The Busher

"The Busher" is a somewhat charming little feature. It's a rural romance, where the hero is temporarily corrupted by the city-a common type of American picture during the silent era. The baseball part serves to distinguish it from other such fare, although its star Charles Ray had already appeared in a similar project, "The Pinch Hitter" (1917), so maybe there isn't much there to separate. The baseball footage is okay, although there is some bad continuity during the big league game, and Ray clearly can't really throw a ball (he lightly tosses it and adds wasted motion in his windup). "The Busher" also features some nice art titles.

A star from the mid teens to early twenties, Ray seems to have specialized in this role of country bumpkin making good and winning the affections of his sweetheart (here played by Colleen Moore, who would become a bigger star later in the 20s). Ray has all sorts of hesitations and odd mannerisms down pat for the type, but I've seen better, such as by Richard Barthelmess ("Tol'able David") and Robert Harron ("True Heart Susie"). Another would-be star, John Gilbert, gives what I consider the best performance here, though. He's a slick and gleeful opponent to the hero; it's just too bad his part was so small. Additionally, Margaret Livingston plays Pearl Devere, the woman from the city, which she also played in "Sunrise" (1927).