The Mystery Squadron
''The Mystery Squadron'' (aka ''Mystery Squadron'') is a 1933 American pre-Code 12-chapter Mascot film serial, directed by Colbert Clark and David Howard. The film was produced by Nat Levine, and stars Western star Bob Steele, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Lucile Browne, Purnell Pratt and Jack Mulhall. ''The Mystery Squadron'' made an impressive use of a great deal of aerial footage to enliven the action. Plot At an air show, ace flyers Fred Cromwell ( Bob Steele) and his partner, Bill "Jelly Bean" Cook (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) perform aerial feats that prove they are the greatest aviators around. A dam being built by Stephen Gray ( Lafe McKee), the owner of a construction firm, comes under attack from the mysterious pilot, the "Black Ace", and his "Mystery Squadron" of pilots. With Gray facing financial ruin, he asks Henry Davis (Jack Mulhall), the dam's foreman and ex-stunt pilot to hire Fred and Bill. The identity of the Black Ace is so secret that it is even concealed from hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Film Poster
A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. Today's posters often feature printed likenesses of the main actors. Prior to the 1980s, illustrations instead of photos were far more common. The text on film posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. It may also include a tagline, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, and other pertinent details to inform prospective viewers about the film. Film posters are often displayed inside and on the outside of movie theaters, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. The same images appear in the film exhibitor's pressbook and may also be used on websites, DVD (and historically VHS) packaging, flyers, advertisements in newspap ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mascot Pictures
Mascot Pictures Corporation was an American film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing and distributing film serials and B-westerns. Mascot was formed in 1927 by film producer Nat Levine. In 1936 it merged with several other companies to form Republic Pictures. Mascot's serial ''The King of the Kongo'' (1929) was the first serial to include sound, beating Universal Studios by several months. The company's logo featured a roaring tiger resting on top of a model of the planet Earth. Early years Mascot was created by Nat Levine, a former personal secretary to Marcus Loew, in 1927 after the success of his independent serial ''The Silent Flyer'' ( 1926). In the beginning the company operated out of the upstairs offices of a contractor's business on Santa Monica Boulevard. It rented all of its equipment and facilities. In 1929 the studio made serial history with the production of ''The King of the Kongo''. This was the first serial, from any production company ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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George Magrill
George Magrill (January 5, 1900 – May 31, 1952) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 320 films between 1923 and 1952. Magrill performed on stage before he began to work in films. Besides his acting, Magrill worked as a stunt man in films. He also served in the Navy and became a lightweight boxing champion in that service branch. Magrill was born in Brooklyn, New York, was married to Ramona Oliver, and had a daughter named Marilynn. On May 31, 1952, Magrill died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography *''The Eagle's Talons'' (1923) *'' North of Nevada'' (1924) *''The Mask of Lopez'' (1924) *'' Stolen Secrets'' (1924) * '' Duped'' (1925) *'' Wild Horse Mesa'' (1925) - Bert Manerube *''Lord Jim'' (1925) *''The Enchanted Hill'' (1926) * ''The Windjammer'' (1926) *'' Snowed In'' (1926) *''The Cyclone Cowboy'' (1927) *''Roarin' Broncs'' (1927) *'' Ride 'em High'' (1927) *''The Desert of the Lost'' (1927) *'' Hawk of the Hills'' (1927, Serial) *''The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yakima Canutt
Enos Edward "Yakima" Canutt (November 29, 1895 – May 24, 1986) was an American champion rodeo rider, actor, stuntman, and action director. He developed many stunts for films and the techniques and technology to protect stuntmen in performing them. Early years Born Enos Edward Canutt in the Snake River Hills near Colfax, Washington, he was one of five children of John Lemuel Canutt, a rancher, and his wife Nettie Ellen Stevens. He grew up in eastern Washington on a ranch near Penawawa Creek, founded by his grandfather. His father operated the ranch and also served a term in the state legislature. Canutt's formal education was limited to elementary school in Green Lake, then a suburb of Seattle. He gained the education for his life's work on the family ranch, where he learned to hunt, trap, shoot, and ride.World Bio. 2001. Canutt first broke a wild bronco when he was 11. As a 16-year-old, he started bronc riding at the Whitman County Fair in Colfax in 1912, and at 17 he won ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cinema Of The United States
The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of American cinema is classical Hollywood cinema, which developed from 1913 to 1969 and is still typical of most films made there to this day. While Frenchmen Auguste and Louis Lumière are generally credited with the birth of modern cinema, American cinema soon came to be a dominant force in the emerging industry. , it produced the third-largest number of films of any national cinema, after India and China, with more than 600 English-language films released on average every year. While the national cinemas of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand also produce films in the same language, they are not part of the Hollywood system. That said, Hollywood has also been considered a transnational cinema, and has produced multiple lan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Travel Air 2000
The Travel Air 2000/3000/4000 (originally, the Model A, Model B and Model BH were open-cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. During the period from 1924–1929, Travel Air produced more aircraft than any other American manufacturer, including over 1,000 biplanes. While an exact number is almost impossible to ascertain due to the number of conversions and rebuilds, some estimates for Travel Air as a whole range from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 aircraft.Wilkinson, 28 February 2014, pp.? Design and development Design and development The Travel Air Model A was engineered chiefly by Lloyd Stearman, with input from Travel Air co-founders Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Bill Snook and could trace its ancestry back to the Swallow New Swallow biplane. The Travel Air, however, replaced the New Swallow's wooden fuselage structure with a welded steel tube. An interim design, the Winstead Special, was developed by the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bob Kortman
Robert F. Kortman (December 24, 1887 – March 13, 1967) was an American film actor mostly associated with westerns, though he also appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy comedies. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1914 and 1952. Biography The son of a rancher, Kortman was born in Brackettville, Texas, in 1887. He spent six years in the U.S. cavalry. Director Tom Ince cast Kortman as a villain when he began working in films in 1911, and he went on to become the "favored on-screen opponent" for William S. Hart with regard to their film fights. After he left acting, Kortman was president of a cooperative water company in Arrowhead Springs, California, where he lived. Kortman was married to Gonda Durand, a Mack Sennett bathing beauty. He died in Long Beach, California from cancer. Selected filmography * '' The Narrow Trail'' (1917) * '' Through the Wrong Door'' (1919) * ''The Great Radium Mystery'' (1919) * ''Godless Men'' (1920) * '' Winners of the West'' ( ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Frazer
Robert Frazer (born Robert William Browne, June 29, 1891August 17, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in some 224 shorts and films from the 1910s until his death. He began in films with the Eclair company which released through Universal Pictures. Early years Frazer was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and educated in Massachusetts. When he was young, he worked in a grocery store during vacations and spent much of his spare time reading plays and literature about becoming an actor. He also staged backyard plays for his friends. Acting career Frazer acted with several repertory companies, including the Cosgrove Stock Company, toured the United States in productions, and performed on Broadway in ''Seremonda'' (1917). After some theater experience he swiftly moved into acting in silent films. In 1912 he began his movie career by portraying Jesus Christ in ''The Holy City'', and in the same year played the lead in ''Robin Hood''. He also appeared in two classic horror fil ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Edward Peil, Sr
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Saxon England, but the rule of the Norman and Plantagenet dynasties had effectively ended its use amongst the upper classes. The popularity of the name was revived when Henry III named his firstborn son, the future Edward I, as part of his efforts to promote a cult around Edward the Confessor, for whom Henry had a deep admiration. Variant forms The name has been adopted in the Iberian peninsula since the 15th century, due to Edward, King of Portugal, whose mother was English. The Spanish/Portuguese forms of the name are Eduardo and Duarte. Other variant forms include French Édouard, Italian Edoardo and Odoardo, German, Dutch, Czech and Romanian Eduard and Scandinavian Edvard. Short forms include Ed, Eddy, Eddie, Ted, Teddy and Ned ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they are involved in operating the aircraft's navigation and engine systems. Other aircrew members, such as drone operators, flight attendants, Aircraft maintenance technician, mechanics and Line technician (aviation), ground crew, are not classified as aviators. In recognition of the pilots' qualifications and responsibilities, most militaries and many airlines worldwide award aviator badges to their pilots. History The first recorded use of the term ''aviator'' (''aviateur'' in French) was in 1887, as a variation of ''aviation'', from the Latin ''avis'' (meaning ''bird''), coined in 1863 by in ''Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne'' ("Aviation or Air Navigation"). The term ''aviatrix'' (''aviatrice'' in F ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Masked Mystery Villain
A masked villain, also seen as masked mystery villain, is a stock character in genre fiction. It was developed and popularized in movie serials, beginning with The Hooded Terror in ''The House of Hate'', (1918) the first fully-costumed mystery villain of the movies, and frequently used in the adventure stories of pulp magazines and sound-era movie serials in the early twentieth century, as well as postmodern horror films where the character "hides in order to claim unsuspecting victims". They can also appear in crime fiction to add to the atmosphere of suspense and suspicion. It is used to engage the readers or viewers by keeping them guessing just as the characters are, and suspension by drawing on the fear of the unknown. The "Mask" need not be literal (although it often is), referring more to the subterfuge involved. He or she is the often main antagonist of the story, often acting behind the scenes with henchmen confronting the protagonists directly. Usually, the protagonis ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lafe McKee
Lafayette S. "Lafe" McKee (January 23, 1872 – August 10, 1959) was an American actor who appeared in more than 400 films from 1912 to 1948. Part of his career was spent with Art Mix Productions. McKee also worked as a stage actor from 1910 until at least 1932, and began working in show business in 1893. Selected filmography * ''The Adventures of Kathlyn'' (1913) * '' The City of Purple Dreams'' (1918) * ''In the Days of Buffalo Bill'' (1922) * '' Blazing Arrows'' (1922) * '' Silver Spurs'' (1922) * '' Blood Test'' (1923) * ''The Eagle's Claw'' (1924) * ''Bringin' Home the Bacon'' (1924) * ''The Terror of Pueblo'' (1924) * ''Thundering Romance'' (1924) * '' Full Speed'' (1925) * '' On the Go'' (1925) * ''Double Action Daniels'' (1925) * ''The Saddle Cyclone'' (1925) * '' The Human Tornado'' (1925) * '' The Sporting Life'' (1925) * ''The Bandit Buster'' (1926) * ''The Bonanza Buckaroo'' (1926) * ''The Man from Oklahoma'' (1926) * ''Fort Frayne'' (1926) * ''Officer 444'' (1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |