''High Gear'' is a 1933 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film directed by

Leigh Jason Leigh Jason (July 26, 1904 – February 19, 1979) was an American film director and screenwriter. He was born in New York, New York, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. He married Ruth Harriet Louise in 1927 at Temple B'nai B'rith, wi ...

. It stars James Murray and

Joan Marsh Joan Marsh (July 10, 1914 – August 10, 2000) was an American child actress in silent films between 1915 and 1921. Later, during the sound era, she resumed her acting career and performed in a variety of films during the 1930s and 1940s. Ear ...

. The film was known as ''The Big Thrill'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Plot

Mark "High Gear" Sherrod has been a race car driver for the past five years and is now at the height of his career. His co-driver Ed is the widowed father of Jimmy. Ed promised his wife before she died that he would send Jimmy off to a fine military school after winning the "big race". The day before the race finds Jimmy and Ed at home in their apartment, with Mr. and Mrs. Cohen visiting, and reporter Anne Merrit sneaking into Mark's hotel room for an exclusive interview. Mark agrees to give her the interview she needs over a dinner table. She break the date she already has for the night with her boss Larry Winston and goes out with Mark. Larry Winston walks into the same restaurant Mark and Anne are dining at, and sees them. Larry walks over to their table and has Anne introduce him to Mark. The two men become rivals. On the day of the race, Mark gets behind when a tire goes flat. He enters the track again and starts to take the lead. While on the last lap, Mark loses control of his car and spins out just as he is about to pass the car in the lead. His car comes to a stop and before he can move out of the way, he is hit dead on by another car going full speed. Mark somehow comes out of this accident unscathed, but his partner Ed is killed. Jimmy, now an orphan, is staying with the Cohen's. Mark returns and the Cohen's decide to tell him they would like to adopt Jimmy. Before they are able to however, Mark asks Jimmy if he wants to come and live with him at his hotel. Jimmy accepts, Mark promises to send him to that military school, and Mrs. Cohen silently bursts into tears. Mark sends Jimmy to the URBAN Military Academy and hits the track again with his new co-driver Howard. Unfortunately, Mark is plagued by crude flashbacks of Ed and the accident. He tells Howard he is through with racing and walks away. Strapped for cash, Mark leaves his fancy hotel, moves in with Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, and takes a job as a taxi driver to pay for Jimmy's school. While waiting for customers, Mark gets into a fight with another cabbie for being in the wrong space. Anne, who has been unable to find Mark since he moved, spots him in his taxi and finds his new residence through his license number. Anne promises to not mention Marks ''"fall from fame"'' and has dinner with him. While dropping Anne off at her office, Mark is spotted by Larry Winston. Larry asks Anne who her taxi driver was and when she does not tell him, he comes to the correct conclusion on his own. Larry promises to Anne that he will not say anything about Mark's new career, but later breaks his promise when he delivers his news report the next afternoon. Mark hears this report on the radio and becomes infuriated. Jimmy also hears the report with his school mates and is laughed out of the room. Mark hurries to confront Anne and does not believe her when she says she didn't say anything. While there, he gets into another argument with two other cabbies. Jimmy comes to the conclusion that Mark cannot afford to keep him at URBAN, so he sneaks out of a window and returns to the Cohen's apartment for a "surprise visit". Mark is at first happy, but then becomes upset when Jimmy refuses to return school. Two rival cab drivers go to Mark's home and begin tearing up his cab. Mark goes out and gets into an all out brawl with them. Jimmy gets caught up in the middle and is hit in the head with a flying wrench, which ''"crushes"'' his skull. Anne tells Mark more or less to drive Jimmy to this hospital as quick as he can. Over time, Jimmy recovers and is later seen in the hospital talking to friends. Mark returns to racing and wins another big race, with Anne right by his side.

Cast

* James Murray as Mark 'High Gear' Sherrod *

as Anne Merritt * Jackie Searl as Jimmy Evans * Eddie Lambert as Jake Cohen, Janitor *

Ann Brody Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...

as Mrs. Cohen *

Theodore von Eltz Theodore von Eltz (November 5, 1893 – October 6, 1964) was an American film actor, appearing in more than 200 films between 1915 and 1957. He was the father of actress Lori March. Von Eltz was a Yale University professor's son. After 12 ...

as Larry 'Keyhole' Winston *

Lee Moran Lee Moran (June 23, 1888 – April 24, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Moran was active in vaudeville before he began performing in films at Nestor Studios in 1909. He transcended the silent film era of motio ...

as Howard, Mechanic *

Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and actor. As a professional baseball player, his MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National L ...

as Ed Evans *

Gordon De Main Gordon De Main (born Floyd Wood; September 28, 1886 – March 5, 1954)''Who Was Who on Screen'', p. 119 c.1977 by Evelyn Mack Truitt *note his publication claims his date of birth as 1897-March 5, 1967/ref> was an American film actor. He ...

as Maj. Edwards - Military Academy Commandant *

Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...

as Percy * George O'Hanlon as Reporter

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:High Gear (1933 Film) 1933 films 1933 romantic drama films American auto racing films American black-and-white films Films directed by Leigh Jason American romantic drama films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films