Battle of Greed (1937)

Directed by Howard Higgin, Battle of Greed is a compact Western drama set during the silver boom in Virginia City, Nevada. Released by Crescent Pictures, the film blends courtroom intrigue, frontier justice, and historical fiction—featuring one of the earliest cinematic portrayals of Mark Twain, who famously lived and wrote in Virginia City during the 1860s.

Plot Summary
When silver is discovered in Virginia City, a group of hopeful settlers from Indiana—led by lawyer John Storm (Tom Keene)—stakes their claim. But powerful interests, including a crooked judge and a corrupt mining company, try to wrest the land away. Storm must defend his people in court, exposing bribery and fraud among the jurors. Alongside him is his younger brother Danny (Jimmy Butler) and a local newspaper editor—none other than Mark Twain (James Bush), who adds wit and wisdom to the fight.

Cast Highlights

• Tom Keene as John Storm
• Gwynne Shipman as Linda Avery
• James Bush as Mark Twain
• Jimmy Butler as Danny Storm
• Robert Fiske as Lawyer Hammond
• Ray Bennett as Bates, the henchman
• William Worthington and Henry Roquemore as rival judges
• Carl Stockdale, Lloyd Ingraham, and Budd Buster in supporting roles

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

• This was the final film directed by Howard Higgin, who had worked in silent and early sound cinema
• The film aired on New York’s W2XBS as early as April 26, 1940, making it one of the earliest Westerns shown on American television
• It was part of a package of over 200 independent features made available for TV syndication by Advance Television Pictures in 1942
• The earliest post-WWII telecasts occurred in Cincinnati (1950), Los Angeles (1950), and New York City (1950)
• The portrayal of Mark Twain is considered one of the earliest in film history, predating Hal Holbrook’s famous one-man show by decades