''The Hidden Hand'' is a 1917 American
film 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 ...
directed by
James Vincent
James Vincent (July 19, 1882 – July 12, 1957) was an American actor and film director of the silent film, silent era. He appeared in 23 films between 1910 and 1951, and directed 18 films from 1915 to 1931.
Born in Springfield, Massachus ...
. This 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 ...
serial.
Cast
*
Doris Kenyon
Doris Margaret Kenyon (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1979) was an American actress of motion pictures and television.
Early life
She grew up in Syracuse, New York, where her family had a home at 1805 Harrison Street. Her father, Dr. Ja ...
as Doris Whitney
*
Sheldon Lewis
Sheldon Lewis (April 20, 1868 – May 7, 1958) was an American actor of the silent era best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1914 and 1936.
Lewis was married to actress Virginia Pearson, and they were ...
as Dr. Scarley
*
Mahlon Hamilton
Mahlon Preston Hamilton, Jr. (June 15, 1880 – June 20, 1960), was an American stage and screen actor. He was the son of a bartender born in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest of four children, with the rest of the siblings being girls. Census ...
as Jack Ramsey
*
Arline Pretty
Arline Pretty (September 5, 1885 – April 14, 1978) was an American film actress of the silent era.
Life and career
Pretty was born September 5, 1885, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a musician.
For three years, Pretty acted on ...
as Vera Orane
*
Henry Sedley Henry Sedley may refer to:
* Henry Sedley (actor)
* Henry Sedley (journalist)
* Sir Henry Sedley, 3rd Baronet, of the Sedley baronets
{{hndis, Sedley, Henry ...
* William Slade
Chapter titles
# The Gauntlet of Death
# Counterfeit Faces
# The Island of Dread
# The False Locket
# The Air-Lock
# The Flower of Death
# The Fire Trap
# Slide for Life
# Jets of Flame
# Cogs of Death
# Trapped by Treachery
# Eyes in the Wall
# Jaws of the Tiger
# The Unmasking
# The Girl of the Prophecy
Reception
Like many American films of the time, ''The Hidden Hand'' was subject to cuts by
city and state film censorship boards. For example, the
Chicago Board of Censors
The Chicago Board of Censors was a film censorship committee based in Chicago that was founded in 1907 as the Police Censor Board, and operated until 1984.
It was the first film censorship board in the United States.
The board had great influence o ...
required, in Chapter 1, a cut of a scene with an attack on a man by the Hidden Hand; in Chapter 2, of the Hidden Hand slugging a man; in Chapter 3, of a lighting meter, the loosening of a nut on a bolt, and the Hidden Hand killing a man; in Chapter 4, six scenes of cutting into safe with torch, gagging and binding young woman to chair, and taking jewel box from safe; in Chapter 5, Reel 1, the assault and abduction of young woman, assault on man, shooting poison powder at man, and examining property from unconscious man, Reel 2, two scenes of assault on man and young woman, two scenes of binding and gagging them, and shooting at the rope; in Chapter 6, the attack on the young woman, three scenes of finding and gagging her, four scenes of suspending her above lime box, and the intertitle "Fasten the rope so that when Ramsey comes she'll plunge into the box"; in Chapter 7, Reel 1, two scenes of young woman suspended over lime vat, throwing man into vat and following scene of him climbing out; in Chapter 9, Reel 1, two scenes of breaking in door of car, slugging of man, Reel 2, the Hidden Hand choking young woman, the intertitle "You will never interfere with my plans again", dynamiting tower and lighting fuse, attack on young woman, shorten fight scenes to eliminate holdup of hero with gun, striking man with shovel, and the young woman shooting man., in Reel 3, last scene of men and woman drinking at table, kissing woman on shoulder in automobile and all but the first and last struggle scenes, and two intertitles "You've left me alone" etc. and "Its your own game" etc.; in Chapter 10, Reel 2, a closeup of door locking on young woman, two scenes of attack on her, slugging man with rod, and the attack on the hero; in Chapter 11, Reel 2, threatening young woman with gun, throwing knife at man, two scenes of threatening young woman with dagger; in Chapter 12, Reel 1, two scenes of threatening young woman with knife, slugging man in fight scene, two views of note ending "You die in 24 hours", two scenes of threatening man with gun, tapping wires, and Reel 2, gagging and binding young woman; in Chapter 14, Reel 2, arrow sticking in man's face, lighting fuse, two additional scenes of arrow sticking in man's face (one with man standing and other in chair), and striking man on head with gun; and, in Chapter 15, Reel 1, shooting of man in automobile, shooting envoy in office, and, Reel 2, the intertitle "This tank of vitriol."
[ (cuts in Chapter 15)]
See also
*
List of lost films
For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films.
Reas ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hidden Hand, The
1917 films
1917 lost films
American silent serial films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by James Vincent
Lost American films
Pathé Exchange film serials
1910s American films