The First Auto

Warner Brothers Studio was continuing to perfect its sound-on-disc film format, a technology that showed immense promise throughout the first half of 1927. The company's sixth feature film to use the Vitaphone system was June 1927's "The First Auto." What was revolutionary about this picture was the advancement of both the music and the special effects accompanying the motion picture. Not only had the sophistication of the sounds been increased since Vitaphone's feature film debut in 1926's "Don Juan," but the soundtrack actually contained a few brief words.

Besides having a more complex soundtrack, "The First Auto" also serves as an historical record showcasing some of the very earliest horseless carriages under their own power. The movie's plot describes a successful race horse owner, Hank Armstrong (Russell Simpson), disparaging the advanced technology of automobiles. He wins a bet against one of the car's owners, proving his contention that cars will never replace horses in speed or in power. By the early 1900s, however, Hank's son, Bob Armstrong (Charles Emmett Mack), and all his pals have gasoline engine fever, and are foaming at the mouth to get their hands on them. Bob becomes a race car driver, and an exciting conclusion makes no doubt that automobiles are here to stay.

Not that they were any safer than horse carriages. In real life, actors appearing in "The First Auto" were killed in two separate accidents. Extra and script girl Helen Howard died when her and two other cast members were in a car that collided with another vehicle in downtown Los Angeles. The driver, William Demarest, who played the village funnyman and was Uncle Charlie in 'My Three Sons,' suffered cuts and bruises in the overturned car while extra Loretta Rush cracked her skull. After filming was over, Charles Emmett Mack died in an auto accident. His part as Bob was a major role for Mack, killed at the age of 26.

Horse-loving gentleman Russell Simpson (as "Hank" Armstrong) races his beloved mare "Sloe Eyes" in the 1895 Logan County Fair, in scenic Maple City, Michigan. He wins first prize, and celebrates by bringing "Sloe Eyes" to the local tavern; but, Mr. Simpson is saddened by the fact that son Charles Emmett Mack (as Bob Armstrong) is not present to see his father's triumph. Instead, Mr. Mack parties, in the city, with pretty Patsy Ruth Miller (as Rose Robbins). Yep, Simpson and Mack are suffering from a "generation gap".

Mack is a member of the "Horseless Carriage" generation, and is enthralled with the newly developing automobiles. When "Sloe Eyes" succumbs to a stroke, it seems like Simpson's older generation is passing in favor of Mack's auto-crazy youth. But, the passing mare leaves a young colt, "Bright Eyes", with enough horse sense to give primitive kerosene-powered buggies a run for their money. Yet, for the hoof set, it's a losing battle; and, the automobile takes control of the streets. Estranged from his son, Simpson slips into madness and despair. Then, an opportunity to reconcile with young Mack meets with tragedy…

The tragedy depicted on-screen was nothing compared to the tragedy occurring off-screen; co-star Charles Emmett Mack was killed (decapitated, reportedly) in a real-life automobile accident on the way to a filming location fro this film. This sadness accompanied the premiere of "The First Auto", as audiences were well aware of Mack's passing. The film is valuable for its early automobile scenes, which were then much of the population's collective memory. Mack could not, obviously, complete his assignment; and, the movie suffers without two essential Mack scenes, near the end of the story.

Mack was a rising star, but it's difficult to determine how he would have transitioned into talking pictures; certainly, this film positioned him well. Warner Bros. used some dialogue in the "sound effects" track of "The First Auto" (common practice, then), which reached critical mass with "The Jazz Singer". Mack was considered an actor of consequence; he was one of Director D.W. Griffith's best latter period "discoveries", making strong impressions in "Dream Street" (1921) and "One Exciting Night" (1922). "The First Auto" also features Barney Oldfield (a celebrity driver) and William Demarest (Uncle Charlie on "My Three Sons").

****** The First Auto (6/27/27) Roy Del Ruth ~ Russell Simpson, Charles Emmett Mack, Patsy Ruth Miller

It's 1895 Maple City. Hank Armstrong loves horses. He owns horse, races them, and often wins. On the other hand, his son Bob is much more interested in the new invention of horseless carriage. This causes a rift in their relationship as the whole world switches and Hank loses his business. Bob moves to nearby Detroit and joins the car business.

The story is not that dramatic. It feels as inevitable as the spread of the automobile. It's a little like Hank. I also wonder if this was financed by Ford. Early real racer Barney Oldfield has a minor role. I've never heard of the name but it's interesting to learn something. The old car racing is quite compelling. It has a recklessness about it although I would definitely get rid of the fake flames. The effect looks bad. This is an easy story and probably more compelling for people who lived through the era.

This movie is a nostalgic look back at another time. Both for us, here and now -- and for the audience it was originally made for in 1927. Just because both 1927 -- when the film was made -- and 1896-1906 -- the time-frame of the story -- are both behind us, we tend to jumble them together as being early 20th-Century, or "the past". Well -- 1896 was already the deep past for these filmmakers. They were looking backwards just as much as George Lucas was when he made "American Graffiti."

This is a patchwork of a film -- part comedy (including some old vaudeville routines. William Demerest and his clown companion are present for no other reason except comic relief. In vaudeville, the clowns in front of the curtain were there to mask the noise and movement of scenery and costume changes taking place on the stage behind the curtain.) Such clowning was obviously not necessary for the movies, but it's still there -- and we get to see what people were laughing at before stand-up monologue comedy was the only game in town.

The film is part melodrama as we see how a horse in the late 1890's could be the friend and companion of the pre-industrial era, and how the death of a man's horse could bring a man to tears. "A horse is loyal. A horse remembers! A horse knows what gratitude is!" -- words spoken by the father/livery owner who is then called a "Brute" (an animal) by his son.

With it's pre-talkie talking-and-scored soundtrack, it sometimes plays like a rough experiment in early film sound technologies (which exactly parallels the story of the first automobiles -- and how quickly they displaced the horse-centered life.) Within 3 years, silent pictures were as gone from the landscape as horse-drawn buggies. The equally experimental "special effects" fire in the engine of a moving race car isn't exactly the parting of the Red Sea -- but we still get the idea.

It also has the air of a headliner news-reel -- when surprise! Barney Oldfield, playing himself, races around the horse track so that all of America (at least those who went to the movies) could see him do what he was famous for -- speed racing!

At it's heart, however, this is a story. It is about family and about learning what matters (sometimes called family values), and of generations -- a father with both feet firmly planted in the pre-automobile age, and his son who is racing after the biggest technology of the time. They loose each other, almost loose everything else, and then find each other and move into the automobile age together -- where the father opens a car dealership and goes to the car races while the son spends his days at the horse shows. -- and "gosh, what's the world coming to next?" as a bi-plane soars overhead.

This is not a "great" movie -- but it is great fun, and a great window back both to 1927 and it's time of plenty before the stock market crashed us into the Depression; and to the 1927 recollection of 1896, when the lights of technology were just beginning to turn on. It is a wonderful piece of film history, now preserved for my great- and great-great grandchildren. --Thanks to all those doing film preservation -- we love it.

"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.