''The Master Mystery'' is a 1918 American
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
silent serial film
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 ...
told in 15 installments. The film was directed by Harry Grossman and
Burton L. King
Burton L. King (August 25, 1877 – May 4, 1944) was an American film actor and director. One of his best-known productions was '' The Lost Battalion'' (1919).
Selected filmography
* '' The Battle of Gettysburg'' (1913)
* ''Under the Crescent'' ...
and written by
Arthur B. Reeve and Charles Logue. The film stars
Harry Houdini,
Marguerite Marsh
Marguerite Marsh (April 18, 1888 – December 8, 1925) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 70 films between 1911 and 1923. Early in her career, she was known as Margaret Loveridge.
Biography
Marsh was the el ...
,
Ruth Stonehouse
Ruth Stonehouse (September 28, 1892 – May 12, 1941) was an actress and film director during the silent film era. Her stage career started at the age of eight as a dancer in Arizona shows.
Early life
Ruth Stonehouse was born to James Wesley ...
, Edna Britton, William Pike, and Charles Graham. Episode 1 was released on November 18, 1918, by Octagon Films.
It is one of the first films to feature a
powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, pro ...
.
Plot
Justice Department agent Quentin Locke is investigating a powerful cartel that is protected by The Automaton, a robot. However, it uses a gas weapon known as The Madagascan Madness.
Cast
*
Harry Houdini as Quentin Locke
*
Marguerite Marsh
Marguerite Marsh (April 18, 1888 – December 8, 1925) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 70 films between 1911 and 1923. Early in her career, she was known as Margaret Loveridge.
Biography
Marsh was the el ...
as Eva Brent
*
Ruth Stonehouse
Ruth Stonehouse (September 28, 1892 – May 12, 1941) was an actress and film director during the silent film era. Her stage career started at the age of eight as a dancer in Arizona shows.
Early life
Ruth Stonehouse was born to James Wesley ...
as Zita Dane
*Edna Britton as De Luxe Dora
*William Pike as Paul Balcom
*Charles Graham as Herbert Balcom
*
Floyd Buckley
Floyd Buckley (October 21, 1877 - November 14, 1956) was an American film, stage, and radio actor whose career began with Buffalo Bill and ended with Broadway.
Born in Chatham, New York, Buckley attended St. John's Military Academy in Manlius ...
as Q the Automaton
*Jack Burns as Peter Brent
Episodes
#''Living Death''
#''The Iron Terror''
#''The Water Peril''
#''The Test''
#''The Chemist’s Shop''
#''The Mad Genius''
#''Barbed Wire''
#''The Challenge''
#''The Madagascan Madness''
#''The Binding Ring''
#''The Net''
#''The Death Noose''
#''The Flash of Death''
#''The Tangled Web''
#''Bound at Last; or, Unmasking of the Automaton''
References
External links
*
*
1919 films
1910s mystery films
1910s science fiction films
American silent serial films
1910s English-language films
American mystery films
Films directed by Burton L. King
American robot films
Harry Houdini
American black-and-white films
American science fiction films
Films with screenplays by Arthur B. Reeve
1910s American films
Silent mystery films
Silent science fiction films
{{1910s-US-film-stub