Speedway

This is a typical William Haines silent film: brash young man makes an ass of himself and lets everyone down. Then he has a "right of passage" in his humiliation and comes back to win the day. No one could play this formula like Haines could, and the formula made him a top MGM star of the late 20s and into the early 30s.

Here he is a mechanic, but the opening scene has him waving to the crowds as Mac's (Ernest Torrence) racing car is towed through the downtown streets of Indianapolis. But Haines is waving and mugging to the crowds as though he is the racing star. He acts the same way when he spies Anita Page and tries to get her attention in a hash house. Haines plays a big goofy kid, and there's no one quite like him in silent films. He's not really a comic, but filmgoers of the era loved his silly antics.

After being a fool and falling for the rival's promises, Haines comes back to save the day (and the race) for old Mac. He also wins the girl.

SPEEDWAY is notable for its location shooting and exciting racing sequences. There's a sound-effect track tacked on to the racing finale but no talking sequences.

Haines and Page are an attractive couple and have chemistry. Torrence is also good as the gruff old man. Karl Dane plays a mechanic. Eugenie Besserer is the mother figure, and Polly Moran is funny as the hash house waitress. John Miljan is the evil Renny.

But this is a William Haines film all the way and he's hardly ever off screen......

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.

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.

William Haines should have retired before appearing in this dreary film. It has to have been his worst performance. He must have been cast just because his name was still bankable. He had been a good-looking, talented, generally likable actor, but, oy, here he was so childishly silly, it was painful to watch.

He didn't even look good. He was puffy, as if ill. Certainly he looked too old for the character.

The director and a trite script are also to blame, although the director and photographer deserve a lot of credit for the exciting car racing scenes at the Indianapolis track.

Haines' fellow players, especially the adorable and lovely Anita Page, but also Karl Dane, Ernest Torrence, and John Miljan did their best -- which is very good! -- but the predictable story and Haines' performance prevent "Speedway" from being worthwhile.

Remember that William Haines had given some great performances in the past. Maybe you will want to see this just to complete your knowledge of him and his career. When, a few years later, he retired from pictures, he became probably the number one most sought-after interior decorator in Los Angeles.

My favorite William Haines quote: "I can only tell you this -- I would rather have taste than either love or money."

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.