The Whispering Shadow is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery[2] serial film directed by Colbert Clark and Albert Herman and starring Béla Lugosi in his first of five serial roles. Lugosi received $10,000, the highest known salary of his career, for this film. The serial was filmed in 12 days and was the last role for actor Karl Dane.
| The Whispering Shadow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Colbert Clark Albert Herman |
| Cinematography | Edgar Lyons Ernest Miller |
| Music by | Lee Zahler (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Mascot Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 12 chapters (225 minutes) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThe Shadow in The Whispering Shadow is an underworld mastermind. He has invented a device that allows him to kill by radio control.[3] He, along with several other persons, seeks the Czar's jewels. The series is notable for the constant false clues and decoy actions that make nearly everybody a suspect.[4]
Cast
edit- Bela Lugosi as Professor Adam Anton Strang
- Viva Tattersall as Vera Strang
- Malcolm McGregor as Jack Foster
- Henry B. Walthall as J.D. Bradley - Company President
- Robert Warwick as Detective Robert Raymond
- Ethel Clayton as The Countess Helen (Chapters 5-8)
- Roy D'Arcy as Professor Alexis Steinbeck
- Karl Dane as Sparks - Dispatcher
- Lloyd Whitlock as Young - Henchman No. 3
- Bob Kortman as Jasper Slade - The Convict
- Lafe McKee as D.W. Jerome - Company Vice President
Production
editThe cinematography mimicked that of Karl Freund in Universal's Dracula - for example, using close ups of the actors' eyes - in order to take advantage of Bela Lugosi's fame as the star of that film.[4] The shadow of The Shadow is not real; It was drawn in later by animators.[4] Harmon and Glut comment on that "If Street & Smith, owners of the original [The] Shadow of magazine and radio fame, had found out about the owner of the whisper, they might have sued."[4] The serial was later edited down to a feature-length edition (as was common in those days).
Chapter titles
edit
- The Master Magician
- The Collapsing Room
- The All-seeing Eye
- The Shadow Strikes
- Wanted for Murder
- The Man Who Was Czar
- The Double Doom
- The Red Circle
- The Fatal Secret
- The Death Warrant
- The Trap
- King of the WorldSource:[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Amusements". The Sacramento Bee. January 20, 1933. p. 8.
- ^ Cline, William C. (1984). In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 180–181. ISBN 0-89950-101-X.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 371. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
- ^ a b c d Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "14. The Villains: "All Bad, All Mad"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 341–344. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
- ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 209. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
External links
edit- The Whispering Shadow at IMDb
- The Whispering Shadow is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
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