''The Flaming Clue'' is a 1920 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Edwin L. Hollywood Edwin L. Hollywood (October 9, 1892 – May 15, 1958) was an American actor and film director. He was born in New York City. Hollywood was in charge of Vitagraph's film unit that starred Harry Morey. He died in Glendale, California. Filmog ...

and written by William B. Courtney and Frederic Van Rensselaer Dey. The film stars

Harry T. Morey Harry Temple Morey (August 21, 1873 – January 24, 1936) was an American stage and motion picture actor who appeared in nearly 200 films during his career. Biography Born in Charlotte, Michigan, Morey had two brothers. Their mother was Addie C. ...

Lucy Fox Lucy Fox (October 25, 1897 – May 21, 1970) was an American actress active in the era of silent film.Solomon, p. 290 Partial filmography * '' Just for Tonight'' (1918) * '' Why I Would Not Marry?'' (1918) * ''The Bishop's Emeralds'' (1919) * '' ...

, and Sidney Dalbrook.

Plot

Secret Service agent Ralph Cornell is on the trail of a ring of counterfeiters. He tracks them to a boarding house in the country which is owned by Betty Quail and her mother. The head of the gang, Aaron Prine, is staying at the boarding house, where the counterfeiters have a secret lair which can be entered through a secret passage in Prine's room. In order to keep an eye on Prine, Cornell registers as a resident at the boarding house, during which time he and Betty fall in love. As he is closing in on the counterfeiters, he and Betty are captured and held captive. But the Secret Service arrives in time to rescue Cornell and Betty, and arrest the criminals.

Cast list

Production

In preparation for the picture, Harry T. Morley shadowed a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

detective to learn more about the ins and out of police work. The picture was based on a story from the files of the

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 ...

Reception

The ''Lenora News'' gave the film a positive review, stating, "For a detective story with suspense, mystery and thrills in every scene see "The Flaming Clue". ''The Evening Mail'' also gave the film a good review and singled out the performance of Harry Morley, "Mr. Morley is a favorite with lovers of movies and his part in this picture gives him opportunity for superb acting. This picture tells a human life story and is thrilling throughout." '' The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette'' said it was "a thrilling detective story, filled with love and suspense."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaming Clue, The 1920 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920 drama films Vitagraph Studios films Films directed by Edwin L. Hollywood 1920s English-language films 1920s American films