The Thrill Seekers (1927) User Reviews

All the Thrills of a Cabaret!!

[kidboots · 7/10 · 24 October 2016]

Wampas Baby of 1926 Sally Long may not have had such an illustrious film career but her beauty made headlines. She was dubbed the "Love Insurance Girl" because, so the story went, Ziegfeld had insured her for $100,000 against falling in love and leaving his shows. She also held the title "Most Photographed Girl in the World" but many other stars claimed that title as well. Her biggest film year was the year of her Wampas Baby title, "The Thrill Seekers" came almost at the end and her role in it told the tale. She had a small but very flashy role of a showgirl (what else!!) who makes her appearance on stage in a gilded rickshaw. She is also instrumental to the plot in helping the two "thrill seekers" escape from the sinister Mr. Walker (Robert McKim, villain of several William S. Hart movies and bringing his very gesticulated acting with him.) The thrill seekers are Gerald Kenworth (James F. Fulton of whom not a lot is known) and Adrien Wainwright (Ruth Clifford) - two wealthy but sheltered people who want to experience life in the raw!!

Gerald is soon eyeing off all the pretty girls in the cabaret including a scintillating dancer (Gloria Grey at 15 was one of the youngest Wampas Baby stars - she was 17 in this movie, she played "the Mystery Girl") who uses her legs and arms to great appeal - only she happens to be the chauffeur's girl!! Gerald soon gets embroiled in a night club fight and while he can't forget Adrien, the girl he fought for, Walker won't forget him either and wants to even the score for the wrecked joint and making off with his "girl"!! He has Gerald kidnapped, intending to have him rowed out to sea where he will meet with a little "accident"!!

Director Harry Revier may have discovered and married Dorothy Revier but apart from that, was never really associated with a major studio. In fact his career never really recovered from two seedy exploitation films "The Lash of the Penitentes" and "Child Bride" which were almost his last movies.

Not Much Except For the Fights

[boblipton · 5/10 · 24 October 2023]

Lumbercamp lad Jimmy Fulton inherits a lot of money and decides to see what the Big City offers. With valet Lee Moran and chauffeur Harold Austen, he's making a dent in his bankroll. One night at a waterfront dive, he spots society girl Ruth Clifford being abused by her date, so he steps in, and wakes up with a headache. A few weeks later he's about to marry Miss Clifford, when bootlegger Robert McKim, complete with a villainous mustache, has him kidnapped to make a hole in the ocean, and Miss Clifford to accompany him on an ocean voyage. Can Moran and Austen save the day?

It's a well cast B feature, only fifty minutes long, and a reel shorter in the version I watched. There isn't much time except for a couple of exciting fights, but they are present, and if the director and lead are minor, it's still a decent, if unexceptional example of the thrills available in the late silent era.

Bill's Short Reviews For Short Attention Spans

[bipbop13 · 4/10 · 25 November 2018]

All right. The curiosity of seeing the world in the 1920's will always hold a bit of fascination for me, but that's just about where my compliments on this film ends. Running at a short 49 minutes, The Thrill Seekers deals with a man who rescues a girl from a dreaded scoudrel during a bar fight. Months pass and on the evening before the two are to be married, they are kidnapped by said scoundrel. Boats, swimming, fighting and kissing ensue, leading to a happy ending. Spoilers? Not really.This is a 1927 film. They had to end that way.

The film is on blu ray courtesy of Grapvine Video. They're a very small operation, and props to them for trying to save some otherwise unseen film. There wasn't much restoration done, but everything can be seen clearly despite the film damage. You have to pay attention to the characters closely because the inter-title cards (while original) don't fully tell the story. The one major problem I had was with the musical score. Silent films rely heavily on these. So, why would a 1920's movie have a new score with fantastic sound, but included electric guitar & keyboards? If the makers ever read this please try to stick with period instruments. It will allow the viewer to become more immersed into the film.