Kid Speed (1924)

Directors:

Larry Semon
Noel M. Smith

Writers:

Leon Lee (titles)
Larry Semon (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short | Action | Romance

Plot:

Avery DuPoise is a wealthy business man, organising a race. He meets one the competitors of the race...

Plot Keywords:

Jump From Car | Car Drives Into House | Avalanche | Sabotage | Slapstick

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Four Wheel Terror (USA)
The Four Wheeled Terror (UK)

Runtime:

UK:18 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | UK:U

Company:

Chadwick Pictures Corporation

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.