Teddy at the Throttle

Teddy at the Throttle
A theater advertising Teddy at the Throttle
Directed by	Clarence G. Badger
Produced by	Mack Sennett
Starring	Bobby Vernon Gloria Swanson Wallace Beery Teddy the Dog
Production company	Keystone Studios
Distributed by	Triangle Film Corporation
Release date	April 15, 1917 (1917-04-15)
Running time	24 minutes; 2 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Gloria Swanson in Teddy at the Throttle

Teddy at the Throttle

Vernon with Gloria Swanson and Teddy the Dog in Teddy at the Throttle

Teddy at the Throttle is a 1917 American silent comedy short film starring Bobby Vernon, Gloria Swanson, and Wallace Beery. ^[1] Wallace Beery and Gloria Swanson were briefly husband and wife during this period. ^{[2] [3]}

Cast

• Bobby Vernon as Bobbie Knight
• Gloria Swanson as Gloria Dawn
• Wallace Beery as Henry Black
• May Emory as The Guardian's Sister
• Blanche Phillips as The Boy's Mercenary Aunt
• Teddy the Dog as Teddy
• Roxana McGowan

Production

Wallace Beery and Gloria Swanson had been married two months before Teddy at the Throttle was produced. According to Swanson's autobiography, Beery raped her on their wedding night and in the week before filming occurred, Beery had secretly dosed Swanson with an abortifacient, which caused their separation. Clarence Badger approached Swanson about her being cast for the film along with Beery, she accepted, avoiding Beery as much as possible.

For the scene where Gloria Dawn is snatched up by Henry Black and tied to the train tracks, Beery was overly aggressive with Swanson, and said she was not acting when she kicked and struggled.

Initially, a stunt man was going to substitute for Swanson when her character dove into a hole she dug under the tracks, just as the train passed over, but Swanson insisted on doing the stunt herself.

The train scenes were shot on location in San Bernardino. ^[4]

Preservation

35 mm copies are held by George Eastman House, ^[5] Blackhawk Films, and in the private collection of Richard M. Roberts. ^[1]

References

1. "Progressive Silent Film List: Teddy at the Throttle". silentera.com. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
2. Shearer, Stephen Michael (2013). Gloria Swanson: The Ultimate Star. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN   9781250013668.
3. Swanson, Gloria (1980). Swanson on Swanson . Random House. pp.  69–75. ISBN   0-394-50662-6.
4. Swanson, Gloria (1980). Swanson on Swanson. New York: Random House. pp. 69–77. ISBN   978-0-394-50662-3.
5. "Teddy at the Throttle". collections.eastman.org. Retrieved August 29, 2025.

External links

• Teddy at the Throttle at IMDb
• Teddy at the Throttle on YouTube
• Teddy at the Throttle, with soundtrack on YouTube