The Speed Kings (1913)

Action scenes of early automobile racing highlight this story of Papa's efforts to thwart Mabel's romantic infatuation with a race car driver.

Director:

Wilfred Lucas

Stars:

Ford Sterling, Mabel Normand, Teddy Tetzlaff

Cast

Cast overview:
Ford Sterling	...	Papa
Mabel Normand	...	Mabel
Teddy Tetzlaff	...	Himself - a Race Car Driver - Mabel's Choice (as Teddy Tetzlaft)
Earl Cooper	...	Himself - a Race Car Driver
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle	...	Masher
Barney Oldfield	...	Himself - a Race Car Driver
Billy Jacobs	...	Boy in Crowd (as Paul Jacobs)

Storyline

Papa is taking his daughter Mabel to an automobile race. Mabel is in love with Teddy Tetzlaff, but Papa prefers Earl Cooper, and he schemes to try to prevent Tetzlaff from winning the race. As the race begins, Papa and Mabel are watching it together with conflicting loyalties and strong emotions.

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Plot Keywords:

automobile | racing | race car | character name in title

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Action

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1913 (USA)

Also Known As:

Speed Kings Tetzlaff and Earl Cooper

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keystone Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The main titles and the inter-titles both misspell race car driver Teddy Tetzlaff's name as "Tetzlaft". His name is shown spelled correctly when his racing car is seen with the name painted on it.

User Reviews

Showing up Rudely

Ah, Mabel Normand, from the days when being a wild cokeheaded actress meant something. This is an early one from the Keystone days and the print I saw had some inexplicable stuff tacked onto the end, looked like Fatty and Laurel fighting for some reason.

The main film is a car race with a mean ol daddy who will give his daughter, the desirable Mabel, to the winner. She prefers one fellow, Teddy Tetzlaff, and her dad roots for Earl Cooper. It seems that is the names of the actors. The print carries no credits.

Oddly, the bad guy wins, and we have no reason to know why he is a bad guy, nor why Mabel seems unfazed. Its after the race that the unexplained tussle between two guys we haven't seen before occurs. There are crowd scenes, so this may have been one of those movies made on a day when a real race was run. The race footage might have been exciting for the times.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.