Irrepressible goofball, humbled by opponent, seeks redemption at the race track.
Forget about Elvis’ phoned-in performance in ‘Speedway‘ and check out the 1929 picture ‘Speedway’ one of MGM’s final silent films. While there is no audible dialog, it’s far from silent as the film used Western Electric’s sound-on-film process to add in synchronized music and race car sound effects.
In the opening scene we’re introduced to Billy Whipple (actor William Haines) at the wheel of an Indy Car being towed through downtown Indianapolis. Womanizing Whipple waves to the crowd and ‘picks up chicks’ by writing their phone numbers on his white racing suit. One of the plotlines revolves around Billy pursuing his dream girl, Patricia (played by Anita Page) but ironically William Haines was an openly gay movie star who refused to hide his persuasion, much to the disdain of the studios. Yet he’s essentially playing the same role Elvis played 40 years later in Speedway; the womanizing race car driver who always gets the girl, but can’t get this girl.
One major contrast between the two ‘Speedway’ movies is the role of women. Despite this film being from 1929, the main female character of Patricia is a strong, talented woman unlike the chicks in Elvis’ ‘Speedway’ who only exist to please him. For example, there’s a scene where Billy must fly out to pick up new go-fast parts before the big race. Patricia is so tired of Billy’s relentless (and goofy) advances that she decides to teach him a lesson. Patricia happens to be a trained aviatrix, and sneaks into the cockpit of Billy’s chartered plane. She throws the airplane into barrel rolls and tail spins as Billy cowers in the passenger’s seat behind. This is not a woman to mess with and she’s not just eye-candy.
Billy isn’t actually a driver; he’s still just a mechanic on his foster father Jim MacDonald’s No. 26 race car. McDonald is a veteran of 16 previous Indy 500s and just wants one more chance to win it. The main antagonist is rival racer Lee Renny. He’s a mean rich man who bosses around his crew, very different from the family-run team McDonald runs. Renny pesters McDonald about retirement, even offers McDonald the opportunity to tune the engine on the winning car. But McDonald has nothing but disdain for Renny, who put him into the wall in the Altoona race last season.
Conniving Renny has other schemes in mind. Seeing the opportunity to come between father and son, he offers Billy a chance to test a race car. It goes so well in time trials that Billy is offered the chance to race Renny’s own car at the 500. But when old man McDonald sees Billy in the evil black car of Renny, he forbids his son from driving it ever again. Big boy Billy won’t be pushed around. He tell the old man to stuff it, and that he’d better stay out of the way of the winning car. In a heartbreaking moment, Billy throws off the McDonald team overalls and tells his adopted father that he’s tired of always being on the losing team. Billy subsequently puts Renny’s car on pole position.
And that’s where it all goes wrong. On race day, Renny breaks the news to Billy that he’s out. Renny himself will drive the car. It was all just a ploy to get one of the McDonald crew to tune the engine. Putting the car on pole and coming between father and son was a bonus for revolting Renny.
Billy is crestfallen. He’s destroyed the relationship with his dad, got swindled, and actually helped the rival Renny team against his own family. There’s only one way for Billy to redeem himself; on the track!
This is where the movie just soars! The remainder of ‘Speedway’ is all racing, actually shot at the 1929 Indianapolis 500, showing epic battles in vintage equipment. The practical visual effects are quite stunning for the era. The actors were actually filmed in the race cars, driving around the track (but not on race day). The footage from pickup-truck mounted cameras is quite immersive. The track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was still made of paving bricks in this era (hence its nickname, the brickyard) and seeing the Indy Cars at speed in their natural environment (not in a museum) is just awesome.
This is an odd picture. It’s a silent movie with race car sounds. It’s a romance with a gay leading man. It’s a a comedy and a revenge flick. Seems like a great formula to make a film that everyone in the family will love.
Excellent content, as per usual! Must have been SO exciting for Indy to have this filmed there. Silent movies were a special genre, for sure. Enjoyed the video as well.
I also found that ‘movie review’ video interesting because I did not realize the ipening scene of the movie was filmed in downtown Indianapolis. But those guys recognized the landmarks.
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Surely ‘Speedway’ was the first movie filmed in Indiana and not California. I respect that they took the drivers to the track and made them drive (not during the race, of course).
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What I foind most interesting was the women in a movie from the 1920’s. The mom is a tough as nails matriarch, but also gentle and loving when she finds her adult son crying in the race team garage.
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And the female lead is sttong. She drives her own car, flies a plane and doesn’t just ‘melt’ into the leading man’s arms.
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Unlike Elvis’ bimbos.
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I don’t know how they git away with such sexist stuff in the 60’s.