The First Auto (1927)initiated by priya on September 17, 2008 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017886/) I just finished watching The First Auto. It is a charming film that came out the same year as The Jazz Singer and it uses some early sound techniques (crowd noises, laughter, and one word dialogue). The story is mainly about an old man who runs a stable having trouble adjusting to "progress" and the emergence of the "horseless carriage". There were funny bits here and there, but I really felt it was more of a drama. Hank Armstrong is resisting change with such vehemence that he calls his son a traitor for wanting to work on automobiles and almost horse whips him. They become estranged and there is even sabotage. I won't give away any endings, but this was one of the more watchable silent films. A sad side note is that Charles Emmet Mack, who plays the son Bob, was killed in an auto accident when he was side-swiped by a farm truck as he was on his way to film some racing scenes for this movie. Some people may recognise the old barber as the man who played "Old Cap' " in two Our Gang episodes. |
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