The amazing new serial discovery: an original nitrate
print of a 1919 15-Chapter Arrow
Serial
The
Masked Rider
Directed
by Aubrey C. Kennedy --
Produced by William Steiner
Executive producer Patrick S. McGeeney
Starring
Harry Myers
Ruth
Stonehouse
Paul Panzer
Edna M. Holland
Robert Taber
and
Boris Karloff
in his first existing film footage
Shamrock
Films/MASKED RIDER Slideshow
1-2. Patrick
McGeeney portrait and as actor in his own feature THE
GERM
3-4 Production shots from films shot in Texas by
cameraman Arthur Boerger at the time
5 Jack Chapman of THE MASKED RIDER in another Shamrock
feature
6-7 Robert Taber of THE MASKED RIDER in other Shamrock
features
The rest: Stills and cast/crew photos from THE MASKED
RIDER
The Discovery
21 reels worth of footage from this serial printed on
tinted nitrate stock, were discovered in the fall of 2003
in the home of a former theater projectionist and
memorabilia collector whose estate has been liquidated.
Episode numbers were hand-painted on the original metal
cans--and the can for chapter 7 reveals the original
owner's enthusiasm for the serial, which he no doubt saw,
and/or projected, in his youth. One reel of the film had
decomposed to liquid and was discarded by those handling
the estate. This appears to have included mostly footage
from Chapter 1. Other cans were marked Episodes 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14,
The Story
The Masked Rider appears to have been the first great mystery-rider Western chapter play and the character may have served as a prototype for The Riddle Rider, The Lone Ranger and all the great masked rider serials which followed it.
The setting of the story is Mexico. Violent bandit and cattle rustler Pancho (Paul Panzer), his rude henchman Santas and a group of raiders have sworn to drive the settlers out of the Border country and kill Texas Ranger Harry Burrel's father Bill. In the conflict that follows Pancho's hands are crushed, supposedly by the ranchers. Pancho swears bitter revenge on the Burrels and the two factions resolve to destroy each other.
Pancho's daughter Juanita, frequently assaulted by his men, is shocked by her father's cruelty and takes surreptitious action to prevent his murdering innocent captives when she can. Rugged "Ma Chadwick," Ruth's mother, supports the Rangers and whups into shape any who aren't tough enough to take on the bad guys.
The pre-code action is tense and convincing, and surprisingly violent, hard-hitting and even shocking in parts. An example: "See the miracle which prevents the arms of Ruth from being torn from their sockets. At the word of command, the horses start in opposite directions and Ruth faints ad the first pull on her wrists. Watch and wait for this episode." And the scene does indeed take place in the following episode, to surprising resolution. This serial pulls no punches. Pancho's bitterness and cruelty come across as frighteningly realistic, and the stark and dangerous cliffs and other locations in which the story takes place only add to the atmosphere of threatening danger which permeates the serial.
The Cast
Harry
Myers
as rancher Harry Burrel
Harry Myers (1882-1938) began acting in 1908 and played
the title character in the serial
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
He wrote and directed over 30 films between 1914 and
1917. One of his final screen appearances was as an
uncredited detective in
The Spider's Web.
Ruth
Stonehouse
as Harry's sweetheart Ruth Chadwick
Ruth Stonehouse began acting at an early age and appeared
in the serials
Adventures of Peg O'the Ring
and
The Master Mystery
starring Harry Houdini.
Paul
Panzer
as Pancho, cattle rustler and bandit
Paul Panzer, born in Bavaria, began his career acting in
silent Shakespearian films, and achieved notoriety as the
villainous Koerner in
The Perils of Pauline.
He would later appear in other serials including
The Exploits of Elaine,
Jimmie Dale Alias the Gray Seal,
The Mystery Mind,
Hawk of the Hills,
The Black Book,
and
Tarzan the Tiger.
He appeared, often uncredited, in sound films (he can be
glimpsed as a graveside mourner in
Frankenstein)
until the early 1950s.
Robert
Taber
as Santas, Pancho's lieutenant
Marie
Treador
as Ma Chadwick, Ruth's mother
Edna
M. Holland
as Pancho's daughter Juanita
?
as
the Masked Rider,
emissary of evil
Blanche
Gillespie
as Harry's young sister Blanche Burrel
Jack
Chapman
as Captain Jack of the Rangers
?
as Terrazas, neighboring ranchero and bitter enemy of
Pancho
and
Boris Karloff
in a bit role
as a Mexican roughneck in the bar scene of Chapter 2 (his
earliest existing screen appearance). The serial,
mistitled
The Masked Raider,
appears in at least one reputable biography of the
actor's filmography.
The
DVD
Film and Transfer Quality: The original nitrate image is
absolutely stunning in its detail and midtones. As you
can see in the framegrabs there are occasional scratches
on the film but they do not detract. The finest
professional (Cintel) transfer equipment available was
used to create a digital version of this film. You may
pledge to own a DVD copy of this transfer, which will
include an entirely new original score composed
especially for this presentation.
You
can see a 3-minute trailer now of
The Masked Rider
on the Squadron
Painted Stallion,
Zorro Rides Again
and
Beatrice Fairfax
DVDs.
This serial will be presented in 8 half-hour chapters
with the crucial action of Chapter 1 reconstructed and
most of the original cliffhanger division points
retained, and mastered on 2 to 4 DVDs with illustrated
chapter and reel-index menus. Extras will include cast
bios and photos and a mini-documentary on producer
Patrick McGeeney's Shamrock Films studio in San Antonio,
shooting locations, newspaper clippings, rare original
stills from the serial and either a printed or audio
version of the complete script for Chapter 1.
To pledge for a DVD copy of this serial, send $60
to:
Eric Stedman
440 S. State Street G6
Newtown PA 18940
Multiple pledges are allowed and encouraged as this
project is WAY over budget (but that won't stop us from
releasing it!). You can use the Squadron Mail-Order Form
Generator to print an order form for pledges by mail. You
may also pledge using
PayPal
using "ericstedman @ aol.com" as the email
address.
Latest
News
The
pledge drive has ended and the final chapters of
The Masked Rider
have been transferred -- they look
fantastic,
by the way -- and the entire serial will be released on
DVD as soon as it has been fully restored and scored.
You may still preorder this serial which will remain
available for sale at $60.00. Funds raised by further
pledges will be used toward getting a safety print made
of the original film, which is unstable
nitrate.
Several reels of raw footage of
The Masked Rider
were shown at SerialFest on May 22, 2004 and the
conclusion of the serial in rough form was shown at
SerialFest 2005.
Checking
Pledge Information
Your name should appear subsequently on the
Masked Rider
pledge list thread on the
Movie Serial Message Boards / Squadron DVD Pledges
board.
To correct any information on the list, simply add a post
to the Masked Rider thread.
For questions on existing pledges, contact
princebarin@serialsquadron.com
Check the Release Schedule to see when this project will be completed.