HELL'S HOLE (THE AVALANCHE) (1923) Buck Jones & Maurice "Lefty" Flynn Western

Description

Vintage original 11x14 in. US lobby card
from the 1920's train robbers-themed western drama,
HELL'S HOLE
(AKA THE AVALANCHE), released in 1923 by the Fox Film Corporation and
directed by Emmett J. Flynn
. Based upon a story by George Scarborough, a railway conductor throws cowboys Tod Musgrave (Buck Jones) and Dell Hawkins (Maurice "Lefty" Flynn) off the train because they are without tickets. Settling down in a station, Tod dreams: Dell robs the train and escapes, planting some of the money on him. After an episode of adventure and romance in which Tod is sent to prison, escapes, and finally tracks down the culprit, Tod awakens to find that Dell is still his jolly companion. The cast includes Ruth Clifford, Eugene Pallette, George Siegmann, Kathleen Key, Hardee Kirkland, Charles K. French, Rube Miller, Fred Kohler, and Dick Sutherland.
The image
depicts
an interior scene inside of a cabin as Dorothy Owen (
Ruth Clifford
),
Dell Hawkins (
Maurice "Lefty" Flynn
),
and Tod Musgrave (
Buck Jones
) struggle to free themselves from the devastation and debris of what we assume was from the avalanche that roared down upon them
. All three characters are looking upwards in the same direction as if trying to confirm whether the avalanche is still in progress or not. Affixed over the credits box in the lower left corner is a paper snipe that reads
William Fox - Presents - "The Avalanche."
If you hold a bright light to the back of the card, you can see the original credits box, which reads
William Fox - Presents - A 1924 Cine-Drama - HELL'S HOLE
. It is unrestored in fine+ condition with small creases of varying sizes on the corners; one pinhole in the top and bottom borders; two small stains of varying sizes in the center of the upper background area; and random signs of wear and/or discoloration in the borders. There are no tears, writing, or other flaws.
At this time (Aug. 3), we have the complete set of 8 lobby cards. All 7 scene cards have the film's released title of
Hell's Hole
printed on them in the credits box, but each has a paper snipe pasted on top of the credits that says, "
William Fox - Presents - The Avalanche
." The AFI Catalog, IMdB, other film-related websites, as well as then-contemporary trade reviews all refer to this film's title as
Hell's Hole
. Therefore, it seems odd that the original-release lobby cards printed with the released title would have these paper snipes with this alternate title pasted onto them, and the title lobby card offered here was printed with
The
Avalanche
as the title. What is also unusual is that this scene card offered here features the three main characters inside of a rustic cabin in shambles as though
it was hit by the avalanche of the film's alternate title.
The second card depicts the same interior cabin with these same 3 characters all pausing in their actions to look upwards at the ceiling as if they hear the beginning rumblings of an avalanche; however, none of the plot synopses we found makes any reference to an avalanche as part of the story.