Fast Company (1918)
A 1918 silent comedy from Universal in which a blue-blooded fop discovers his family fortune has surprisingly roguish roots.
Fast Company - Movie Information
- Release Year: 1918
- Directed by: Lynn Reynolds
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Comedy
- Age Rating (US): NR
- Runtime: 50m
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: No Language
- Release Date (Theatrical): April 1, 1918 (United States - NR)
- Production Companies: Universal Film Manufacturing Company
- Production Countries: United States of America
Fast Company - Plot
Lawrence Percival Van Huyler, a society fop, protests against the necessity of living up to his snobbish family's blue-blooded traditions. His fiancée, Alicia Vanderveldt, abandons him for Richard Barnaby, who ridicules the pampered Lawrence and brags of his own daring exploits in foreign countries. While the Van Huyler estate is undergoing renovation, Lawrence uncovers a box containing a confession written by the family's founder, Peter Van Huyler. In it, the patriarch admits that he was actually an Irishman of humble birth who made his fortune engaging in piracy on the high seas. Delighted, Lawrence takes a construction job and adopts a fighting attitude, challenging those who had previously made fun of him.
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Fast Company - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Lynn Reynolds
Main Cast
- Franklyn Farnum
- Katherine Griffith
- Lon Chaney
- Fred Montague
- Juanita Hansen
- Edward Cecil
Writers
- Waldemar Young
- John McDermott
- Eugene B. Lewis
Fast Company - FAQs
What is Fast Company (1918) about?
Fast Company follows Lawrence Percival Van Huyler, a pampered society fop who chafes against his snobbish family's aristocratic expectations. When he discovers that the family's founder was actually an Irish-born pirate of humble origins, Lawrence sheds his timid persona, takes a working-class job, and starts standing up for himself.
What role does Lon Chaney play in Fast Company?
Lon Chaney plays Dan McCarty in Fast Company. It's a notable early appearance from the actor who would go on to become one of silent cinema's greatest stars, celebrated for his extraordinary physical transformations in films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera.
Does Fast Company subvert the typical class comedy formula?
Very much so. Rather than celebrating aristocratic refinement, the film gleefully tears it down. The revelation that the Van Huyler family fortune was built on piracy by an Irish immigrant is played as liberating rather than scandalous, turning the usual class-comedy premise on its head with real wit.
Where can you watch Fast Company (1918)?
You can check current streaming and viewing options for Fast Company on JustWatch, which tracks availability across platforms in your region. As a 1918 silent film, it may be found through archive collections, film preservation libraries, or specialty classic cinema platforms.
Who directed Fast Company (1918)?
Fast Company was directed by Lynn Reynolds, a prolific filmmaker of the silent era best known for his work on Western serials and comedies at Universal. Reynolds had a knack for fast-paced, light-hearted stories, and Fast Company is a solid example of his breezy, crowd-pleasing style.
Who wrote the screenplay for Fast Company?
The screenplay was written by Waldemar Young, John McDermott, and Eugene B. Lewis. Waldemar Young is perhaps the most recognized of the trio, later going on to write scripts for major Hollywood productions including The Sign of the Cross and Island of Lost Souls in the 1930s.
Is Fast Company (1918) a historically significant film?
Fast Company holds genuine historical interest as an early Universal production featuring a pre-fame Lon Chaney. It also reflects the social anxieties of its era around class, inherited wealth, and masculinity. As a surviving silent comedy from 1918, it offers a rare window into popular entertainment of that period.
What are some similar films to Fast Company (1918)?
If you enjoy Fast Company's class-comedy premise, you might also like Ruggles of Red Gap (1918), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), or I Love You Again (1940). All three share themes of identity reinvention and social satire delivered with a light, comedic touch.
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