Review of The First Auto

"The First Auto" is a nostalgic film all about the early days of automobiles and its impact on Hank's livery business. Hank (Russell Simpson) is very proud of his champion racehorse and is saddened that his son has little interest in the family business. In fact, young Bob (Charles Emmett Mack) is a nut about autos and sees them as the logical replacement for horses. Not surprisingly, this causes friction between the two and Hank, at first, seems right. The earliest cars were unreliable and a bit dangerous. But, time passes and Hank's business is in ruins. He has a plan to sabotage the auto race coming to town--maybe that will convince everyone that the horse is here to stay. However, what he doesn't know is that Bob's car is the one he sabotaged! What's next? See the film and find out for yourself.

This is an amiable little film and not much more. The animated fire and schmaltzy tone of the film don't help it, but the film is breezy and entertaining. If you are a big fan of silent films, it's well worth seeing. But, if you aren't, this one probably won't change your mind.

By the way, this film features synchronized music and sound effects-- something Warner Brothers was pushing very hard at the time. Additionally, it's ironic that young Mack was actually killed in a car accident near the end of the making of this film! Because of this, I assume that's why so much of the story rests on Simpson and so much of Bob's actions are off-camera and described in the dialog.