The Mystery of the Double Cross
Encyclopedia
The Mystery of the Double Cross is a 1917 film and one of the few American silent action
film serials to survive in complete form. It was directed by Louis J. Gasnier
and William Parke, from a story written by Gilson Willets, produced by the Astra film Corporation and released in weekly chapters by Pathé, starting March 18, 1917.
) is returning to America from overseas via steamship to receive his inheritance. On board, he receives a telegram warning him to beware the Double Cross. He doesn't know what it means, until he becomes enamored of a mysterious woman occupying cabin no.7. When a submarine is sighted, there is panic on shipboard. Peter and the mysterious woman are thrown together, and in the ensuing action, he sees a double cross symbol on her right arm, just below the shoulder. When the ship arrives in New York, Peter loses track of the woman.
His father's will stipulates that he is to marry a woman, "perfect in mind and body," who has been selected for him. She will reveal herself to him when the time comes, and he will know her by the sign of thee double cross on her arm. If anyone else marries her, then that person will inherit the Hale fortune.
Pondering this in his hotel room, Peter overhears Bridgely Bentley (Ralph Stuart), a gangster and social pirate, reveal a plan to bilk Herbert Brewster out of some valuable land. Brewster is unaware that there are valuable oil reserves beneath the land. Peter knows Brewster, who was a friend of Pete's father. Peter races ahead and obtains an option on the property to keep Bridgely from carrying out his scheme, thereby earning his enmity. But Peter also finds that Brewster's daughter, Phillipa, is the woman he met on board the ship. He begins to woo her, but is puzzled by how she at times accepts his courtship, and the next minute, rejects him, claiming that they have never met. When he tries to confront her, a Masked Stranger intervenes, telling him he must be true to the girl of the Double Cross. Bentley finds the original letter sent to Peter and realizes that if he can marry the girl of the Double Cross, the Hale fortune will be his.
The rest of the serial plays variations on these conflicts. Rather than traditional cliffhangers—the death traps are usually foiled in the course of each episode—the chapters end on an air of mystery or tension about what exactly is going on.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
film serials to survive in complete form. It was directed by Louis J. Gasnier
Louis J. Gasnier
Louis J. Gasnier was a French film director.Born in Paris, Gasnier was working in theatre when Pathé hired him to direct films in the earliest days of cinema. He directed comedian Max Linder in many of his early short comedies...
and William Parke, from a story written by Gilson Willets, produced by the Astra film Corporation and released in weekly chapters by Pathé, starting March 18, 1917.
Plot
Peter Hale (Leon BaryLéon Bary
Léon Bary was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films between 1916 and 1955. He was born in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* The Shielding Shadow * The Mystery of the Double Cross * The Seven Pearls...
) is returning to America from overseas via steamship to receive his inheritance. On board, he receives a telegram warning him to beware the Double Cross. He doesn't know what it means, until he becomes enamored of a mysterious woman occupying cabin no.7. When a submarine is sighted, there is panic on shipboard. Peter and the mysterious woman are thrown together, and in the ensuing action, he sees a double cross symbol on her right arm, just below the shoulder. When the ship arrives in New York, Peter loses track of the woman.
His father's will stipulates that he is to marry a woman, "perfect in mind and body," who has been selected for him. She will reveal herself to him when the time comes, and he will know her by the sign of thee double cross on her arm. If anyone else marries her, then that person will inherit the Hale fortune.
Pondering this in his hotel room, Peter overhears Bridgely Bentley (Ralph Stuart), a gangster and social pirate, reveal a plan to bilk Herbert Brewster out of some valuable land. Brewster is unaware that there are valuable oil reserves beneath the land. Peter knows Brewster, who was a friend of Pete's father. Peter races ahead and obtains an option on the property to keep Bridgely from carrying out his scheme, thereby earning his enmity. But Peter also finds that Brewster's daughter, Phillipa, is the woman he met on board the ship. He begins to woo her, but is puzzled by how she at times accepts his courtship, and the next minute, rejects him, claiming that they have never met. When he tries to confront her, a Masked Stranger intervenes, telling him he must be true to the girl of the Double Cross. Bentley finds the original letter sent to Peter and realizes that if he can marry the girl of the Double Cross, the Hale fortune will be his.
The rest of the serial plays variations on these conflicts. Rather than traditional cliffhangers—the death traps are usually foiled in the course of each episode—the chapters end on an air of mystery or tension about what exactly is going on.
Chapter titles
- The Lady in Number 7
- The Masked Stranger
- An Hour to Live
- Kidnapped
- The Life Current
- The Dead Come Back
- Into Thin Air
- The Stranger Disposes
- When Jailbirds Fly
- The Hole-n-the-Wall
- Love's Sacrifice
- The Riddle of the Cross
- The Face of the Stranger
- The Hidden Brand
- The Double Cross
Cast
- Mollie King - Philippa Brewster
- Léon BaryLéon BaryLéon Bary was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films between 1916 and 1955. He was born in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* The Shielding Shadow * The Mystery of the Double Cross * The Seven Pearls...
- Peter Hale - Ralph Stuart - Bridgey Bentley
- Gladden JamesGladden JamesGladden James was an American film actor. He appeared in 187 films between 1911 and 1946.He was born in Zanesville, Ohio and died in Hollywood, California, from leukemia....
- Dick Annersley - Theodore Friebus - Jack Dunn
- Robert Brower - Herbert Brewster
- Harry L. FraserHarry L. FraserHarry L. Fraser was an American film director. He directed over 80 films between 1925 and 1951, including the 1934 John Wayne film Randy Rides Alone and the Frank Buck cliffhanger serial Jungle Menace . He had a small acting role in the John Wayne film Neath the Arizona Skies...
- Helene ChadwickHelene ChadwickHelene Chadwick was an American actress in silent motion pictures and in early sound films.-Early life and career:Chadwick was born in the small town of Chadwicks, New York, which was named for her grandfather...
- Clarine Seymour