Roman Candles (Silent)

This romantic comedy has a young fireworks salesman going south of the border to make his fortune and becoming entangled in a plot to overthrow the president of the country.

This amusing comedy-drama is pretty typical of its era. Fireworks manufacturer John Arnold (E.M. Kimball) is tired of seeing his lazy son, John Arnold Jr. (J. Frank Glendon), doing nothing, so he puts him to work at his company. Johnny becomes a salesman and takes over the South American territory. He walks right into the middle of a revolution, but he doesn't care -- with Yankee ingenuity he merely suggests that the dictator celebrate with the use of fireworks. The ruse works, but then he meets Zurra Gormarro (Zelma Margan), the pretty daughter of the deposed president (Victor Sarno) and decides to help out the old regime. He smuggles soldiers into the palace and overthrows the revolutionaries. But there is still unrest in the country and Johnny fends off a rebel attack by shooting off a few hundred Roman candles. He also rescues Zurra, who has been kidnapped. After this victory, another fireworks-laden celebration is in order.