The film was nearing completion on 18 May 1919 under its working title, High Speed, as reported in that day’s issue of Camera. The production marked the feature debut of Eva Novak, sister of actress Jane Novak, and her first screen pairing with Western star Tom Mix. Ferry-boat sequences were shot in San Francisco, CA, according to the 21 Jun 1919 Motion Picture News. An article in the 19 Jul 1919 Exhibitors Herald and Motography described a scene in the picture in which “two persons are hurled fifty feet through the air and driven against railroad rails.” The title had since been changed to The Speed Maniac. Some scenes were shot at the Soldier's Home in Santa Monica, CA and at Elysian Park in Los Angeles. According to news items, Civil War veterans from the Soldiers Home were used as extras in the production.
       The film opened on 18 Oct 1919 at the Pastime Theatre in Iowa City, IA, followed by openings at the Bedford Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, on 19 Oct 1919, and at the Symphony Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, during the week of 16 Nov 1919. The 27 Dec 1919 Exhibitors Herald claimed that a new standard for theatrical promotion had been established by a four-column newspaper advertisement for the Los Angeles engagement, which depicted a man lifting himself off the ground as an airborne racecar sailed overhead.
       The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of October 2019. ...