Dynamite Smith

Dynamite Smith is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince and written by C. Gardner Sullivan. The film stars Charles Ray, Bessie Love, and Wallace Beery, and was distributed through Pathé Exchange.

Dynamite Smith
Bessie Love and Wallace Beery
Directed by	Ralph Ince
Screenplay by	C. Gardner Sullivan
Story by	C. Gardner Sullivan
Starring	Charles Ray Jacqueline Logan Bessie Love Wallace Beery
Cinematography	Henry Sharp[1]
Distributed by	Pathé Exchange
Release date	October 12, 1924 (1924-10-12) (U.S.)
Running time	6,400 feet;[2] approx. 70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The film was presumed lost until 2023, when an 8mm print with Dutch intertitles was discovered.^[3][4]

Plot

Gladstone Smith (Ray) is a reserved San Francisco literary editor who is unexpectedly assigned to report on a stabbing in the Barbary Coast district. At The Diamond Café, a saloon operated by the violent "Slugger" Rourke (Beery), Smith meets Violet (Love), a cabaret performer and Rourke's estranged wife. After Smith's published story prompts police scrutiny, Rourke retaliates by assaulting Violet and vowing to kill Smith. Violet, pregnant and seeking escape, persuades Smith to take her to Alaska under the pretense that they are siblings.

In Alaska, Violet gives birth to a son but dies shortly afterward due to the harsh conditions. Smith and the infant reach the town of White City, where they are cared for by Kitty Gray (Logan), the proprietor of a local inn. Smith becomes a local hero after alerting the town to the starvation of settlers trapped in a nearby pass, and is appointed sheriff.

Rourke, who survived the journey north, arrives in White City claiming to be Smith's friend. He moves into Smith's cabin and begins to intimidate him, threatening exposure as a "wife stealer" and expressing interest in Kitty. Smith struggles with fear but ultimately resolves to confront Rourke. He leads him into the wilderness, traps him, and lights a fuse attached to dynamite. Although Smith hesitates, the explosion kills Rourke. Smith is exonerated by the community and becomes engaged to Kitty, with whom he plans to raise Violet's child.^{[2][5][6][7][8]}

Cast

• Charles Ray as Gladstone Smith
• Wallace Beery as "Slugger" Rourke
• Bessie Love as Violet
• Jacqueline Logan as Kitty Gray
• Ethelbert Knott as Dad Gray (credited as Adelbert Knott)
• Lydia Knott as Aunt Mehitabel
• Russell Powell as Colin MacClintock
• S.D. Wilcox as Marshall, White City
• Jim Hart as Faro Dealer^[6][7]

Reception

The film received positive reviews^[9][10] and was commercially successful.^[9]

Grace Kingsley of the Los Angeles Times, Florence Lawrence of the Los Angeles Examiner, and Guy Price of the Los Angeles Herald praised Ray's performance,^[11] which was widely lauded as a comeback for the actor.^[2][6][10] Beery, Logan, and Love were also favorably reviewed.^[2]