''Finger Prints'' is a 1931 American
Pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
movie serial
A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...
. It is considered to be a lost film. (This was the last Universal serial with only ten chapters.)
Plot
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
agent Gary Gordon (Kenneth Harlan) is working on shutting down the "River Gang", a smuggling ring. His girlfriend Lola's father, John Mackey, is secretly a member of the gang. Soon after, events are complicated when the villainous Kent Martin (Gayne Whitman) attempts to blackmail Mackey for his daughter's hand in marriage. At one point, Lola's father is falsely accused of murder, and agent Gordon tries valiantly to prove his innocence.
Cast
*
Kenneth Harlan
Kenneth Daniel Harlan (July 26, 1895 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types.
Early life
Harlan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George W. Harlan and ac ...
as Gary Gordon,
Secret Service
A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...
agent
*
Edna Murphy
Edna Murphy (November 17, 1899 – August 3, 1974) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 80 films between 1918 and 1933. Murphy was voted "Most Photographed Movie Star of 1925" by '' ScreenLand Magazine''.
For part of ...
as Lola Mackey, Gordon's girlfriend
*
Gayne Whitman
Gayne Whitman (born Alfred D. Vosburgh; March 19, 1890 – August 31, 1958) was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1904 and 1957. In some early films he was credited under his birth name. He was born ...
as Kent Martin, Blackmailer
*
Gertrude Astor
Gertrude Astor (born Gertrude Irene Eyster; November 9, 1887 – November 9, 1977) was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone in a woman's band.
Early years
Gertrude Irene Eyster was born in Lakew ...
as Jane Madden, Martin's girlfriend
*
William Worthington as John Mackey, Lola's father
*
William L. Thorne as Joe Burke, Mackey's partner in the River Gang
*
Monte Montague
Monte Montague (April 23, 1891 – April 6, 1959) was the stage name for Walter H. Montague, an American film actor. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1920 and 1954. He was born in Somerset, Kentucky, and died in Burbank, Californi ...
as Officer Rooney
Chapter titles
# The Dance of Death
# A Fugitive of Fear
# Toll of the Sea
# The Sinister Shadow
# The Plunge of Peril
# The Finger of Fate
# The Depths of Doom
# The Thundering Terror
# Flames of Fury
# The Final Reckoning
Source:
This was the last Universal serial with only ten chapters.
See also
*
List of film serials
A list of film serials by year of release.
1910s
1920s
1930s
Films still exist from this point on unless noted otherwise:
1940s
1950s
See also
* Serial (film)
* List of film serials by studio
References
{{reflist
External linksSerial ...
*
List of film serials by studio
This is a list of film serials by studio, separated into those released by each of the five major studios, and the remaining minor studios.
The five major studios produced the greater number of serials. Of these the main studios are consider ...
References
External links
*
*
1931 films
1931 crime drama films
American black-and-white films
1930s English-language films
Universal Pictures film serials
Films directed by Ray Taylor
Lost American films
American crime drama films
1931 lost films
Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton
Films about the United States Secret Service
1930s American films
{{1930s-crime-drama-film-stub