Speedway

Love & revenge, thrills & spills. A cocky young man. A beautiful young lady. A nasty celebrity racer and a decent old driver with a bad heart. They will all come together for the great Decoration Day Race at the Indianapolis SPEEDWAY

This is a fairly typical William Haines silent comedy. He chases pretty Anita Page throughout, engaging in antics so annoying they'd get him arrested today. Haines' personality is a bit much at times, but he is never anything less than entertaining. He benefits here by much location shooting at the famous Raceway.

The supporting cast is good: Ernest Torrence & Eugenie Besserer are the old driver & his wife who've taken Haines in like a son; Karl Dane is a good-natured, if slow-witted, mechanic; John Miljan is properly repugnant as the bad guy. The ubiquitous Polly Moran scores in her one scene as a frowzy hash house waitress.

Speedway (1929)

** (out of 4)

William Haines' final silent film has him playing the same type of part he did throughout the decade. In the film he plays Bill Whipple, a cocky race car driver who thinks he's the greatest thing in the world. He eventually sells out his best friend (Ernest Torrence) and gets overlooked by a girl (Anita Page) he has his eye on but soon Bill starts to realize that he's not as great as he thought. SPEEDWAY isn't a very memorable film and it's safe to say that the screenwriters simply copied earlier Haines' films as this thing doesn't offer anything original or fresh. If you really want to see Haines in a good role and film it's best to check out TELL IT TO THE MARINES or SPRING FEVER because this one here just doesn't cut it. I think when you mention Haines' name today you're going to find many film buffs who simply hate him and I can understand this. The characters he played were such jerks that it's easy to see why so many people might be turned off but in terms of a performance I thought he was terrific because of how well and easy he made this character seem annoying. It's the characters that are annoying and not Haines' himself so I can't fault his performance. I do think this film goes way too far in terms of that cockiness because even I started to really hate this guy and I couldn't care what happened to him. One example takes place when Haines walks into a restaurant and gets upset because the menu isn't clean. Fine, a bad joke. However, instead of just letting it go this scene continues to play out to the point where it's certainly not funny and you can't help but really start to hate the character because of how he's acting. Haines and Page appeared in a few films together but their chemistry here really isn't where it should be as the romance side of things never comes across. On their own both give fine performances but together there's just no spark. Torrence and Karl Dane are wasted in their supporting roles. The one interesting thing about this otherwise bland movie is that the race at the end was actually shot at the 1929 Indianapolis 500 and featured that events winner Ray Keech doing some work for this picture. It's strange to note that a man was killed during this actual race and that Keech himself would be killed during another race seventeen days later. Being able to see the actual event and how it looked in 1929 was certainly the highlight of the movie and the only real reason to watch this otherwise forgettable picture.

I am not sure why, but there is a real cult-like love for William Haines and his films. I am shocked by the many 10s I see his films receive from reviewers. Now I am NOT saying his films are bad, but they clearly follow the exact same formula in most of them....a major reason I can't see giving any of these films 9s or 10s. They just were lazily written and repetitive. Now this is not to say some of them aren't great....a few defy the mold and work quite well...but they seem to be the exception, not the rule.

The usual formula is simple. Haines plays some sort of talented but thoroughly obnoxious guy who spends most of the movie bragging about how great he is and making passes at women. In nearly all these films he IS talented but his hubris sets him up for a major fall. And, predictably, by the end of the film the now humbled guy managed to save the day and prove he really is a stand up guy down deep. Fortunately, his redemption is a bit better than usual...a real stand out ending.

It's not a bad formula and if you see one or two of these films, you'll probably enjoy them. But the problem is that the formula was used so often that the films seem like essentially the same film. Whether he's a marine, ball player or race car driver...it's pretty much the same.

In "Speedway" he once again plays this sort of braggart. The only big difference is that here he is much more obnoxious in the way he annoys a woman into falling for him. His character clearly has no understanding of the word no....and today he'd be very likely arrested for what must have been seen as cute antics back in 1929. So back in the day, people might have enjoyed this but today with Women's Lib and the Me Too Movement, his films (especially this one) would sure raise a lot of eyebrows! It's so ironic that this piggish character was played by an openly gay actor and perhaps the studio was trying hard to overcompensate by making his characters this way.

In addition to spending most of the film annoying women, there is a bit about auto racing and this talented mechanic's loyalty to an older racer (Ernest Torrence)...though his chasing skirts is clearly the main theme in the film. He plays a guy who is all talk but has a hard time finishing anything. After disappointing everyone, can Billy manage to turn his life around and make good? What do you think?!?!

The biggest reason to see this film is the footage from the actual Indy Motor Speedway and the old racing cars. It's actually important historically...so I am glad the film has been preserved. But with Haines essentially playing a super sexual harasser, this great footage couldn't save the film for me. Worth seeing, but if you do, just be prepared to be shocked by his boorish behaviors...it's what MGM and the public apparently wanted at the time, though it sure wears very thin today.

By the way, if you do watch, note Haines' racing outfit and those of his crew...they look just like Team Rocket from "Pokemon"!

Practical-joking, annoyingly funny William Haines was one of the few silent screen stars to cross over to sound films. And, quite naturally, he brought his variation of a cocky, offbeat character right with him. He was quite good in this type of role, the abrasive anti-hero, basically out of the circle because of his arrogance, also chasing after the girl who won't give him the time of day --and winning back both his career and lady in the end.

Any other actor may not have faired as well with this type of character, but Haines was a natural and enormously popular in his day. Same scenario with SPEEDWAY, one of his best silent films; he's up to his ears in trouble, destined to enter a challenging race at the Indianapolis Speedway, and beautiful Anita Page has caught his eye.

What a tangled web Haines weaves, but it's so much fun watching the adult "Peck's Bad Boy" get in and out and back into trouble, and all with a smirk that makes you laugh. Why we will never forget Bill Haines.

Always on remastered dvd for completists. Thanks much to TCM for running these golden oldies.

Bill Whipple (William Haines) is a fun-loving prankster mechanic working for his father figure and racing star Jim MacDonald. He has a crush on Pat Bannon. He gains good publicity after saving her life and team owner Renny gives him a car to drive in the Indianapolis 500. At the last minute, he gets double-crossed by Renny.

The Whipple character is interesting and he has good character growth. I like his back and forth with Pat although sometimes I want him to be nicer. The planes are mostly fake but the parachuting has an exciting angle. It looks like they shot from a plane looking down on the parachute. It's fun to see the old cars. I love the racing footage but I would like some during the early parts of the movie. There are some crazy crashes. It's probably the real deal. That is enough to worth a watch.