User Reviews

This short can be found in the recently released DVD collection "Treasures of the West"---a collection of mostly short films from the earliest days of movies until 1938.

"The Girl Ranchers" is a comedy about the 'skirts' coming to a ranch and spoiling everything. Let me explain. The film begins with women inheriting a ranch. Instead of letting the men run it, these are spunky and liberated women and decide to move west to take care of the place themselves. However, when they institute rules to clean up the place (such as the hired hands having to shave off their mustaches), the men leave--and the women decide to use their lady friends to manage the ranch. However, the local Indian tribe attacks (which is pretty weird for 1913) and the men decide to return and help the ladies. None of the film is especially funny by today's standards but I assume folks just got a big chuckle out of seeing the ladies try to 'act like men' unsuccessfully. Well made but not funny in the least, though I am glad by the end of the film both sides decided to give a little. An odd curio by today's standards.

When the Houston girls inherit the Rough Neck Ranch from their uncle, they decide to run it themselves. They rename it The Maidens' Rest Ranch and the cowboys go along with most of the reforms, especially when they bring their maidenly friends. However, when mustaches are banned, all the cowboys walk off the job -- well, actually, they ride off. Then the Indians attack....

Al Christie was running a comedy unit for Universal at this stage in his career and this one is a situational comedy rather than the slapstick affair it would have been at Mack Sennett's better remembered Keystone studio. At one reel, this is a pleasant if predictable comedy. If you wish to see it for yourself, it can be viewed at the George Eastman House's website.

The Girl Ranchers (1913)

** (out of 4)

Al Christie directed this comedy while at Universal. It centers around a group of women who inherit a ranch and instead of turning it over to men to have them run it, the ladies decide to do it themselves and this doesn't go over well with the men. The women finally see what they're in for once they get attacked by Indians. This "comedy" is pretty dull throughout the entire 13-minutes and there's certainly not any laughs to be had. I'm sure most people today would view this thing as sexist and there's no question that even more would probably be insulted by the ending. The biggest problem with the film is the fact that its simply not very funny. In fact, there were very few scenes that even seemed to be trying for laughs. There's one where the women demand that all the men be clean-shaven but this here just gets a smile at most. The rest of the film pretty much just shows the women working and cleaning up around the ranch while the guys throw a fit.

Two girls, inheriting a ranch, decide to invite their young women friends and run it themselves. The result is a rather breezy picture, but, of course, in the end they have to call upon the men to assist them. A conventional comedy idea rather well handled. The Moving Picture World, September 13, 1913