Helen Holmes, Jack Hoxie, silent film, silent movie stars, free classic film, old movies, silent film streaming, silent era, archive films, rare films, silent drama, silent classics, classic images, classic action movies

   Jack Hoxie and Helen Holmes

Directed by                J.P. McGowan
Scenario                     Edward T. Matlack
Starring                      Helen Holmes, Jack Hoxie
Release date               August 29, 1914
Running time             12 min.
Country                      United States
Language                    Silent film, English intertitles

This film is part of our series 'Hidden Gems'. It can be watched by registered users who make a donation. For more details, please click here.

"The Car of Death" is a short action drama, included in our program to illustrate the contributions of our stars Helen Holmes and Jack Hoxie.

In this film Helen Holmes was clearly rehearsing for the role that brought to her fame and recognition in a serial that started getting released two months later.  She became the audacious star of "The Hazards of Helen", acting as the heroine of numerous railroad adventures.

Jack Hoxie plays a lineman and gets credit with the name Hart Hoxie, which he used in the first decade of his acting career. He would change it five years later when he was on his way to becoming a leading luminary of Westerns. "The Car of Death" is the earliest surviving film with Jack Hoxie that we have, so we can see the beginning of his illustrious career.

Jack Hoxie and Helen Holmes partnered again in two Westerns, which probably don't survive - "Fighting Fury" (1924) and "The Sign of the Cactus" (1925). If you have any information about these films, please let us know.

Below is a short preview of the film.