Jane, attracted to Terry despite his "inferiority complex", arranges with company vice president Mr. Dean to have the work financed by Emery, on the condition that Frank be added to the team.

With only minutes to save his life, Frank places him in the car and drives it to the Muroc hospital at high speed, completing the world record run in the process.

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):[3] Principal photography took place at the MGM studio, its Culver City, California backlot, and on location from March 20 to April 7, 1936.

MGM had wanted to develop a film with a speed-racing theme to capitalize on worldwide headlines about Malcolm Campbell breaking the world's speed record for an automobile in his "Blue Bird", on September 3, 1935 at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The roles spanned a wide gamut of characters, from a mechanic/speed driver as he portrayed in Speed to that of a detective, doctor, executive, farmer, football star, lawyer, newspaperman, rustic "hayseed", soldier/sailor, skater, teacher, and even a murderer.

"[12][N 4] Critics dismissed the film as passable at best,[13] citing that the plot was weak and moved too slowly, the supporting cast was substandard, and the use of stock footage made it more of a documentary than a drama while at the same time appearing uncredible.

"[17] Occasionally broadcast on Turner Classic Movies, Speed has also been released on DVD by Warner Archive, with an accompanying short, The Bottle and the Throttle (1968), a U.S. educational film, on the ramifications of drinking and driving.