Barney Oldfield

"Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life" is a short comedy directed by Mack Sennett.  The film is included in our program to illustrate the contributions of Helen Holmes, a star of Silent Hall of Fame.

 

Barney Oldfield was the fastest auto racer in his time.  In the film he chases an engine to rescue a girl chained to the tracks by an evil unsuccessful suitor. 

The way Ford Sterling overplays the role of the villain makes one think that the film was conceived as a parody of contemporary melodramas.

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