''Dynamite Smith'' is a 1924 American

silent Silent may mean any of the following: People with the name * Silent George, George Stone (outfielder) (1876–1945), American Major League Baseball outfielder and batting champion * Brandon Silent (born 1973), South African former footballer * C ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Ralph Ince Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John E. Ince and Thomas H. Ince. Biog ...

and written by

C. Gardner Sullivan Charles Gardner Sullivan (September 18, 1884 – September 5, 1965) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He was a prolific writer with more than 350 films among his credits. In 1924, the magazine ''Story World'' selected him on a ...

. The film stars Charles Ray,

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned e ...

, and

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...

, and was distributed through

Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the ...

. The film is presumed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Plot

Gladstone Smith (Ray) is a young San Francisco literary editor, who, in his first assignment as a reporter, upsets murderer "Slugger" Rourke (Beery) so much that he must flee to

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...

with his sweetheart Kitty Gray (Logan). Gladstone brings the killer's pregnant wife Violet (Love) with him, so that her child can be born away from the saloons and bars of San Francisco. Slugger pursues them in Alaska, where the baby is born, and Violet dies shortly thereafter. Gladstone is able to trap Slugger in a bear trap. Gladstone lights a dynamite fuse, and changes his mind about using it at the last minute, but it explodes, killing Slugger. Gladstone, Kitty, and the baby are safe.

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews, and was commercially successful.

Grace Kingsley Grace Kingsley (August 10, 1873 – October 8, 1962) was the first motion-picture editor and columnist of the ''Los Angeles Times,'' beginning the position in 1914 and ending when she retired in 1933. Life Kingsley was born in Lansing, Michigan, ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', Florence Lawrence of the ''

Los Angeles Examiner The ''Los Angeles Examiner'' was a newspaper founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst in Los Angeles, California. The afternoon ''Los Angeles Herald-Express'' and the morning ''Los Angeles Examiner'', both of which had been publishing in the ...

'', and Guy Price of the ''

Los Angeles Herald The ''Los Angeles Herald'' or the ''Evening Herald'' was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1873 by Charles A. Storke, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It ...

'' all gave high praise to Charles Ray for his performance – which universally received rave reviews – and the film served as a comeback vehicle for him. The performances of Beery, Logan, and Love all received positive reviews as well.

References

External links

* * *
Film stills
at silenthollywood.com 1924 drama films 1924 lost films 1924 films 1920s pregnancy films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films American silent feature films Films directed by Ralph Ince Films set in Alaska Films set in San Francisco Lost American films Lost drama films Pathé Exchange films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub