I saw it a quite a few years ago on Turner Classic Movies on Silent Sunday. The theme was “Physical Handicaps Portrayed in Film” or something like that.

It’s a silent film, black and white, and I think it was made in the 1910-1930’s.

The story is about a young man who lives in a small forest village as a telegraph pole climber and he signs up for WWI and after the war he comes back in a wheel chair and is home bound, but he becomes the town handy man and inventor. A girl stars visiting him and he starts teaching her manners and cleans her up. She falls in love with him, but the mother disapproves because he’s in a wheel chair and she wants her to marry the rich healthy man of the village, but he’s really a bully. The paralyzed man decides he’ll talk the mother and try and convince her to let them marry. He practices all night walking on crutches but a blizzard comes in and he doesn’t make it in time. Then through sheer will power he starts walking and then running and he catches up to his love, beats up the bully, and gets the girl.

If you can think of the title I’d really appreciate it. Thanks 🙂