| The Greyhound Limited | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Howard Bretherton |
| Written by | Albert S. Howson (story) Anthony Coldeway Robert Lord (writer) Joseph Jackson (titles) |
| Starring | Monte Blue Edna Murphy Grant Withers |
| Cinematography | Ben Reynolds |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes 8 reels 6,114 feet |
| Languages | Sound (Part-Talkie) English Intertitles |
The Greyhound Limited is a 1929 part-talkie crime drama and railroad theme film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring Monte Blue. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. The film was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film is a follow-up to the 1927 film The Black Diamond Express . [1]
The film survives in the Library of Congress and Wisconsin Center For Film and Theatre Research, Madison Wisconsin. [2] The full soundtrack (except for reels 5, 7 and 8) survives on Vitaphone discs. [3]
Monte (Monte Blue), a railroad engineer, lives at the home of Mrs. Williams (Lucy Beaumont) and her son Bill (Grant Withers), who is Monte's pal and the fireman on his engine. Bill is somewhat wild and girl-crazy, and Monte proves a great help to Mrs. Williams in keeping the boy straight and under control.
Bill, as usual, "falls in love" with Edna (Edna Murphy), a waitress at a railroad restaurant, and spends his whole month's pay in one night of revelry with her. Edna, who really likes Monte but has been ignored by him, goes out with Bill to pique Monte. She even agrees to attend the Engineers' Ball with Bill, but Monte, thinking to prevent Bill's plans to marry Edna, invites her himself. She accepts eagerly.
At the ball, Monte finds himself genuinely attracted to Edna. On the moonlit veranda, they share a moment just as Bill, having drowned his disappointment in liquor, arrives and sees them together. Misunderstanding Monte's motives, Bill angrily confronts him and severs their friendship. Monte tries to explain, but Bill refuses to listen.
Drinking heavily, Bill loses his job and leaves town with a group of derelicts. Weeks later, he returns, a wreck of his former self, and still refuses to speak to Monte. He joins the bums at a speakeasy, and during a dispute over payment, Limpy (Ernie Shields) kills the proprietor by hitting him with a bottle. Bill, drunk and unresponsive, is framed for the crime when the others place the bottle in his hand and flee. Monte sees The Rat (Lew Harvey), one of the real culprits, leaving the scene, and shortly after, Bill is arrested.
Convicted of murder on circumstantial evidence, Bill is sent to the penitentiary to await execution. Later, while working his train, Monte sees two bums being ejected at a station and recognizes The Rat. Monte alerts a railroad detective, who arrests The Rat. Authorities decide to take him to jail in Banning, hoping to get a confession.
Monte and Edna, now close friends, are deeply distressed, knowing Bill’s execution is scheduled for that evening. The Rat’s companion escapes and telegrams Limpy, warning that The Rat may talk. Limpy and his gang rob the restaurant where Edna works, and she overhears their plan to derail the train to prevent The Rat from reaching Banning.
Edna escapes by car to warn Monte, but the train has already passed the last telegraph station. The gang releases three freight cars from a mountain siding, sending them careening toward the oncoming train. Edna drives down the mountain in a race to reach Monte first.
Monte spots the runaway freight cars and detaches the engine from the rest of the train, running it uphill to intercept them. At the last second, he jumps to safety, and the cars crash into the engine.
Meanwhile, Limpy tries to kill The Rat to silence him, but Monte intervenes just in time. Enraged, The Rat confesses that Limpy committed the murder. Monte climbs a telegraph pole and sends a message that halts Bill's execution at the final moment.
Later, Bill, now a full-fledged engineer, pilots the train carrying Monte and Edna on their honeymoon.
