Sam Wood Movies
When American director Sam Wood first reported to Cecil B. De Mille as an assistant in 1915, Wood had already dabbled in real estate and acted on-stage under the name of Chad Applegate. A solo director by 1919, Wood worked throughout the '20s directing some of Paramount's biggest stars, among them Gloria Swanson and Wallace Reid. He began his long association with MGM in 1927, working with personalities as varied as Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Marie Dressler, and Jimmy Durante. He guided the Marx Brothers through their two most profitable films, A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937), and turned out one of the most accomplished sentimental dramas ever made in Hollywood, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). Hopping from studio to studio in the '40s, Wood directed Ginger Rogers through her Oscar-winning performance in Kitty Foyle (1940), successfully transferred Thornton Wilder's highly theatrical Our Town (1940) to the screen (even the studio-imposed happy ending worked), and assembled the quintessential baseball biopic, The Pride of the Yankees (1942).The list of Wood's successes would seem to assure him a niche in the ranks of all-time best Hollywood directors, yet his reputation has tarnished since his death in 1949. Most detractors insist that Wood was a hack, citing his habit of shooting each scene an average of 20 times, his only verbal direction in each instance being "Go out there and sell 'em a load of clams." In truth, this technique was invaluable in wearing down such mannered performers as Walter Brennan, Dan Duryea, Frank Morgan, and Wallace Beery, until they were tired enough to behave like human beings instead of play-actors. The 20-take habit also enabled the more limited actors to re-think their interpretations until they'd found nuances that they would never have considered on the first take: Ronald Reagan, who was certainly no Olivier, was never better than in Wood's Kings Row (1942). Taking into consideration all the complaints about Sam Wood, the biggest bone of contention seems to be his reactionary politics. Wood was active in a number of right-wing organizations, and in 1947 he virulently condemned Hollywood's "left" before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Those whose politics are diametrically opposite to Wood's dwell incessantly upon this aspect of his life, embellishing the facts by painting him as a bigot and (in the words of Groucho Marx) a "fascist." But just as it is fitting and proper to separate the performances of a Jane Fonda, Shirley MacLaine, or Paul Newman from their political agendas, so too would it be fair to extend the same courtesy to Wood. No matter what sort of man Sam Wood was personally, his string of Hollywood hits should be his true legacy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Fascinating Youth was designed as a showcase for the winners of Paramount's Junior Star contest of 1926. Newcomer Charles "Buddy" Rogers heads the cast as Teddy Ward, the son of a wealthy hotelier (Ralph Lewis). Disturbed by Teddy's hedonistic lifestyle, Ward Sr. orders the boy to take over management of a winter resort hotel. With the help of talented sketch artist Jeanne King (Ivy Harris), Teddy mounts a big-time advertising campaign and transforms the dormant resort into a smashing success. Outside of Buddy Rogers and Ivy Harris, the other Junior Stars given a boost in Fascinating Youth include future cowboy hero Jack Luden and the delightful comedienne Thelma Todd. Also performing box-office duty in cameo roles are such established Paramount luminaries as Richard Dix, Adolphe Menjou, Clara Bow, Lois Wilson and Thomas Meighan, not to mention contract directors Lewis Milestone and Mal St. Clair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ivy Harris
- 1925
Harold Bell Wright, a popular author during the silent era, was known for his sentimental and unsophisticated stories. This film, based on one of his novels, was a good representation of his written work. Brian Kent (Kenneth Harlan) regrets stealing money from a Chicago bank and decides to kill himself. He takes poison and sets off in a small boat, which goes ashore on the banks of the Missouri River. Judy, a little drudge (ZaSu Pitts), brings Kent to her mistress, who everyone calls Auntie Sue (Mary Carr). Auntie Sue is a spinster school teacher, and her kindness helps to regenerate Kent, who is going by the name Burns. He writes a novel, which Betty Jo (Helene Chadwick), a friend of Auntie Sue's, types up. A romance blossoms between Betty Jo and Kent. The jealous Judy reveals Kent's true identity to her father, who rushes to Chicago to turn him in and claim the reward. Auntie Sue beats him there, and convinces the bank president -- one of her former pupils -- not to prosecute him. The romance is complicated, however, when Kent's wife (Rosemary Theby) shows up. Mrs. Kent's boat is caught in the rapids and she drowns in spite of Kent's desperate attempts to save her. With his wife now gone, he is able to be with Betty Jo. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Dalla (Betty Compson) is an untamed orphan of the South African veldt. She falls in love with Colonel Valentia, a noted English hunter (Warner Baxter), but his refined friends make fun of her crude ways. Hurt by their taunts, she decides to wed wealthy Boer Barend DeBeer (Noah Beery), under the condition that he wait three years before consummating the marriage. During that time, she goes to England and learns to become a lady. During a lion hunt back in South Africa, Dalla is left alone in her tent. Clon Biron (Freeman Wood) tries to seduce her. DeBeer, however, returns and Biron kills him. Dalla is accused of his murder, but Biron is finally found to be the guilty party. With DeBeer out of the way, Dalla is able to find happiness with Valentia. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Compson, Warner Baxter, (more)
- 1924
American engineer Robert Maury (Conway Tearle) travels to Paris with his wife, Elsie (Dorothy Mackaill). He leaves her there while he goes to Argentina on business. Elsie, like most neglected wives (at least in films), uses this opportunity to get into mischief -- she dresses exotically and draws the attention of Spaniard Don Arturo (Richardo Cortez). She goes to visit Arturo at his estate and his ardor is so passionate that she decides to write her husband a "Dear John" letter. Arturo is killed by a man who is infuriated because he ruined his daughter, and Elsie returns to Paris. When she discovers the letter hasn't arrived yet, she goes with Maury to Argentina. Arturo's servant, Juan Serafin (Lon Chaney) tracks her down with the letter. Elsie confesses all to her husband and insists that he read the letter. When they open up the envelope, it only contains a black sheet of paper -- the original has been destroyed. Maury forgives Elsie, and husband and wife are reconciled. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conway Tearle, Dorothy Mackaill, (more)
- 1924
This epic Western-melodrama was based on the popular novel by Harold Bell Wright. Two old prospectors, Thad Grove (Charlie Murray) and Bob Hill (Bert Woodruff) find an infant in the cabin belonging to Sonora Jack (Mitchell Lewis), a notorious bandit. The girl, Marta, grows to womanhood (to be played by Dorothy Mackaill). Hugh Edwards (Pat O'Malley), who has been falsely accused of embezzlement, escapes to the West, where he meets Marta and they fall in love. Natachee (Robert W. Frazer), an Indian educated in White ways, rescues Marta when she rides into a storm, and Edwards saves him from bandits. The grateful Natachee shows him the mine with the iron door, which contains a wealth of gold. Sonora Jack shows up, and, angry at not being able to find the mine himself, kidnaps Marta and holds her for ransom. Edwards and Natachee hunt him down and rescue the girl. Natachee kills the bandit, and papers prove that Marta's father is the one who embezzled the funds and that he confessed before he died. Sol Lesser, who produced this film, remade it as a talkie in 1936. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Agnes Ayres, who'd once been topbilled over Rudolph Valentino, was beginning the slow downward slide when she starred in Bluff. Ayres plays a young woman who must raise a great deal of money in a hurry to afford medical treatment for her brother. Thus she poses as a world-reknowned fashion designer, and in this guise is able to accrue the necessary funds. Her plan backfires when she is arrested for crimes committed by the designer. Attorney Antonio Moreno saves the day. Bluff was directed by Sam Wood, whose more famous endeavors included A Night at the Opera, Goodbye Mr. Chips and The Pride of the Yankees. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Agnes Ayres, Antonio Moreno, (more)
- 1923
This romantic drama gave filmgoers everything they expected from a Gloria Swanson picture -- fancy settings, gorgeous clothes, and a story that wasn't too taxing on the brain. It was adapted from the stage play by Alfred Savior, which starred Ina Claire on Broadway. John Brandon, an American millionaire (Huntley Gordon), has been married seven times but never found love. Then, when he is in Paris, Mona de Briac (Swanson) comes into his life. Mona comes from an noble family who is facing ruin. Although the marriage is financially advantageous, Mona really loves Brandon -- until she finds out about his seven other wives. She goes out of her way to do everything she can to test Brandon's love for her, and her tactics bring them to the brink of divorce when he finally loses faith in her. But as he is about to send her away, he realizes that her love is sincere, not her foolish actions. Ernst Lubitsch would remake this film in 1938 as a talkie, with Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert as the stars. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Huntly Gordon, (more)
- 1923
It was impossible for director Sam Wood to include all of Arthur Train's sprawling novel in this picture. Instead he seems to have turned it into a rather simplistic morality play about a flapper's redemption -- the sort of subject which was common in the 1920s. Old Peter B. Kayne (George Fawcett) has finally handed over the last of his fortune to his 55-year-old son, Rufus (Hale Hamilton). Although Rufus has entered society and is the respectable president of a trust company, he has a foolish side. While his three daughters -- Diana (Bebe Daniels), Claudia (Katheryn Lean, and Sheila (Dorothy Mackaill) -- carry on their frivolous lives, Rufus becomes involved with a young chorus girl, Mercedes (Mary Eaton). He gets involved in a theatrical venture which fails miserably, ruining the family's fortune. But Diana has finally seen the error of her ways and rescues her younger sister, Sheila, from making the same mistakes. She also marries Lloyd Maitland, a young lawyer (James Rennie). Rufus has a nervous breakdown and all of the Kayne's possessions are put up for auction. While coming down the stairs, he falls, taking down a tapestry with him. It reveals the saying, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it" (it was common in the 1920s for books and motion pictures to make Biblical references to prove their points). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bebe Daniels, Dorothy Mackaill, (more)
- 1923
Gloria Swanson is My American Wife in this farfetched but entertaining romantic drama. Married to Argentinian horse rancher Josef Swickard, Gloria is romanced by handsome aristocrat Antonio Moreno. This one has the whole shootin' match: duels, blood feuds, midnight trysts, and a pulse-pounding horse race. Sam Wood, the director famed for shooting every scene twenty times and declaring to his actors "Now let's sell 'em a load of clams!", manages to turn out a few clams of real class and style. My American Wife was based on a novel by Hector Turnbull. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Antonio Moreno, (more)
- 1923
Part of this romantic comedy was shot in a palatial Beverly Hills mansion, which happened to belong to the film's star, Gloria Swanson. Swanson plays a flapper, Swifty Forbes, who along with her sister, Marjory (Vera Reynolds), lead wild lives, much to the chagrin of their wealthy parents (Theodore Roberts and Louise Dresser). Keep in mind that the 1923 version of "wild" was much tamer than it is today -- at one point Mr. Forbes blows his top because Swifty prefers to play golf on Sunday instead of going to church. Finally, the girls move out on their own and Swifty finds a flat in Bohemian Greenwich Village. Marjory, meanwhile, weds a jazz songwriter who eventually dumps her. Because her father has cut off her income, Swifty has to go to work at a department store and is reduced to fending off the advances of her manager. Ultimately she returns home wiser, but not necessarily sadder -- she has handsome Roger Corbin (Ralph Graves) waiting for her. Playing a bit part as a newsboy is future director/producer Mervyn LeRoy, who, eight years later, would direct a Swanson talkie, Tonight or Never. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Ralph Graves, (more)
- 1922
This picture was one of several that Sam Wood directed for Gloria Swanson, and its lavishness shows the influence of Cecil B. DeMille -- not long before, Wood had been DeMille's assistant (and Swanson, for that matter, had been his star). Unfortunately, fancy sets and gowns was just about all it had. Its wispy story was founded on the tired cliché of the lover who believes the worst about his girl. Suzanne Ornoff (Swanson) comes to America as a successful actress because her press agent, Bud Walton (Walter Hiers, providing some comedy relief), has made up a notorious past for her. Unfortunately, her sweetheart, American artist Arnold Pell (David Powell) really does believe she was "the favorite of King Fernando," and leaves her. But Suzanne has allowed Walton to make her infamous only so she can make enough money to support her poor uncle and crippled sister, Jacqueline (Anne Cornwall). The estranged couple meet up again and Pell realizes the error of his decision to leave. His brother, Lawrence (Harrison Ford), is a doctor who cures Jacqueline, along with falling in love with her. So the film ends with two happy couples. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Dave Powell, (more)
- 1922
Because the drab Under the Lash failed at the box office, Paramount was more than happy to put their star, Gloria Swanson, into a more glamorous role here. She plays the stunning Lois Miller, who weds wheeler-dealer James Berkeley (Stuart Holmes). But Lois is nothing more than a trophy wife who he uses to attract potential marks. Lois is unaware of this until her former suitor, Allan Franklin (Richard Wayne) comes back into her life. Berkeley convinces Franklin to let him handle his financial affairs in Mexico, and all three of them head south of the border. It's then that Lois finally realizes she's been used. She halts the shady business deal and denounces her slimy husband. Just then a Mexican bandit (Clarence Burton) and his gang attack them and in the melee, Berkeley is killed. Lois and Franklin escape on horseback, leaping from a precipice to get away. The two of them finally make it to safety and, it is assumed, headed for the altar. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Richard Wayne, (more)
- 1922
This picture did great at the box office, and no wonder -- Paramount's biggest star of the day, Gloria Swanson, co-starred with Rudolph Valentino (whose fame was so new that his first name was still being spelled "Rodolph"), in a story written by the most famous trashy novelist of the day, Elinor Glyn. There was no way this romantic drama could have lost. Swanson plays Theodora Fitzgerald, the daughter of poor but aristocratic parents. Her father pushes her into a marriage with a retired and wealthy grocer, but on the honeymoon she meets Lord Bracondale, a stunningly handsome nobleman (Valentino) when he saves her from a mountain climbing fall. The two embark on a torrid affair (enhanced by fanciful historical flashbacks). Although Theodora wishes to do right by her husband, he discovers that she does not love him and goes on an expedition, where he is fatally wounded. Before he dies, he generously gives the errant couple his approval. Between the time this film completed production and the time it came out, The Four Horsemen of the Apolcalypse was released, increasing Valentino's box office value even more. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, (more)
- 1922
As Gloria Swanson's star rose higher and higher, Paramount endlessly repeated the formula that brought her fame -- take a glamorous woman who wears lots of fancy gowns and place her in romantic and domestic situations of high drama. Swanson was not terribly happy being on this treadmill and this picture -- based on a novel by David Lisle -- was one of her worst. Mrs. Bellew (Swanson) is married to a philandering cad. One day he comes home to find his wife entertaining a friend of the family and even though the whole scene is innocent, he suspects the worst. As a result he murders the friend and winds up on trial. But Mrs. Bellew faithfully remains silent about the circumstances so that he will be acquitted, even though it destroys her own reputation. When she loses the custody of her little boy, she travels to Europe and cynically forgets her sorrows with frivolous living. A young author falls in love with her, but Mr. Bellew's aunt finally makes her nephew own up to his wrongdoing. He realizes that his wife has really saved his life, and he goes to her. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Robert Cain, (more)
- 1921
Author Elinor Glyn knew how to generate publicity, and she created quite a bit when Paramount decided to film this story. In one scene, the girl (played by Gloria Swanson) has been bitten by a rattlesnake, and to save her, her co-star (played by Milton Sills) must suck the poison out of the wound -- which is located on her breast. A scene like this one just wasn't allowed in the silent era, and the studio was up in arms because Glyn refused to change it, at least until the controversy received enough press. Then she relented and allowed the wound to be low on the shoulder. As for the plot, it's the usual Glyn romantic stuff, and it kept Swanson -- who would soon become a superstar -- very much in the spotlight. Sir Edward Pelham (Alec B. Francis) married a Russian Gypsy (Swanson), and his daughter, Nadine (Swanson), now that's she's grown, is proving to have the same fiery temperament as her mother. Although he arranges for Nadine to marry her cousin, she falls in love with Bayard Delavel (Sills), a young engineer, during a trip to Nevada. Here is where the big rattlesnake bite scene happens. Delavel takes Nadine to his cabin to care for her, and gives her some whiskey. When her father walks in on the scene, he believes his daughter has been compromised and forces the couple to marry. Just as quickly, however, he also separates them and takes Nadine to Washington, D.C. Delavel, who believes that Nadine does not love him, allows her to go. In D.C., Nadine promises to marry Hopper (Arthur Hull), a millionaire, but when Delavel shows up at her engagement ball, the estranged couple are reunited. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson
- 1921
Kathryn Haynes (Wanda Hawley) has been raised to look down on everyone whose ancestry doesn't go back to the American Revolution, or who doesn't at least have the cash to make up for it. So she gets her comeuppance when she goes away to college and falls for star quarterback Bill Putnam (William Lawrence). When she finds out that he's working his way through school as a waiter, she turns her nose up at him, but his pals decide to teach her a lesson. Kathryn gets some humility and just to prove that she means it, she gets a job as a waitress herself, thus welcoming Bill back into her life. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wanda Hawley, Edwin Stevens, (more)
- 1921
According to trade paper Wid's, "If it happened that you got into your seat just after the introductory titles had been run off...you would probably go out fully impressed that Don't Tell Everything was a DeMille production." The reason for that, Gloria Swanson says in her autobiography, is because this comedy-drama was merely outtakes from Cecil B. DeMille's film The Affairs of Anatole. But the studio, Paramount (and perhaps the director that was given credit, Sam Wood), did manage to make a halfway credible film from the scraps -- sportsman Cullen Dale (Wallace Reid) secretly marries society girl Marian Westover (Swanson). But his pal, sportswoman Jessica Ramsey (Dorothy Cumming), decides she wants him herself. Marian doesn't want to honeymoon with Dale at Jessica's hunting lodge and they argue. Dale goes there on his own, and Marian's former suitor, Harvey Gilroy (Elliott Dexter), convinces her to go after him. She arrives at the cabin and wins her husban d back from Jessica. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Reid, Gloria Swanson, (more)
- 1921
What was Paramount thinking when it cast glamorous Gloria Swanson as a drab South African wife in this plodding drama? Deborah (Swanson) is married to a straight-laced Boer farmer, Simeon Krillet (Russell Simpson), who believes that the only book one needs is the Bible and who rules by the lash. When Englishman Robert Waring (Mahlon Hamilton) comes to work for Krillet, he brings literature and romance into Deborah's life. But Krillet catches her reading a non-Boer book, which he considers grounds for a beating, until she claims to be pregnant. She's lying, and when Krillet realizes she loves Waring, he takes her to the barn to shoot her. Waring stops him, and in the struggle, Krillet is killed. It turns out that Waring has a wife back in England, but she divorces him, finally leaving the beleaguered Deborah to her books and her lover. This motion picture -- one of very few Swanson features which lost money for Paramount -- was based on the book (and play ) The Shulamite by Alice and Claude Askew. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Mahlon Hamilton, (more)
- 1921
After his appearance in The Kid, little Jackie Coogan was obviously destined for stardom. For his first starring role, he was given this story written by George W. Peck, which had been made into a stage play by George M. Cohan. While the film didn't live up to the stage version (Moving Picture World said comparing the two "is to compare a two-dollar straw hat to an expensive Panama"), Coogan does have excellent support. Sam Wood directed the picture and the titles were written by Irvin S. Cobb. Young Henry Peck (Coogan) is a troublemaker -- the film begins with him opening the lion's cage at a circus and giving the whole town a scare. Although his father (James Corrigan) refuses to let him attend the circus as punishment, Henry manages to manipulate him into allowing him to go anyway. But his antics don't stop -- he puts ants in his father's "pleurisy pad" and causes a commotion at church. He gets his sister's boyfriend (Wheeler Oakman) into trouble. The boyfriend, however, executes a daring rescue at the end and, as a result, becomes Henry's pal for life. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Coogan, Wheeler Oakman, (more)
- 1920
Reginald Jay (Wallace Reid) has taken to his bed to avoid testifying in a divorce case. He decides that feigning illness isn't such a bad thing when he gets Bebe Daniels as a nurse. The court figures out that he's faking, so they send a doctor to check him out, but with the help of his nurse (she kisses him while his heart is being checked), he proves to be as ill as he claims to be. The battling couple (John Steppling and Winifred Greenwood) eventually resolve their differences, so Jay is able to rise from his sickbed and wed his nurse. This farce was based on a Broadway play by Ethel W. Mumford. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
When Gerald Elliot (Jay Eaton) becomes involved with Lotta St. Regis, a notorious snake dancer (Nell Craig), his cousin Christina (Wanda Hawley) decides to rescue him from her clutches. She heads over to Lotta's house, as does Adrian Maitland (Jerome Patrick), whose younger brother is also involved with the vamp. Christina and Maitland meet on Lotta's front porch, and he mistakes her for the snake dancer. She allows him to believe this, and he takes her prisoner on board his yacht. Christina finally tells him she's not Lotta, but he has fallen in love with her, so they get married. They keep it a secret, however, until Lotta tells Gerald's family that Christina compromised herself with Maitland. The couple pulls out their wedding license and Gerald dumps Lotta, who shrugs her shoulders and goes off in search of her next victim. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Sylvester Tibble (Wallace Reid) comes to New York City to work at the jug business run by his uncle, Enoch Jones (Raymond Hatton). He winds up supplementing his $6.00 a week when dancer Junie Budd (Bebe Daniels) discovers his slick footwork and takes him on as a dancing partner. His gig at one of the city's biggest jazz clubs wins him acclaim and enhances his uncle's modest business. This picture was based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Henry Payson Dowst. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Milly West (a miscast Ethel Clayton) is a dancer who has her heart bent on stardom. She has an admirer in country boy Tim Ennis (Walter Hiers), who lives in the same boarding house as she does, but she turns down his marriage proposal. During a performance, Milly is injured and can't get her strength back to get another gig. Hughie Ray (William Boyd), a pal of Tim's, comes to town and offers to take Milly back to the country to recuperate. She takes him up on his offer and after she has been there a while he proposes. But Milly has been told that her injury makes it impossible for her to bear children; since she knows that Ray loves kids she tries to leave him. Ray catches up with her and when he finds out why she ran away, he says he would be happy to adopt. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
During the early '20s, Wallace Reid starred in a number of snappy car racing films. This one was adapted from the Saturday Evening Post story "The Bear Trap," by Bryon Morgan, the same author responsible for the story to Reid's prior film, The Roaring Road. "Toodles" Walden (Reid) is manager of the Darco auto concern. His father-in-law, J.D. Ward, also known as "the Bear" (Theodore Roberts), is the company's president. Ward has a Darco with a powerful, new motor, which he is hiding from his rivals at the Fargot Motor Car Company. Its president, Mutchler (Tully Marshall), is determined to get his hands on the design. One of Fargot's racing drivers, Ritz (Walter Long), gets Walden involved in a street race and he is arrested. As a result, the angry Ward makes sure his license is suspended and sells the three Darco racing cars. The Fargot company acquires two of them and disguises them as Fargots. The firm challenges Darco to a race and Ward puts up ten thousand dollars for a Los Angeles-to-San Francisco race. Walden buys the other old Darco, which the Fargot people assume is the one with the new motor. Ward still has it and he gets into the race himself when he hears that Ritz has been ordered to destroy Walden's car. Walden beats Ritz up and takes over the other Fargot car. Ward wins the race, with Walden coming in second. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
When "Speed" Carr (Wallace Reid) has to travel from New York to Los Angeles to meet his uncle and claim an inheritance, he decides to make the trip by automobile. The trek goes well until he reaches the Western desert. While he is sleeping, his car and all his belongings are stolen, even his shoes. He arrives in L.A. looking like a bum, and the bank that was supposed to give him his money tosses him out as an impostor. By coincidence, he takes on the name of a certain criminal and goes to work as a chauffeur for the bank president's daughter, Sallie McPherson (Wanda Hawley). Sallie's new car just happens to be the one stolen from Speed. Because of his choice of pseudonym, Speed gets himself in all sorts of trouble, and ultimately he is accused of stealing his own car, impersonating himself and being his own murderer. Before things get cleared up, he manages to marry Sallie and eventually all turns out well. In the years before his premature death from drugs, Wallace Reid played breezy characters like this one in quite a few light comedies. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
