Alkali Ike and his auto.

Alkali Ike was a popular early silent character played by Augustus Carney. This movie was shot in a remote location not far from San Francisco and produced by Essanay. It was so popular that it was re-released 2 years later where it out-grossed its initial run.

This is a comedy western short. It begins with Alkali Ike and Mustang Pete helping a very tall woman wash dishes. They get into an argument, even drawing pistols over who will carry the wash pan outside to dump. Later Alkali Ike asks her to go for a horse back ride. Mustang Pete shows up with a horse and buggy. The woman goes with him instead.

A city feller shows up with a car for sale or trade. Alkali Ike trades his horses for the auto. He catches up to his girl in the buggy and shows off his new ride. This fickle woman then gets in the car with our hero. Of course things don’t go well. When the car stalls Ike gets out to have a look and the car begins rolling down a hill with his girl screaming for help. She eventually crashes and goes over the dashboard and into the dirt. When Ike finally catches up to her, she throttles him and then spanks him. Fade to black.

The rustic outdoor scenery is interesting to see. I wonder what the area where this movie was shot looks like today. It’s hard to believe this movie was such a big hit in its day. I guess times were much simpler then. It was directed by the first cowboy star Broncho Billy Anderson.
 

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