The Film Daily (1919)

Sunday, May 4, 1919 jali^l iAIUY 15 Ray at His Best in Story Filled With Humor and Lively Action Charles Ray in "GREASED LIGHTNING** Paramount DIRECTOR Jerome Storm AUTHOR Julian Josephson CAMERAMAN Chester Lyons AS A WHOLE Humorous picture of small village life, made human and appealing by star and those in his support. STORY Has plenty of incident and is developed in a way that holds the attention. ! DIRECTION Secures correct atmosphere at all times; puts over comedy points in an effective manner. PHOTOGRAPHY • .Always clear LIGHTINGS No call for anything out of the ordinary. CAMERA WORK Good, especially in getting auto race scenes and those of a cross coun= try chase. STAR Appears in a country boy character wnicn he interprets in his usual inimitable way. SUPPORT ..Village types accurately drawn by Robert McKim and others; Wanda Hawley is attractive as the heroine. EXTERIORS Country town scenes are the real thing. , INTERIORS Only conventional sets are needed DETAIL Small incidents are made an imports ant contributing factor to the story. CHARACTER OF STORY Wholesome comedy with much true characterization. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,555 feet WHEN an actor gets such a fund of comedy and human appeal out of country boy characters, as does Charles Ray, it seems a pity for him to devote his efforts to anything else. Admirers of this young star certainly will welcome his appearance in ' Greased Lightning," a typical Charles Ray story which is humorous and true in its depiction of village types Compared to Ray's last picture, in which he appeared in a western role, there can be no question about this having a greatly superior entertainment value. Instead of tiring of seeing the Paramount star m characterizations that are more or less similar, picture fans are likely to receive the actor with increasing interest, the better they become acquainted with him, tor he has the genial qualities of personality which wear well and find their fullest expression in roles such as that of Andy Fletcher, the village blacksmith who possesses some genius as an inventor. The fun in "Greased Lightning" stalls right at the beginning, when Ray demonstrates his latest invention, an automatic potato peeler, before a committee "of village skeptics," including the banker who happens to be the father of Wanda Hawley, the girl with whom Bay is in love. The invention doesn't work out quite as expected, but this in no way discourages the ambitious blacksmith, who is determined to win a place for himself in the world and gratify Wandas ambition to have an automobile. The banker regards an automobile as an unnecessary extravagance, and when Ray is on the point of drawing his savings from the bank in order that he may purchase a car, he is warned that he will have to cease his attentions to Wanda if he does anything so foolish. Then comes an opportunity to trade his disap_ pointing potato pealing invention for the dilapidated remains of an old automobile, which Ray manages to tix up so that it moves, at least with spasmodic irregularity. " , They get a good deal of comedy out of scenes showing experiences with this car, constructed from all sorts of mechanical odds and ends. The boy's disappointment is complete when the wealthy city chap, who is visiting the village and sporting a real car, meets his broken-down contraption on a country road and rides off with Ray's passengers, Wanda and her father. Then comes a big country fair celebration in honor of the oldest resident of the village, the mam feature of the day being an auto race. Ray Axes up a machine and enters the race, which is made one of the important factors in the picture. The city chap selects this day, the village being deserted, to rob the bank and is 'in a fair way to get away with the entire contents of the vault when Ray, still on the race track, isad^ vised of what is^ happening and starts in pursuit ol ^he'sT final sequences are expertly handled to keep the excitement up to a high pitch, and the director loses no opportunity to introduce natural bits of characterization. The atmosphere of a country village, faithfully adhered to throughout the product ion becomes a big factor in making the picture the Pleasant entertainment that it is. The cast includes Willis Marks, Bert Woodruff, John P. Lockney and Otto Hoffman. Frank Lloyd DIRECTOR JVI. P. D. A.