Johnny Barnes, the spoiled son of a rich car manufacturer, is obsessed with breaking speed records. In fact, the police have given him so many tickets that even his parents call him "Burn 'Em Up Barnes". On one of his joyrides, Johnny is pulled over and robbed by a band of car thieves who have been terrorizing the roads. Left unconscious in the middle of nowhere, he is nursed back to health by a pair of hobos. After learning the value of hard work and fellowship from his new friends, Johnny decides to change his reckless ways. His first task: To use his racing skills to capture the crooks who left him for dead.
This exciting racing picture stars multi-talented comedian Johnny Hines, who also co-directed with George Beranger. An actor himself, Beranger appeared in silent classics such as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Broken Blossoms (1919), and The Bat (1926), occasionally using his middle name, Andre, to differentiate his careers. Richard Thorpe, who plays one of the film's villains, would also have an illustrious career behind the camera. As a director for MGM, his filmography would eventually include includes entries in the popular Tarzan and Thin Man series, the historical dramas Ivanhoe and The Prisoner of Zenda (both 1952), and the Elvis Presley vehicle Jailhouse Rock (1957). Edmund Breese played Zander, the politico deposed by Groucho Marx as President of Freedonia in Duck Soup (1933). A hit at the box-office, Burn 'Em Up Barnes was remade as a 12-chapter movie serial starring Jack Mulhall and Frankie Darro in 1934.