The Kid Auto Races in Venice

Sound Beat

Friday, August 13, 2021 -

Charlie Chaplin would become the world’s biggest star, but the first emergence of the Little Tramp played second fiddle to…go-karts. The iconic character debuted in 1914’s “At The Kid Auto Races in Venice”. It was filmed on-location at an actual road race held in Venice, California that year, among a crowd who showed up to watch some auto racing and instead became extras in film history. A year after the film, Chaplin would have never been able to walk those streets unnoticed. A year after that, he would’ve needed bodyguards.

The Victor Military Band was a virtual revolving door of about a dozen musicians led by Edward T. King, and were the first to record W.C. Handy’s classic “St. Louis Blues”.

Watch the whole film, all six minutes of it, right now!

Subscribe to this podcast

Riverton Weather

More Delmarva weather is available here.

Mon
66°F
Tue
70°F
Wed
66°F
Thu
63°F

Currently playing on Delmarva FM

Nuclear Hotseat
4:00am - 5:00am

Libbe Halevy. The weekly international news magazine on all things anti-nuclear.

Coming up on Delmarva FM

Writer's Voice
5:00am - 6:00am

Francesca Rheannon. Weekly radio show of in-depth conversation with writers of all genres.
Spoiler Alert Radio
6:00am - 6:30am

Conversations in the art of filmmaking.