8mm Forum: Stepping on the Gas (1927)

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Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on September 11, 2009, 01:41 AM:

STEPPING ON THE GAS (1927) – Regular 8 (silent)

Story by J.C. Cook
Directed by Harry Moody
Produced by J.C. Cook
Sovereign Feature Productions

CAST
John Andrews – Robert Littlefield
Jerome Andrews – Jerome La Gasse
Sir Algie Betterfield – Harry Belmore
Johnny Mack – Kenneth McDonald
Fat Jones – Clifford Cook
Shrimp Adams – Milburn Morante
Clara Smith – Clara Horton
Clara’s Cousin – Madeline Schaeffer
Ima Frost – Georgie O’Dell
Helen Summers – Helen Burrows
Colonel Smith – Milton Fahrney

GENRE – Action / Comedy

SYNOPSIS -
The show opens with John and Jerome Andrews discussing business with Sir Betterfield. The discussion turns to autos and they both mention an interest in the engine that Mack has been working on. So much so that Betterfield runs straight over to Mack’s garage and works out a deal to buy the engine. At the same time Mack’s buddies Fat and Shrimp run over to the Colonel’s house for a play rehearsal?......OK, whatever……While at the house Shrimp and his girl overhear the Andrews’ planning to steal the plans for the engine. A mad dash over to Mack’s ensues with Mack on foot reaching the garage before Shrimp and the Colonel who drive. A fight between Mack and Jerome breaks out when Mack finds him in the office, this transfers over to the cars, and a nice long road race follows. The cars eventually stop and the fist fight starts up again in time for Shrimp to arrive and help bring the bad guys to justice. The show ends with all of the happy couples getting married but Shrimp seems to have some reservations…Oh well!

PERSONAL REVIEW -
The comedy shows up mostly during the titles and Shrimps joyride to help Mack. The character of Ima Frost is basically comic relief. Overall not the greatest of comedies, but not the worst either. Milburn is not recognizable enough as a comic to have two looks (he starts with a bowler hat, and then takes the hat off for the inside scenes), if there were less characters this would not be a problem but they spend so much time introducing characters, it gets hard to keep everyone straight considering this is just a 2 reeler. The whole action switch between the auto garage to the play rehearsal leaves a lot of questions, since it did not have a natural transition like most 2 reel comedies which would have had 1 reel focus on the car stuff, and then the second reel at the house, this sticks the house in the middle. I did enjoy the Griffith homage when they were racing to the garage and the director chose to do so by alternating 3-way cross cutting. The Georgie O'Dell cross dressing Flora Finch-esque character is funny albeit brief. Thankfully the titles look original.

REGULAR 8 (Regent Films)
Enjoyment – 6 out of 10
Print : B
Color : B/W
Focus : slightly soft
Contrast : low, probably a one-light
Sound : silent

[ January 26, 2014, 12:54 AM: Message edited by: Dino Everette ]

Posted by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on September 11, 2009, 08:40 AM:

Boy,oh boy ! This is much more than I asked for ! ! Much appreciated information. Thanks a lot Dino !!!

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on September 13, 2009, 01:17 AM:

OOPS, gave you one bit of horribly wrong info...the year should be 1927.... [Confused]

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