Square Shoulders (1929)





Once a celebrated hero of the Great War, Slag now lives as a hobo, relying on his wits and occasional theft to survive. When he returns to his hometown with his two accomplices, he learns that his wife has passed away, leaving their son Tad without a caregiver. Filled with compassion for the boy, Slag resorts to theft to pay for Tad's education at a military school. He finds a job as a stable boy and teaches Tad how to ride horses and play the bugle. However, his criminal past catches up with him when his former partners demand his help in robbing the academy. During the heist, Tad stumbles upon the trio dividing their loot and Slag is tragically shot while trying to protect his son. Tad mourns his death and plays taps at his grave, never realizing that the heroic Slag was actually his biological father.


Vintage magazines

Photoplay , March 1929
Photoplay , March 1929
Photoplay , March 1929


Books with substantial mentioning of Square Shoulders

Robert K. Klepper
Silent Films, 1877-1996, A Critical Guide to 646 Movies
Jefferson, North Carolina and London, 1999