Dynamite Smith

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Dynamite Smith
Bessie Love and Wallace Beery
Directed byRalph Ince
Screenplay byC. Gardner Sullivan
Story byC. Gardner Sullivan
Starring
CinematographyHenry Sharp[1]
Distributed byPathé Exchange
Release date
  • October 12, 1924 (1924-10-12) (U.S.)
Running time
6,400 feet;[2] approx. 70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Dynamite Smith is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince and written by C. Gardner Sullivan. The film stars Charles Ray, Bessie Love, and Wallace Beery, and was distributed through Pathé Exchange.

The film was presumed lost until 2023, when an 8mm print with Dutch intertitles was discovered.[3][4]

Plot

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Gladstone Smith (Ray) is a reserved San Francisco literary editor who is unexpectedly assigned to report on a stabbing in the Barbary Coast district. At The Diamond Café, a saloon operated by the violent "Slugger" Rourke (Beery), Smith meets Violet (Love), a cabaret performer and Rourke's estranged wife. After Smith's published story prompts police scrutiny, Rourke retaliates by assaulting Violet and vowing to kill Smith. Violet, pregnant and seeking escape, persuades Smith to take her to Alaska under the pretense that they are siblings.

In Alaska, Violet gives birth to a son but dies shortly afterward due to the harsh conditions. Smith and the infant reach the town of White City, where they are cared for by Kitty Gray (Logan), the proprietor of a local inn. Smith becomes a local hero after alerting the town to the starvation of settlers trapped in a nearby pass, and is appointed sheriff.

Rourke, who survived the journey north, arrives in White City claiming to be Smith's friend. He moves into Smith's cabin and begins to intimidate him, threatening exposure as a "wife stealer" and expressing interest in Kitty. Smith struggles with fear but ultimately resolves to confront Rourke. He leads him into the wilderness, traps him, and lights a fuse attached to dynamite. Although Smith hesitates, the explosion kills Rourke. Smith is exonerated by the community and becomes engaged to Kitty, with whom he plans to raise Violet's child.[2][5][6][7][8]

Cast

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1924 silent film

Reception

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The film received positive reviews[9][10] and was commercially successful.[9]

Grace Kingsley of the Los Angeles Times, Florence Lawrence of the Los Angeles Examiner, and Guy Price of the Los Angeles Herald praised Ray's performance,[11] which was widely lauded as a comeback for the actor.[2][6][10] Beery, Logan, and Love were also favorably reviewed.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Love, Bessie (1977). From Hollywood with Love: An Autobiography of Bessie Love. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 152. OCLC 734075937.
  2. ^ a b c d "Charles Ray in 'Dynamite Smith'". The Film Daily. September 7, 1924. p. 8.
  3. ^ "Dynamite Smith / Ralph Ince [motion picture]". Library of Congress. 1924.
  4. ^ "Dynamite Smith (1924) A Silent Film Review". March 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4. OCLC 664500075.
  6. ^ a b c Sewell, C.S. (September 13, 1924). "Dynamite Smith". The Moving Picture World. p. 159.
  7. ^ a b Pardy, George T. (September 20, 1924). "Box Office Reviews". Exhibitors Trade Review. p. 41.
  8. ^ "Dynamite Smith. Motion picture copyright descriptions collection. Class L, 1912–1977". Library of Congress.
  9. ^ a b Powell, A. Van Buren, ed. (November 15, 1924). "Straight from the Shoulder Reports". Moving Picture World. p. 241.
  10. ^ a b "'Dynamite Smith' Classed as One of Best October Films". Moving Picture World. November 29, 1924. p. 427.
  11. ^ "'Dynamite Smith' Wins Praise of Los Angeles Reviewers". Moving Picture World. November 29, 1924. p. 557.
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