Dangerous Traffic (1926)/The Thrill Seekers (1927) (Lost Silent Thrillers) (DVD)

Dangerous Traffic (1926): Rookie newspaperman Ned Charters is on the trail of a bootlegging ring. He joins forces with FBI agent Harvey Kennedy, whose sister Helen works in the gang's speakeasy. The G-Man is shot pursuing one of the newsman's leads. Ned promises to bring the killers to justice and rescue Helen from her life of ill repute. But the smugglers know the young man is on their tail, and intend to murder the novice reporter...

If Dangerous Traffic feels more like a Western than a gangster picture, it's because director Bennett Cohen specialized in cowboy movies. Star Francis X. Bushman, Jr. (1903-1978) was the son of silent screen legend Francis X. Bushman. Born Ralph Bushman, his father's popularity lead to him to changing his name and launching his own acting career in 1920. For several years, he was an in-demand lead, usually as a put-upon everyman. Ethan Laidlaw and Tom London regularly played villains in "B" Westerns. Mildred Harris was the first wife of Charlie Chaplin.

Starring Francis X. Bushman, Jr., Jack Perrin, Mildred Harris. Directed by Bennett Cohen.

The Thrill Seekers (1927): Humble lumberjack Gerald Kentworth inherits a fortune and moves to New York. Intoxicated by the glamor of the city's nightlife, he falls hard for society girl Adrean Wainwright. A whirlwind romance leads to the announcement of pending nuptials. But Adrean's jealous ex-boyfriend, gangster Jack Newman, is furious over the news and kidnaps the girl. Now Gerald must fight the New York mob to get back the woman he loves. Ingenue Sally Long (1901-1987) had a short-lived acting career, and was much more successful as a Ziegfeld Follies girl who posed for Alfred Cheney Johnston.

Starring Jimmy Fulton, Sally Long, Ruth Clifford. Directed by Harry Revier.

• silent