''The Eagle's Eye'' is a 1918 American

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 ...

consisting of 20 episodes that dramatizes

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

espionage in the United States during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The stories are based on the experiences of

William J. Flynn William James Flynn (November 18, 1867 – October 14, 1928) was the director of the Bureau of Investigation from July 1, 1919, to August 21, 1921. Personal life Flynn was born in New York City and began his government career in 1897, after rec ...

during his career as chief 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 ...

from 1912–1917. It features

King Baggot William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America ...

as the president of the Criminology Club and

Marguerite Snow Marguerite Snow (September 9, 1889 – February 17, 1958) was an American silent film and stage actress. In her early films she was billed as Margaret Snow. Early life Snow was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her father, Billy Snow, was a comedia ...

as a Secret Service agent who investigate spies. Among the events depicted are the sending of the Zimmermann Telegram,

Franz von Rintelen Captain Franz Dagobert Johannes von Rintelen (19 August 1878 – 30 May 1949) was a member of the German nobility and a veteran field agent in the intelligence wing of the German Imperial Navy, who operated covertly in the still neutral United ...

's attempts to sabotage cargo loading in San Francisco Harbor, and the capture of the German espionage plans. It was directed by

George Lessey George Lessey (June 8, 1879 – June 3, 1947) was an American actor and director of the silent era. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1910 and 1946. He also directed more than 70 films between 1913 and 1922. Lessey was born in Amh ...

, Wellington A. Playter,

Leopold Wharton Leopold Wharton (September 1, 1870 – September 27, 1927) was an American film director, producer and writer. He directed 37 films between 1911 and 1922, including the 1915 film ''The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford'', which featur ...

, and Theodore Wharton, and produced by

the Whartons Studio Wharton, Inc. was an early silent film production company in Ithaca, New York from 1914 to 1919. The Ithaca movie studio was established by brothers Theodore and Leopold Wharton on the shores of Cayuga Lake, at the site of what is now Stewart Pa ...

. The serial is now considered

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 ...

. Because this serial was a commercial failure, it was the last one made by Whartons due to the studio being forced to declare bankruptcy.

Background

After Flynn's retirement from the Secret Service his work investigating sabotage during the war were interwoven with fictitious characters and events by

Courtney Ryley Cooper Courtney Ryley Cooper (October 31, 1886 – September 29, 1940) was an American circus performer, publicist and writer. During his career he published over 30 books, many focusing on crime; J. Edgar Hoover considered him at one time "the be ...

into a 20-part

spy thriller Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...

. These were also published as weekly installments in ''The Atlanta Constitution'''s magazine section during 1918 under the title ''The Eagle's Eye: A True Story of the Imperial German Government's Spies and Intrigues in America''. Fifteen of the episodes were republished as chapters in a book the following year.

Cast

as Harrison Grant *

as Dixie Mason * William Bailey as Heinrich von Lertz *

Florence Short Florence Short (May 19, 1893 – July 10, 1946) was an American actress. She had numerous film roles as a supporting actress and was also cast in theatrical productions. She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and moved with her family to ...

as Madame Augusta Stephan * Bertram Marburgh as Count Johann von Bernstorff * as Captain Franz von Papen * John P. Wade as Captain Karl Boy-Ed * Fred C. Jones as Dr.

Heinrich Albert Heinrich Friedrich Albert (12 February 1874 to 1 November 1960) was a German civil servant, diplomat, politician, businessman and lawyer who served as minister for reconstruction and the Treasury in the government of Wilhelm Cuno in 1922/1923. ...

* Wellington A. Playter as

* Louise Hotaling * Louis C. Bement as Uncle Sam * Allan Murnane * F.W. Stewart * Robin H. Townley * Bessie Wharton as Mrs. Blank

Chapter titles

# Hidden Death # The Naval Ball Conspiracy # The Plot Against the Fleet # Von Rintelen, the Destroyer # The Strike Breeders # The Plot Against Organized Labor # Brown Port Folio # The Kaiser's Death Messenger # The Munitions Campaign # The Invasion of Canada # The Burning of Hopewell # The Canal Conspirators # The Reign of Terror # The Infantile Paralysis Epidemic # The Campaign Against Cotton # The Raid of the U-53 # Germany's U-Base in America # The Great Hindu Conspiracy # The Menace of the I.W.W. # The Great Decision

References

External links

* * 1918 films 1918 lost films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films 1910s spy films American black-and-white films American silent serial films American spy films American war films Cultural depictions of Franz von Papen Film serials Films directed by George Lessey Films set in San Francisco Lost American films Lost war films Silent war films World War I spy films {{WWI-film-stub