The Trap (1922 film)
The Trap is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Lon Chaney and Alan Hale. It was released by Universal Pictures. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Heart of a Wolf. The film stars Chaney as the leading character, Alan Hale as his rival, and Irene Rich as the female lead. Chaney had also appeared in an unrelated film of the same name in 1913. The film also features in a minor role Chaney's son Creighton (later known as Lon Chaney Jr.) in his film  debut. Plot. As described in a film magazine, Gaspard the Good (Chaney) returns from a trip to his traps to find his sweetheart Thalie (Godowsky) deeply interested in a newcomer, Benson (Hale). When Gasperd goes to his mine he finds Benson's men in possession, he having acquired it through a legal technicality. Broken in health and spirit, Gaspard waits. Benson marries Thalie and, in the seven years that follow, she becomes ill and dies, leaving a son. Benson is thrown in jail for shooting a Swede, whom Gaspard had urged to fight Benson. Gaspard takes the child to his  cabin and, knowing that Benson will come after his release from prison to claim his child, plans an awful revenge. He arranges a trap in his cabin that he hopes Benson will walk into and be eaten by a hungry wolf that has been penned up. The boy, however, walks into the trap, and Gaspard is nearly killed rescuing him. Then Benson comes, and Gaspard, having learned a lesson, turns the boy over to him and wishes them Godspeed. Production. "The Trap" was filmed in Yosemite National Park in California. Survival status. Several prints of "The Trap" exist and it  is available on DVD.