Kid Speed (1924)

Avery DuPoise is a wealthy business man, organising a race. He meets one the competitors of the race, who is in love with DuPoises daughter. Another competitor crashes into the action, who ... See full summary »

Directors:

Larry Semon, Noel M. Smith

Writers:

Leon Lee (titles), Larry Semon,

Stars:

Larry Semon, Dorothy Dwan, Oliver Hardy

Cast

Cast overview:
Larry Semon	...	The Speed Kid
Dorothy Dwan	...	Lou DuPoise
Oliver Hardy	...	Dangerous Dan McGraw (as Oliver N. Hardy)
Frank Alexander	...	Mr. Avery DuPoys
Spencer Bell	...	The Speed Kid's co-driver
William Hauber	...	Sheriff Phil O'Delfa (as Bill Hauber)
James J. Jeffries	...	Blacksmith
Grover Ligon

Storyline

Avery DuPoise is a wealthy business man, organising a race. He meets one the competitors of the race, who is in love with DuPoises daughter. Another competitor crashes into the action, who is also in love DuPoises daughter. DuPoise suggests that who ever wins the race will have the opportunity to visit his daughter every Wednesday night. An action packed races commences, with one competitor doing more than usual to win the race.

---

Plot Keywords:

race | race car | exploding bridge | sabotage | slapstick comedy | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Short | Action | Romance

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1924 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Four Wheel Terror

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chadwick Pictures Corporation, Larry Semon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

18 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Genius

I remember seeing this on TV about twenty years ago and many of its images have stuck in my memory. It's great to see all these 'Laurel without Hardy' shorts and features made available on DVD, especially when they seem to have stopped being shown on TV (here in the UK anyway). One of the lesser known silent comedy greats, the final five minutes of Kid Speed features one of the best car chases ever put to film, and stunts (performed by Larry Sermon himself) that put many of today's CGI-fuelled sequences to shame. It's also always interesting to see Hardy in one of his pre-Laurel and Hardy appearances, and the underrated Larry Sermon is a pleasure to watch.