''Secret Strings'' is a

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

1918 American silent crime drama film produced and distributed by

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a Film, motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leas ...

Olive Tell Olive Tell (September 27, 1894 – June 8, 1951) was a stage and screen actress from New York City. Biography Tell was educated in several cities in Europe. She and her younger actress sister Alma graduated from the American Academy of Dramati ...

, a stage actress, starred in the story based on a play by Kate Jordan. John Ince directed.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Janet Howell (Tell) discovers that her husband Raoul (Kelly) is a crook. She leaves him and attempts to make a living painting pictures. She takes a position as a companion to Mrs. de Giles (Wainwright) in the hope of recovering some valuable mining property which her husband assures her belongs to a friend of his. Her husband visits the house using the name Newell and tells her to find where the safe is located. Newell drugs the coffee so that the de Giles and Hugh Maxwell (Thompson), a relative, fall into a stupor, and he tells Janet to change her clothes and be ready to leave with him. However, the de Giles are cleverer detectives and have been waiting for this chance to catch their man, and Newell is arrested. He makes a last frantic attempt to escape but is shot by the Detective (Lawrence) and falls down the stairs and breaks his neck. Janet's innocence is believed and Hugh confesses his love for her.

Cast

as Janet Howell *William J. Kelly as Raoul Howell / Newell * Hugh Thompson as Hugh Maxwell *John Daly Murphy as Richard de Giles * Marie Wainwright as Mrs. de Giles *Hugh Jeffrey as Ross *Barbara Winthrop as Katia *Bert Tuey as Williams *John Smiley as Benjamin Moraud *Edward Lawrence as Detective

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''Secret Strings'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 5, gagging and binding the young woman, two scenes of thieves at panel, and emptying jewels from tray into bag.

References

External links

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Lantern slide promoting the film ''Secret Strings''
Wayback Machine) 1918 films Lost American films American crime drama films American silent feature films American films based on plays 1918 crime drama films 1918 lost films American black-and-white films Lost crime drama films 1910s American films Silent American drama films {{silent-crime-drama-film-stub