The First Auto (1927)

Hank owns horses, stables horses and races horses. He favorite horse always wins and he is prosperous and will known. His son (Bob), however dreams only of the future of the horseless ... See full summary »

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Anthony Coldeway (screen play), Jack Jarmuth (titles),

Stars:

Russell Simpson, Frank Campeau, Gibson Gowland

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Russell Simpson	...	'Hank' Armstrong
Frank Campeau	...	Mayor Robbins
Gibson Gowland	...	The Blacksmith
Anders Randolf	...	The Auctioneer
William Demarest	...	The Village Cut-Up
Paul Kruger	...	Steve
Douglas Gerrard	...	Squire Stebbins
Charles Emmett Mack	...	Bob Armstrong (as Chas. E. Mack)
Patsy Ruth Miller	...	Rose Robbins
Barney Oldfield	...	The Master Driver

Storyline

Hank owns horses, stables horses and races horses. He favorite horse always wins and he is prosperous and will known. His son (Bob), however dreams only of the future of the horseless carriage and not of the horse. This causes problems between Hank and Bob. As the people in the town convert from horses to autos, Hank detests those who switch - so he looses his friends, his son Bob and finally his livery business. Bob leaves his flame Rose and goes to Detroit, gets involved with the auto industry and does very well. He does not forget Hank and promises to see him again, but Hank's hatred of the auto may cause the death of Bob.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | race | horseless carriage | auto industry | practical joke | 

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Taglines:

Do You Remember the First Girl to Walk Home from an Auto Ride?

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1927 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Riverside, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min 77 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone) (talking sequences, musical score, sound effects)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is being preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

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Connections

Edited into Gadgets Galore (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Me-ow"
(uncredited)
Music by Mel Kaufman
In the score when the cat walks in front of the magic lantern

User Reviews

A patchwork of a film that was darker than I expected

This film about the displacement of the horse by the automobile was made by Warner Brothers as a morality tale on the perils of resisting progress - like talking pictures such as this early experiment in sound technology. Not only are there synchronized sound effects and music in this film. There are actually a few words of dialogue such as the father speaking the son's name - "Bob", and the word "Go". Nothing more complex than that was possible at the time.

The beginning is light and breezy - you have a man, Hank Armstrong, with a champion race horse - 'Sloe Eyes - and a successful livery business. His son, Bob, courts a local girl and at the same time dreams of building horseless carriages. He has competition for the girl's hand

• a fellow that does not like to fight fair - and he enters importantly

into the plot near the end of the film. In time, father and son come to a parting of the ways when the father sees Bob's boosting of and participation in the auto business as betrayal.

There are a few interesting things to note in this film. One is William Demarest as comic relief throughout the movie. Another is Barney Oldfield playing himself. Finally there is the bizarre fact that the fellow who plays Bob died in an automobile accident at the age of 27 during the time this film was being made. If the ending seems a bit incomplete or unsatisfactory because of his absence, this is the reason.