adventurous automobile trip adventurous automobile trip french raid paris automobile raid paris french short silent comedy film directed film spoof devil care exploits king belgium features king engaging fast automobile ride paris singer comedian stars king supported large cast stage performers venues cameo appearances working collaboration stage director designed adventurous automobile trip innovative act combining stage performance film live prologue epilogue frame filmed sequence version premiered december adapted film standalone release general distribution lavish film available black white hand colored versions popular critical success france america film high production values expensive factors sent career decline plot king holiday paris wants visit time seventeen hour express train ride cities happens automobile maker claims car distance hours king agrees sets car auto maker acting large crowd sees outside paris opera house including celebrities paris theatre world stopping fill car gas king starts inexperience accidentally runs backward policeman flat king starts pump save time lets finish job drives set work policeman ends exploding car speeds french countryside alps mountains knocking goes gates town officials try stop car enforce tax car keeps course runs officials explodes turn car way mediterranean coast fruit stand crashing greenhouse tar wagon explosion ensuing finally arriving spectators awaiting car going speed stopping stairs crashes earth king unharmed adventurous race greeted warmly production revue director approached height fame filmmaker idea combining theatre cinema presenting short film fourteen segments stage production directors worked scenario parody adventures king belgium famous driving crashing fast cars stage screen amalgamation devised segment began sketch live performers continuing film end film actor playing king actors playing cheering spectators returned stage finish sketch live drew cast film sources london born singer comedian stars time played lead role king paris singer comedian worked revue scene celebrities assembled include singer opera house short actor persona close imitation better known british comedian acted films tall actor known giant popular music hall paris 1880s acted films entertainer popular appeared films impossible voyage english channel conquest pole played lady scene appearances plays roles film gets knocked car official explodes cast extras film usual staging layered arrangements visual clarity letting create disorganized addition parody king scenario film features element scene tar wagon based experiments spread tar small gravel road experiment widely reported press successfully eliminated dust clouds kicked cars gravel sand roads film special effects created stage machinery miniature models editing technique known long shots showing car filmed miniature car landscape rolling past creating effect scenes including detailed faithful recreation outside painted studio sets custom scene showing arrival filmed studio outdoors garden release reception adventurous automobile trip premiered gala opening night revue december ran months lasting performances intended film shown outside context revue run released standalone item numbered advertised course percent output film available black white individually hand colored prints sold higher price film released united_states new_york branch company summer showed rooftop american release scenes slightly rearranged second scenes switched order sixth seventh addition renumbering advertised instead french catalogue scenes removed prints film surviving family archive use french ordering scenes french american occurs political reasons american catalog protagonist french keeps identity anonymous belgian audiences similarly alps film named american catalog unnamed french adventurous automobile trip successful films ran acclaim months notice said film clever keeps audience continuous good humor morning telegraph concurred reporting film scored instant success funnier seen day thing scream venture profitable expected high costs lavish hand colored film reach financial difficulties continued similarly spectacular film merry following year helped decline career portions prints film survive complete print car painted red given granddaughter american collector incomplete hand colored print bought belgian collector fragments book length study film historian spoke highly film noting careful use continuity direction comparing comedies automobile film film similar vein raid new york paris automobile received success
An Adventurous Automobile Trip