Slow as Lightning (Silent)

Jimmie March slaves away in the offices of E.J. Philips and dreams of romancing Eleanor, the boss' beautiful daughter. Not only is Eleanor dating wealthy cad Mortimer Fenton, but Jimmie's prospects nosedive when he is fired. Broke and unemployed, Jimmie is emboldened when a gypsy fortuneteller forecasts that he will get rich playing hunches. Borrowing money from his pals, he invests in stocks that begin to skyrocket. As his bank account swells, he plans to court Eleanor as an equal. But the slimy Fenton refuses to yield to such a low-born rival and hatches a plot to wipe out Jimmie by making him the target of a gang of cut-throat killers.

Slow as Lightning stars Kenneth McDonald as Jimmie March, a poor boy who overcomes great obstacles to achieve the American dream, and features some terrific stunt-work and on-location photography. Director Grover Jones was best known as a screenwriter whose credits include Tom Sawyer (1930), The Lives Of A Bengal Lancer (1935) and The Buccaneer (1938).

• silent