The Roaring Road | |
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Directed by | James Cruze Frank Urson (racing sequence) James Barranger (asst. director) |
Written by | Marion Fairfax |
Based on | short stories by Byron Morgan |
Produced by | Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky |
Starring | Wallace Reid |
Cinematography | Frank Urson |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | April 27, 1919 |
Running time | 5 reels (4,309 feet) |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Roaring Road is a 1919 American silent action romance film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is taken from the short stories by Byron Morgan; Junkpile Sweepstakes, Undertaker's Handicap, and Roaring Road.
This film was so successful that it spawned a sequel, Excuse My Dust , from stories by the same author. This film is available on video and DVD from online sources. [1] [2] [3]
As described in a film magazine, [4] "Toodles" Walden (Reid), an automobile salesman who works for a sporty old automobile distributor J. D. Ward (Roberts), has racing ambitions and is in love with Ward's daughter Dorothy (Little). The old man does not propose to give her up for five years and overreaches in an attempt to stimulate the young man with feigned complaints. They part company, but Ward is in despair when three racing machines are damaged in a train wreck.
Toodles buys the wreckage and assembles one complete car with the aid of his mechanic. With this car Toodles wins an important race, then holds up Ward for an increase in pay. There are just a few days left for a record to be broken between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and after Toodles is arrested for speeding, Ward has him released as part of his plot to break this record. Ward kidnaps his own daughter, and Toodles comes to the rescue and breaks the record, and also wins Dorothy.
Larry Steers and Teddy Tetzlaff appear uncredited.
William Wallace Halleck Reid was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver.
The House That Shadows Built (1931) is a feature compilation film from Paramount Pictures, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio's founding in 1912. The film was a promotional film for exhibitors and never had a regular theatrical release.
James Cruze was a silent film actor and film director.
Across the Continent is a lost silent film released by Paramount Pictures in June 1922, and was one of star Wallace Reid's last performances.
Forever is a 1921 American silent romance film, also known as Peter Ibbetson, that was written by Ouida Bergère and directed by George Fitzmaurice. It was adapted from George du Maurier's 1891 novel Peter Ibbetson, which was made into a play of the same name by John N. Raphael.
Ann Little, also known as Anna Little, was an American film actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film era of the early 1910s through the early 1920s. Today, most of her films are lost, with only twelve known to survive.
Theodore Herbert "Teddy" Tetzlaff was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing. He competed in the first four Indianapolis 500s, with a highest finish of second in 1912. He earned the nickname "Terrible Teddy" due to his rough treatment of his vehicles. His wide-open throttle racing style would variously win a race, blow up his engine or cause him to crash. As auto racing strategies evolved from the early "go as fast as you can and see if you can stay on the track," his early dominance of the sport waned.
Clarence is a 1922 American silent comedy drama, based on the 1919 play by Booth Tarkington, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William C. deMille and starred Wallace Reid in his penultimate screen appearance.
You're Fired is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and starring Wallace Reid. The film was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures on June 8, 1919.
Sick Abed is a 1920 silent comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures/Artcraft, an affiliate of Paramount. It was directed by Sam Wood and stars matinee idol Wallace Reid. It is based on a 1918 Broadway stage play Sick-a-bed by Ethel Watts Mumford starring Mary Boland. The spelling of the movie varies from the spelling of the play.
Excuse My Dust! is a surviving 1920 American silent comedy-drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based upon a Saturday Evening Post short story "The Bear Trap" by Byron Morgan. Sam Wood directed Wallace Reid. Reid's young son, Wallace Jr., makes his first screen appearance here. This film is preserved in the Library of Congress.
Believe Me, Xantippe is a lost 1918 American silent romantic comedy film produced by Jesse Lasky for release through Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by actor/director Donald Crisp and stars Wallace Reid and Ann Little. The film is based on a 1913 William A. Brady-produced play Believe Me Xantippe by John Frederick Ballard, which on the Broadway stage had starred John Barrymore.
What's Your Hurry? is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Sam Wood and stars Wallace Reid and Lois Wilson.
Double Speed is a lost 1920 American silent comedy-drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was the debut directorial effort of Sam Wood and starred Wallace Reid in another of his racing car films.
The Dancin' Fool is a surviving 1920 American silent romantic comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Sam Wood directed this one of his earliest efforts. Wallace Reid and Bebe Daniels star, at the time Paramount was making them a popular team in replacement of Reid's previous female lead Ann Little. A copy of this film survives in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
The Lucky Devil is a 1925 American silent comedy-drama film, also known as Lucky Devil, directed by Frank Tuttle, and released by Paramount Pictures.
The Lottery Man is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and starring Wallace Reid and Wanda Hawley. It is based on a 1909 Broadway play, The Lottery Man, by Rida Johnson Young. In the play Cyril Scott and Janet Beecher played the roles that Reid and Hawley play in the film. Famous Players-Lasky produced and Paramount Pictures distributed.
Less Than Kin is a lost 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Marion Fairfax and Alice Duer Miller. The film stars Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Raymond Hatton, Noah Beery, Sr., James Neill and Charles Ogle. The film was released on July 21, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
The Dub is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and written by Edgar Franklin and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Wallace Reid, Charles Ogle, Ralph Lewis, Raymond Hatton, Winter Hall, and Nina Byron. The film was released on January 19, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.
This is a comprehensive listing of Wallace Reid's (1891–1923) silent film output. Reid often played a clean-cut, well-groomed American go-getter on screen, which is how he is best remembered, but he could alternate with character roles, especially in his early short films, most of which are now lost. Some films have him as a director, some have him as an actor and some have him as both in particular his numerous short films. His first feature film is the famous appearance as a young blacksmith in The Birth of a Nation in 1915.
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