Let'er Go, Gallegher (Silent)

After witnessing a murder committed by a notorious criminal known only as "Four Fingers," street urchin Johnny Gallegher confides in his pal, brash reporter Clay Callahan, who breaks the story. Public reaction to the big scoop goes to Callahan's head and he not only gets fired but loses his girlfriend as well. The newshound gets a chance to redeem himself when Gallegher learns where the still-at-large "Four Fingers" is hiding out. But the desperate crook has already killed once and won't hesitate to kill again....

Having made his film debut as a toddler in the 1920 serial Daredevil Jack, "Junior" Coghlan was already a seasoned pro and accomplished scene-stealer when he made Let'er Go Gallegher. Director Elmer Clifton gave his 12-year-old headliner plenty of latitude in his scenes with Harrison Ford, a silent-era leading man who had found stardom elusive. The film is funny and fast-paced with a genuinely thrilling climax. As a young man, the rechristened Frank Coghlan Jr. (who was still getting fan mail when he died in 2009) found himself taking bit parts, often playing bellhops or messengers. His last substantive role was the one for which he is best remembered: Billy Batson, youthful alter ego of the titular superhero in the 1941 serial Adventures of Captain Marvel.

• silent