Crazy Car Comedies

In the earliest days of film, one of the most popular genres was the "car comedy." Automobiles were novelties for many folks at the beginning of the 20th century, so movie audiences were thrilled by all the wild antics of outrageous drivers and passengers careening down the road in cars, trucks, paddy wagons and fire engines.

This collection showcases early Hollywood silent gems by masters of their craft. Mack Sennett (creator of the Keystone Kops style of comedy) and his rival Hal Roach (who later brought Laurel & Hardy and the Our Gang series to the screen) produced the first three shorts presented here. The fourth film featured here is a rarely seen documentary of the very first Indianapolis 500-mile auto race, in 1911.

Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies (1925): In this surreal Mack Sennett production, an inventor's amazing radio-controlled cars cause nothing but chaos for their owners and just about everyone else. Starring Billy Bevan, Andy Clyde; Directed by Del Lord; Written by Frank Capra.

Don't Park There! (1924): Hal Roach presents Will Rogers in this slap-stick tale of a very inexperienced driver desperately searching for a parking space as he shops for his wife's bottle of "horse liniment. Starring Will Rogers; Directed by Fred Guiol.

Wife and Auto Trouble (1916): A henpecked husband buys a fancy car for his sexy secretary. He gets into trouble with the law after his wife, who assumes the gift was for her, is arrested for auto theft. Starring William Collier, Mae Busch; Directed by Mack Sennett & Dell Henderson.

The First 500-Mile Indianapolis Speedway Race (1911): This fascinating documentary of the very first Indy 500 auto race was filmed in 1911, when two men rode in each vehicle. One driver, Ray Harroun, rode solo, winning the race against the objections of his two-man competition.

Upplagd i sortimentet: 10 januari, 2020