''Chain Lightning'' is a 1922 American silent

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

film produced and directed by Ben F. Wilson.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Kentuckian Major Lee Pomeroy (MacGregor) has been obliged by financial circumstances to sell his race horse Chain Lightning, which is really the property of his daughter Peggy (Little). She comes home from school in Washington to learn that the horse has passed to the possession of Colonel George Bradley (Girard), her father's enemy. The horse is entered in an important race and Pomeroy wagers all his remaining funds on his former track star. Red Rollins (Carroll), the jockey to ride the horse, makes advances on Peggy but is repulsed. The jockey then threatens to pull the horse in the race. Peggy meets Rollins the day of the race and endeavors to dissuade him. The vehicle they are in has an accident, and this gives Peggy the opportunity to tie up Rollins and lock him in an abandoned cabin. Making her way to the track, she dons jockey attire, don Chain Lightning, and ride him to victory in a thrilling neck and neck race. In the meantime, a romance has sprung up between the nephew of her father's enemy, Bob Bradley (Dougherty). With the winnings for her family and the winning of the race, the enmity between the Kentuckian gentlemen ends, leaving a happy ending for all except the corrupt jockey.

Cast

* Norval MacGregor as Major Lee Pomeroy * Joseph W. Girard as Col. George Bradley * William A. Carroll as Red Rollins (credited as William Carroll) * Jack Dougherty as Bob Bradley * Ann Little as Peggy Pomeroy

Preservation status

''Chain Lightning'' survives in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

collection

Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation The National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC) is a branch of the Library of Congress devoted to preserving the United States' audio-visual history. It includes the Packard Campus (PCAVC), opened in 2007 to store the then entire 6.3 milli ...

. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Chain Lightning''
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References

External links

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(Wayback Machine) 1922 films American silent feature films Films directed by Ben F. Wilson American black-and-white films 1920s melodrama films 1922 drama films Silent American drama films Arrow Film Corporation films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub