Musty Suffer in "Showing Some Speed" (1916) silent film, score by Ben Model

"Showing Some Speed" is from the second 10-film series in The Mishaps of Musty Suffer (1916-17). Buy the DVD at http://amzn.com/B00JRHW4GK. Musical score © 2014 by Ben Model, all rights reserved. Produced for video by Ben Model, film sourced from and preserved by the Library of Congress. http://www.mustysuffer.com

Film running speed 20fps. Scanned in HD from 16mm archival positive print made by Library of Congress in 1959 from original nitrate (which no longer survives).

This film was part of a Kickstarter-funded DVD project; there were too many good Musty Suffer films to fit on the DVD, and this is one that didn't make it onto the disc but is released here exclusively online.

Showing Some Speed (6/28/1916) Series 2, Whirl #2. Cast: Harry Watson Jr., Dan Crimmins.

Syn: “Musty, messenger boy, is assigned to deliver a cook stove to a certain address. In spite of the fact that there is no one home and the house locked up, Musty takes the stove in through the window, unlocks the door from the inside, takes the stove back out through the window again, delivers it through the door in the approved manner, locks the door on the inside and exits through the window.
Down the street comes a woman of ancient Irish lineage, who has discovered a new way of beating the high cost of living. She is following a grocer’s boy who is delivering a sack of flour. There is a hole in the sack, and the shrewd old biddy is catching in her apron the four that escapes. When her apron is filled, she starts for home, only to collide with Musty, who is hurrying about his business on his trusty bike. Musty receives a beating from the economical one.
Musty goes to sleep and is aroused by his boss in a unique manner. The boss pulls a cord and about a ton of bricks descend upon our hero. As a result Musty is bent double and has to be straightened out by some carpenters, upon whom he calls for help. The carpenters give Musty a window frame to deliver, but he gets entangled with a hitching post to the dilapidation of the frame. Musty is summoned to a restaurant to awaken a sleeping waiter, which he does effectively.

A cheating gambler is caught and ejected from the game. Imprisoned in a room, he calls for a messenger boy, telling Musty’s boss over the phone that is a case of life or death. Musty hurries to save a life. The cheater changes clothes with him, and thus disguised, passes through the blockade of indignant sharps unhampered. Musty, clad in the unfair one’s garments is not so fortunate. He is captured and thrown through a brick wall. Like a projectile he hurtles through the air and strikes the cheater bringing him to earth. Musty and cheater recognize each other and Musty calmly strikes the hoodoo over the head with a brick. The cheater politely takes the brick from Musty’s hand and returns the compliment. Then both of them fade away into a sleep.” (7/29/1916 Moving Picture World, pg. 849)

Видео Musty Suffer in "Showing Some Speed" (1916) silent film, score by Ben Model канала Ben Model - silent film accompanist/historian