''The Jade Box'' (1930) is a

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 t ...

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 was a partial

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

with long silent sequences. Only an incomplete version survives today in Universal's vault, with incomplete footage and some missing sound discs.

Plot

John Lamar buys a Jade Box in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

but it is stolen by his friend Martin Morgan. A cult, searching for the box because it contains the secret to invisibility, catches up with and abducts Lamar. After discovering the theft, the cult send a message to Martin and the pair's children: John Lamar's son, Jack, who is engaged to Martin Morgan's daughter, Helen. Jack searches for the Box while Martin attempts to discover the secret of invisibility for his own schemes.

Cast

Monroe Salisbury Monroe Salisbury (May 8, 1876 – August 7, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared on the stage for several years and then became an early film star. Salisbury was a matinee idol. He began his acting career on the stage in 1898, appearin ...

as John Lamar, original purchaser of the Box and cult abductee *

Jack Perrin Jack Perrin (born Lyman Wakefield Perrin; July 25, 1896 – December 17, 1967) was an American actor specializing in Westerns. Early life Perrin was born in Three Rivers, Michigan. His father worked in real estate and relocated the family ...

as Jack Lamar, John's son & Helen's fiance * Francis Ford as Martin Morgan, false friend of John Lamar *

Louise Lorraine Louise Lorraine (born Louise Escovar; October 1, 1904 – February 2, 1981) was an American actress. Life and career Louise Lorraine was born Louise Escovar in San Francisco, California. One day, a photography salesman knocked on the door of t ...

as Helen Morgan, Martin's daughter & Jack Lamar's fiance *

Wilbur Mack Wilbur Mack (born George Frear Runyon, July 29, 1873 – March 13, 1964) was an American film actor and early vaudeville performer from the 1920s through the 1960s. His film acting career began during the silent film era. Biography Mack w ...

as Edward Haines *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1882 – September 20, 1948), Leo Weiss, was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany, White grew up in England where ...

as Percy Winslow *

Jay Novello Jay Novello (born Michael Romano, August 22, 1904 – September 2, 1982) was an American radio, film, and television character actor. Early life Novello was born in Chicago to Joseph Romano and Maria (Salemme) Romano. He had three sibling ...

as Bit *

Eileen Sedgwick Eileen Sedgwick (October 17, 1898 – March 15, 1991) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Born in 1898, Sedgwick was in her first film in 1914 and appeared in more than 110 films during her 15-year career. She was the sist ...

Frank Lackteen Frank Lackteen (born Mohammed Hassan Lackteen August 29, 1897 – July 8, 1968) was an American film actor best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1965, including several Three Stooges shorts. ...

Critical reception

Cline states that, while ''The Jade Box'' is not of a high technical quality, it did show at the time that a mystery serial could be improved by the addition of music and sound effects.

Chapter titles

# The Jade of Jeopardy # Buried Alive # The Shadow Man # The Fatal Prophecy # The Unseen Death # The Haunting Shadow # The Guilty Man # The Grip of Death # Out of the Shadows # The Atonement _Source:

References

External links

*
''The Jade Box'' at SilentEra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jade Box, The 1930 films 1930s fantasy films American silent serial films Transitional sound films American mystery films American black-and-white films Universal Pictures film serials Films directed by Ray Taylor American fantasy films 1930s mystery films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Silent mystery films