La course infernale

Original title: Sporting Youth

1924
Passed
1h 10m

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Reginald Denny in La course infernale (1924)

Jimmy Wood, a chauffeur, is mistaken for famous racing driver Splinters Wood. Because he is deeply in debt, he enters a race on the advice of Betty Rockford, daughter of a wealthy automobile... Read allJimmy Wood, a chauffeur, is mistaken for famous racing driver Splinters Wood. Because he is deeply in debt, he enters a race on the advice of Betty Rockford, daughter of a wealthy automobile manufacturer.Jimmy Wood, a chauffeur, is mistaken for famous racing driver Splinters Wood. Because he is deeply in debt, he enters a race on the advice of Betty Rockford, daughter of a wealthy automobile manufacturer.

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Sporting Youth Race scenes in San Luis Obispo

From what I've read, "Sporting Youth" was an excellent film. The popular poster for this 1924 silent film starring Reginald Denny and Laura LaPlant is among the auto racing poster collection at Indianapolis Speedway. However, "Sporting Youth" race scenes were not filmed at Indy, but instead at a track just two and a half hour drive down the coast from its Monterey Del Monte Forest (Pebble Beach) local in neighboring San Luis Obispo County. (Google "Sporting Youth poster" under "images" to see a copy.)

This central coast city's 1-mile dirt track was advertised in the SLO Telegram-Tribune as the fastest in the country back in 1923. Even Italian born Indy 500 winner Ralph DePalma of Los Angeles set a speed record at San Luis Obispo's Exposition Park Raceway. The track is gone. It was done it by "cheapskate hill" patrons who could watch the races from the backside of the straight-away, opposite the covered grandstands portrayed on "Sporting Youth" movie poster.

The Expo Park site was later used in the 30's, 40's and 50's as a site for Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey, and Clyde Beatty circuses and Side Shows. But today you can still see part of the banked race track in the lawn at "Meadow Park" off of South Street in San Luis Obispo.

The local SLO County Historic society is looking for a copy of "Sporting Youth" to go along with their 1920's black & white photographs and movie film of races at Expostition Park Raceway. Would the UCLA film archives make one available?

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Trivia
A Jewel Production. Universal did not own a proprietary theater chain and sought to differentiate its feature films for sale to independent theater owners. Prior to WW1, Carl Laemmle devised a 3-tiered brand system: Red Feather (low budget programmers), Bluebird (mainstream releases), and Jewel (prestige releases). Jewels were often marketed as special engagements in the hopes of commanding higher roadshow ticket pricing. Universal ended branding in late 1929.