Roaring Roads (1935)

Directed by Ray Nazarro and Charles E. Roberts, Roaring Roads is a fast-paced, genre-blending film that combines action, crime, romance, and sports in a compact 57-minute package. Produced by William Berke for William Berke Productions, the film is notable for featuring several former Our Gang stars in teenage roles, including Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, and Gertrude Messinger.

Plot Summary
David Morton (David Sharpe), a wealthy orphan, has been sheltered by his two overprotective aunts, Harriet and Agatha. Longing for adventure, he escapes their watchful eyes and meets Gertrude McDowell (Gertrude Messinger), whose brother was injured in a suspicious racing accident. David agrees to drive his car in the upcoming Big Race, but gangsters are determined to sabotage the event.

With help from his friends—including Mickey Daniels and Mary McDowell (Mary Kornman)—David battles crooks, dodges his bumbling bodyguards, and races toward victory and romance.

Cast Highlights

• David Sharpe as David Morton
• Gertrude Messinger as Gertrude “Gertie” McDowell
• Mary Kornman as Mary McDowell
• Mickey Daniels as Mickey Daniels
• Jack Mulhall as Donald McDowell
• Vera Lewis as Aunt Harriet
• Helen Hunt as Aunt Agatha
• Fred Kohler Jr., Matty Fain, and June Marlowe (not the same actress who played Miss Crabtree in Our Gang) in supporting roles

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

• The film features real sprint cars and banked dirt oval racing, offering a rare glimpse of 1930s motorsport culture
• David Sharpe, the film’s star, was a stuntman for Hal Roach Studios and appeared in The Boy Friends series alongside Daniels and Kornman
• The film aired on early American television in Los Angeles (KLAC Channel 13) on January 14, 1951, and in New York (WOR Channel 9) on March 14, 1951
• The character June Marlowe is often confused with the Our Gang actress of the same name, who retired in 1932—this is a different performer entirely