The Serial Squadron Cinema Cliffhanger Archive

MYSTERY SERIALS

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The House of Hate
✦✦✦✦ (Astra/Pathé, 20 Episodes)
Pearl White, Antonio Moreno D: George B. Seitz
Restored by Eric Stedman
Special thanks to Thunder Rider Kim Deitch and research assistants Ron and Raisa Stephenson for helping to produce this release

When her father is murdered, Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy inventor, inherits the Waldon fortune, the berserk masked maniac known as The Hooded Terror, who may be one of the spurned Waldon heirs, targets her and lover Harry Gresham for assassination.

NOTE: This serial is currently being upgraded to full resolution and corrected speed for Blu-Ray release.

Old Transfer Quality: Low resolution, digitally stabilized, 24fps
New Transfer Quality: Very Good, 18-20 fps (correct speed)

Contents:
Black and white, color-tinted, and with restored opening and closing titles, newly translated intertitles, new musical score and sound effects. Includes the first four chapters much as they were originally released, several chapters which combine the best of the action scenes from the middle of the serial, then the last two chapters present the key material from the last 3 chapters including the complete extended flashback which reveals the masked villain’s identity and horrific origin.

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The Green Archer
✦✦✦ (15 Chapters)
Victor Jory, Iris Meredith, James Craven
D: James W. Horne



A mysterious archer in medieval attire and his imitator—sometimes we don’t know which is which—prowl the grounds of the villain's modern castle while insurance investigator Spike Holland tries to make sense of the whole business. Operating from the castle is a jewel ring run by blackguard Abel Bellamy, who takes over the property after sending his innocent brother to prison for one of the ring's capers. Adapted from the novel by Edgar Wallace
Influenced by: The Green Archer silent serial, of which this was a remake.
Influenced: Green Arrow comic book character, which first appeared shortly after this serial's release.

View Online Video: Chapter 1: Prison Bars Beckon

Transfer Quality: Very good; restored picture & audio DVD Contents: Complete serial

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Released October 2016
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Blake of Scotland Yard
✦✦✦ (Victory, 15 Chapters)
Herbert Rawlinson, Ralph Byrd
D: Robert F. Hill


Jerry Sheehan and Hope Mason perfect a death ray that retired Scotland Yard inspector Blake hopes will end wars. When a clawed rogue called the Scorpion makes off with the cumbersome device, "Jimmy" Blake comes out of retirement to catch him through ingenuity, amusing disguises, and plain old fisticuffs. This serial in original form is extremely rare if not impossible to find; this is the best source print of the complete chapter play in existence.

Influenced by: Blake of Scotland Yard silent serial

View Online Video: Chapter 1

Transfer Quality: Sourced from a new high-quality digital transfer of a rare well-worn but original film print from the 1940s, with stabilized and restored picture and audio.
DVD Contents: 2-Disk Collector's Set includes all 15 Chapters, Theatrical trailer

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(Entire serial on 1 disk, full quality)

Released Feb. 25, 2012

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Zudora
✦✦✦ (Thanhouser, 1914, 9 Episodes)
Marguerite Snow, James Cruze D: Howell Hansell

Young Zudora solves intriguing mysteries at the prompting of her uncle, who poses as a mystic and secretly plots to claim her vast fortune for himself.
Contains the following episodes:
Episode 1: The Mystery of the Spotted Collar
Episode 2:
The Mystery of the Sleeping House
Episode 3:
The Mystery of the Dutch Cheese Maker
Episode 8:
The Fatal Elopement aka The Hypnotic Power of Mr. Chang
Bonus Chapter: The Ventures of Marguerite (Kalem, 1915) Episode 4: The Veiled Priestess featuring Marguerite Courtot, in which an Arab Shiekh attempts to lure a young American heiress into marriage and becoming part of his harem.

A Continuation of: The Million Dollar Mystery
Influenced: The Mysteries of Myra serial; self-contained episode format and storyline abandoned after 9 episodes and continued as The Twenty Million Dollar Mystery.

View Online Video:
Episode 1: The Mystery of the Spotted Collar

Transfer Quality: OK to excellent among different episodes; stabilized
DVD Contents:
4 Episodes + Bonus chapter, Black and white with color tones & reconstructed missing sections
New musical score & sound effects

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