Speed (1936 film)
Encyclopedia
Speed is a 1936 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
action film
starring James Stewart
in his first starring role, and Wendy Barrie
. Although only a low-budget "B" movie
, the film was notable for its realistic cinematography by Lester White, incorporating scenes from the Indianapolis 500
race and on-location shooting at the Muroc
dry lake bed, used for high-speed racing by "hot rodders"
in the 1930s. Advance publicity trumpeted that Stewart drove the specially-prepared "Falcon" to 140 mph (225.3 km/h).
. Engineer Frank Lawson is a rival for the attention of Jane Mitchell (Wendy Barrie) who has just been hired to work in the publicity department.
The new carburetor proves to be troublesome as Martin cannot get it to work correctly. Terry and his fellow mechanic "Gadget" (Ted Healy) have to endure the addition of Lawson to the team. Having an engineer who is in charge is galling as Lawson believes only he has the solution. When their car is entered in the Indianapolis 500 race, it ends up crashing. While Martin and "Gadget" are recovering from their injuries, Miss Mitchell goes to bat for Martin, since she is secretly the boss's niece.
In a new car designed for a world speed record at the Muroc, California
dry lake bed, Martin proves the carburetor works, but nearly loses his life in the attempt. When a fuel pipe cracks, choking fumes are funneled into the cockpit causing the record run to end prematurely. With only moments to spare, Lawson drives the race car, conveying an injured Martin to the Muroc hospital at high speed. Martin is finally vindicated and wins the girl as well.
backlot, and on location from March 20 to April 7, 1936. MGM had wanted to develop a film with a speed-racing theme to capitalize on worldwide headlines about Malcolm Campbell
breaking the world's speed record for an automobile in his "Blue Bird", on September 3, 1935 at the Bonneville Salt Flats.For the sake of convenience and with a limited budget, Speed instead used the nearby Muroc, California area to recreate the film's record-breaking runs.
Scenes of the actual Indianapolis 500
were used, in an era when riding mechanics had to be incorporated in the race cars. The Emery "Falcon" world speed record race car transposed to the similar testing area, the Muroc dry lake bed, resembles the Tatra V570
streamliner
series, but was a specially built movie model. The realistic sequences of an automobile factory that begin the film were shot in advance at Chrysler
. The production company was able to film at the Chrysler factory in Detroit, show latest model Chrysler Airflow
cars produced in the assembly line and the use of the testing grounds
.
For Stewart, in his first starring role, he later recalled, "The only way to learn to act is to act ... For instance, I would have a tiny part in a big picture with stars like Clark Gable
and Jean Harlow
and others, and then I would have a big part in a tiny picture [Speed] and so on." During a hectic period, from 1935 to 1939, Stewart appeared in 29 motion pictures. The roles spanned a wide gamut of quintessential everyman characters, from a mechanic/speed driver as he portrayed in Speed to that of a detective, doctor, executive, farmer, football star, lawyer, newspaperman, rustic "hayseed", soldier/sailor, skater, teacher, and even a murderer. Stewart considered Speed a good training ground, "I did a picture called 'Speed' which gave me my first leading role ... although it was a low-budget picture ... and Ted Healy, who played my best friend, told me, 'Think of the audience as partners ... as collaborators ... not just watchers. You have to involve them'."
, considering it "a minor motor opera," that, "edifying as it all unquestionably is, does not prevent 'Speed' from being a minor film ... Mr. Stewart, Miss Barrie and the rest perform as pleasantly as possible."
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring James Stewart
James Stewart
James Stewart was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart may also refer to:-Noblemen:*James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland*James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart (1908–1997) was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart...
in his first starring role, and Wendy Barrie
Wendy Barrie
Wendy Barrie was a British actress who worked in British and American films.-Early life:Marguerite Wendy Jenkins was born in Hong Kong to British parents...
. Although only a low-budget "B" movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
, the film was notable for its realistic cinematography by Lester White, incorporating scenes from the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
race and on-location shooting at the Muroc
Muroc, California
Muroc is a former settlement in Kern County, California in the Mojave Desert....
dry lake bed, used for high-speed racing by "hot rodders"
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
in the 1930s. Advance publicity trumpeted that Stewart drove the specially-prepared "Falcon" to 140 mph (225.3 km/h).
Plot
Mechanic Terry Martin (James Stewart), the chief car tester for Emery Motors is working on a revolutionary design for a new carburetorCarburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
. Engineer Frank Lawson is a rival for the attention of Jane Mitchell (Wendy Barrie) who has just been hired to work in the publicity department.
The new carburetor proves to be troublesome as Martin cannot get it to work correctly. Terry and his fellow mechanic "Gadget" (Ted Healy) have to endure the addition of Lawson to the team. Having an engineer who is in charge is galling as Lawson believes only he has the solution. When their car is entered in the Indianapolis 500 race, it ends up crashing. While Martin and "Gadget" are recovering from their injuries, Miss Mitchell goes to bat for Martin, since she is secretly the boss's niece.
In a new car designed for a world speed record at the Muroc, California
Muroc, California
Muroc is a former settlement in Kern County, California in the Mojave Desert....
dry lake bed, Martin proves the carburetor works, but nearly loses his life in the attempt. When a fuel pipe cracks, choking fumes are funneled into the cockpit causing the record run to end prematurely. With only moments to spare, Lawson drives the race car, conveying an injured Martin to the Muroc hospital at high speed. Martin is finally vindicated and wins the girl as well.
Cast
As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| James Stewart James Stewart James Stewart was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart may also refer to:-Noblemen:*James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland*James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart (1908–1997) was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart... |
Terry Martin |
| Wendy Barrie Wendy Barrie Wendy Barrie was a British actress who worked in British and American films.-Early life:Marguerite Wendy Jenkins was born in Hong Kong to British parents... |
Jane Mitchell/Jane Emery |
| Una Merkel Una Merkel Una Merkel was an American Tony Award-winning stage and film actress.-Life and career:Una Merkel was born in Covington, Kentucky, and grew up in Philadelphia and New York City. She bore a resemblance to actress Lillian Gish and began her career as a stand-in for Gish, most notably in the 1928... |
Josephine "Jo" Sanderson |
| Weldon Heyburn | Frank Lawson |
| Ted Healy Ted Healy Ted Healy was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. He is chiefly remembered today as the original creator of the Three Stooges, but had a successful stage and film career of his own.- Early life :... |
Clarence Maxmillian "Gadget" Haggerty |
| Ralph Morgan Ralph Morgan Ralph Morgan was a Hollywood film, stage and character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan .-Early life:... |
Mr. Dean |
| Patricia Wilder Patricia Wilder Patricia 'Honeychile' Wilder was an American film actress of the late 1930s.Born in Macon, Georgia, Wilder had made her way to Hollywood via New York City by the mid-1930s to pursue a career in acting. She had first worked as a showgirl for Bob Hope while in New York City, in the Palace Theater... (film debut) |
Fanny Lane |
| Robert Livingston Robert Livingston (actor) Robert Livingston was an American film actor. He appeared in 135 films between 1921 and 1975.Often billed as "Bob Livingston," he was the original "Stony Brooke" in the "Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie series, a role later played by John Wayne for eight films... |
George Saunders |
| Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford was a British stage, film and television actor born in Redhill, Surrey, England. He was born Walter Pearce and had several sisters... |
Edward Emery (Jane's uncle) |
| Isabelle Keith Isabelle Keith Isabelle Keith was an American actress. She was born on May 27, 1898 in New York, New York, and died July 20, 1979 in Mill Valley, California. She appeared in 42 films between 1919 and 1936, most of them from the M-G-M studio.... |
Nurse (uncredited) |
Production
Principal photography took place at the MGM studio, its Culver City, CaliforniaCulver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
backlot, and on location from March 20 to April 7, 1936. MGM had wanted to develop a film with a speed-racing theme to capitalize on worldwide headlines about Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell
Sir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird...
breaking the world's speed record for an automobile in his "Blue Bird", on September 3, 1935 at the Bonneville Salt Flats.For the sake of convenience and with a limited budget, Speed instead used the nearby Muroc, California area to recreate the film's record-breaking runs.
Scenes of the actual Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500 in film and media
The Indianapolis 500 auto race has been the subject for several motion pictures. It has also received countless references in television, film, commercials, and other media. The following is a list of such references.-Highlight films:...
were used, in an era when riding mechanics had to be incorporated in the race cars. The Emery "Falcon" world speed record race car transposed to the similar testing area, the Muroc dry lake bed, resembles the Tatra V570
Tatra V570
Tatra V570 was a prototype early 1930s car developed by a team led by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray. The aim of the construction team was to develop cheap people's car with an aerodynamic body...
streamliner
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
series, but was a specially built movie model. The realistic sequences of an automobile factory that begin the film were shot in advance at Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
. The production company was able to film at the Chrysler factory in Detroit, show latest model Chrysler Airflow
Chrysler Airflow
The Chrysler Airflow is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation from 1934-1937. The Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance...
cars produced in the assembly line and the use of the testing grounds
Chrysler Proving Grounds
Chrysler LLC operates proving grounds around North America, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.-Arizona Proving Ground :Location:The Arizona Proving Ground is a vehicle test facility established in 1955 in Yucca, Arizona...
.
For Stewart, in his first starring role, he later recalled, "The only way to learn to act is to act ... For instance, I would have a tiny part in a big picture with stars like Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
and Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
and others, and then I would have a big part in a tiny picture [Speed] and so on." During a hectic period, from 1935 to 1939, Stewart appeared in 29 motion pictures. The roles spanned a wide gamut of quintessential everyman characters, from a mechanic/speed driver as he portrayed in Speed to that of a detective, doctor, executive, farmer, football star, lawyer, newspaperman, rustic "hayseed", soldier/sailor, skater, teacher, and even a murderer. Stewart considered Speed a good training ground, "I did a picture called 'Speed' which gave me my first leading role ... although it was a low-budget picture ... and Ted Healy, who played my best friend, told me, 'Think of the audience as partners ... as collaborators ... not just watchers. You have to involve them'."
Reception
Frank S. Nugent reviewed Speed for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, considering it "a minor motor opera," that, "edifying as it all unquestionably is, does not prevent 'Speed' from being a minor film ... Mr. Stewart, Miss Barrie and the rest perform as pleasantly as possible."