea of it is excellent and the method of working it out is to be commended. Broncho Billy is a bad man who has committed numberless crimes. In this instance, even though he had planned to rob a coach, he rescues the driver and a girl from death in a runaway and is invited with the rest of the crowd to a Christmas dinner at the girl's home. The incident results in his redemption and a decision to reform. The long ride through the mountains with the coach is attractive and there is a thrill in every step of the runaway horses as they dash away and the outlaw after them. When he climbs to the box and takes the reins from the girl's hands the audience is ready to cheer. The story and the action are alike excellent and this film will prove popular because of its unusual but altogether reasonable sensations. - The Moving Picture World, January 6, 1912
Wanted criminal Broncho Billy is all set to steal the cash box. However, when Edna Fisher loses control of the rig that is holding the money, Billy rescues her instead and is invited to Christmas Dinner.Anderson was the first cowboy superstar, playing in over 300 movies from 1907 through 1915, usually directing himself, and releasing more than two thousand movies through his co-owned Essanay. Billy's character varied throughout the films, from rowdy cowhand through outright criminal, but usually falling into the rough outline of the Good Bad Man. In this comedy of redemption, we see a clear seasonal message of redemption mixed with some nice situational comedy.The Broncho Billy movies' short length and frantic production schedule didn't permit much in the way of subtlety, but to fans of western movies, they are an important bit of history. This one is a very pleasant bit of seasonal cheer.