Run Time: 75 minutes. Studio: Warner Brothers. Director: Roy Del Ruth. Writers: Darryl F. Zanuck, Anthony Coldeway. Main Cast: Russell Simpson, Frank Campeau, Gibson Gowland, William Demarest. Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck. Cinematographer: David Abel.
Before we discuss this movie let me reminisce for a little bit. My grandpa was one of the closet friends a person could ever have and he meant more than the world to me. Being very close I heard some stories about his childhood various times. He often talked about how when he was growing up on a farm, his dad always insisted he use the horses for work. My grandpa was much more interested in cars. Anything with an engine in it fascinated him and he didn't understand why he had to use the horses when everybody else was using motorized tractors. Though this film's story is not the same as my grandpa's story, the conflict in this movie does remind me of my grandpa's story and because of this I would like to dedicate this post to the memory of him.
The film takes place in 1895. Bob (Played by Charles Emmet Mack) is the son of a champion horse racer named Hank Armstrong (played by Russell Simpson). Bob is obsessed with cars, despite the fact that his father hates them with a passion. This already causes a rift between father and son. When Bob gets a job in Detroit he sees famous race car driver Barney Oldfield (played by himself) breaking the all time speed record. This inspires Bob to compete in a car race around the country, which causes an even greater rift between him and his father.
Despite being only 27 when appearing in this film, The First Auto was one of Charles Emmett Mack's last movies. After this film he would only appear in one more movie (The Rough Riders (released the same year)). His career was just getting started around this time. It had officially begun in 1921 (With the movie Dream Street), however as it started he was playing mostly small roles. The First Auto was one of his first real staring roles. His career was unfortunately cut short because he would pass away in an auto accident. One wonders where his career would have gone if he did not pass away so young as his performance in The First Auto is very good.
Also in this movie's cast is William Demarest. This was Demarest's first year of screen acting and was well before he became a huge star. He would go on to appear in many of Preston Sturges' movies of the 1940's with such films as Sullivan's Travels, The Great McGinty, The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach Story, Hail The Conquering Hero, Christmas in July and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. He would also go on to play Uncle Charley in TV's My Three Sons.
Using Barney Oldfield in the film was a great way to get the movie some publicity. William A. Johnson wrote for an article (dated May 20th, 1927), "I saw on the Warner lot an odd assortment of automobiles, beginning with the first one that raced a horse and so on up to Barney Oldfield's famous racer '999'. These curiosities have been used in 'The First Auto'. Jack Warner is fascinated by this and also about 'Old San Francisco' with Dolores Costello. He promises a very human and novel picture in 'The First Auto'."
According to Fitzhugh Green's book The Film Finds It's Tongue, The Frist Auto was the first movie to be shot with incandescent lighting for its entirety. Also according to this book this process was not kept a secret and many studios were allowed to come and see how the lighting was done and that within six months all the major Hollywood studios used this kind of lighting. This is further confirmed by the William A. Johnson article quoted earlier as he went on to write about the movie "The latter picture by the way, has been made with Mazda lamps, the first to be turned out here with this new studio illumination"
This movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth one of the most reliable studio directors of the 1920's, 30's and 40's. His work as a whole never had its own unique identity in the way that Alfred Hitchcock or other auteur directors had, but regardless of what he was directing the majority of his films were of high quality. This film is no exception. This movie is extremely charming. There is no doubt that this movie is extremely sentimental. However it is fully honest sentiment here that naturally flows out of the characters and story. While 1895 seems to us like an impossibly long time ago, it is important to remember that in 1927 many people who were alive then would be old enough to remember that year and have a certain nostalgic connection with it. This movie plays on that nostalgia and certainly that is where much of the sentiment comes from. Still with this movie's tight storytelling and great performances from the actors, it holds up quite well today, and may even make someone fell nostalgic for a time that was well before they were born. I will admit that I am a sucker for sentimental films (even when they are corny), when done well, and this one is certainly done well.
