''Chain Lightning'' is a 1922 American silent

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

film produced and directed by

Ben F. Wilson Ben F. Wilson (also credited as Benjamin Wilson; July 7, 1876 – August 25, 1930), was an American stage and film actor, director, producer and screenwriter of the silent era.film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Kentuckian Major Lee Pomeroy (MacGregor) has been obliged by financial circumstances to sell his race horse Chain Lightning, which is really the property of his daughter Peggy (Little). She comes home from school in Washington to learn that the horse has passed to the possession of Colonel George Bradley (Girard), her father's enemy. The horse is entered in an important race and Pomeroy wagers all his remaining funds on his former track star. Red Rollins (Carroll), the jockey to ride the horse, makes advances on Peggy but is repulsed. The jockey then threatens to pull the horse in the race. Peggy meets Rollins the day of the race and endeavors to dissuade him. The vehicle they are in has an accident, and this gives Peggy the opportunity to tie up Rollins and lock him in an abandoned cabin. Making her way to the track, she dons jockey attire, don Chain Lightning, and ride him to victory in a thrilling neck and neck race. In the meantime, a romance has sprung up between the nephew of her father's enemy, Bob Bradley (Dougherty). With the winnings for her family and the winning of the race, the enmity between the Kentuckian gentlemen ends, leaving a happy ending for all except the corrupt jockey.

Cast

* Norval MacGregor as Major Lee Pomeroy * Joseph W. Girard as Col. George Bradley *

William A. Carroll William A. Carroll (January 9, 1875 – January 26, 1928), was an American silent film actor. Biography He was born on January 9, 1875, in Manhattan, New York City. Entering films with the ''Selig and Vitagraph'' film company, Carroll starred ...

as Red Rollins (credited as William Carroll) * Jack Dougherty as Bob Bradley *

Ann Little Ann Little (born Mary Hankins Brooks; February 7, 1891 – May 21, 1984), also known as Anna Little, was an American film actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film era of the early 1910s through the early 1920s. Today, mos ...

as Peggy Pomeroy

Preservation status

''Chain Lightning'' survives in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

collection

Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation The National Audiovisual Conservation Center, also known as the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, is the Library of Congress's audiovisual archive located inside Mount Pony in Culpeper, Virginia. Establishment From 1969 to 1988, th ...

. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Chain Lightning''
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References

External links

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(Wayback Machine) 1922 films American silent feature films Films directed by Ben F. Wilson American black-and-white films Melodrama films 1922 drama films Silent American drama films Arrow Film Corporation films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub