The Mystery Squadron
Encyclopedia
The Mystery Squadron is a Mascot movie serial
. It is one of the earlier serials to feature extensive aviation sequences.
being built by Stephen Gray comes under attack from the mysterious
pilot
, The Black Ace, and his "Mystery Squadron" of pilots. The identity of the Black Ace is so secretive that it is even concealed from his own men in the Mystery Squadron. Fred Cromwell and his partner Bill Cook seek to identify the Black Ace and stop his attacks on Gray's construction of the power dam. Cromwell and Cook struggle to identify the Black Ace, as a number of characters behave suspiciously, including Lafe Johnson, a rival contractor to Gray; Martin, the hotel owner; Collins, a construction employee for Gray; and Dr. Flint.
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Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
. It is one of the earlier serials to feature extensive aviation sequences.
Plot
A damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
being built by Stephen Gray comes under attack from the mysterious
Masked Mystery Villain
A Masked Mystery Villain is a stock character in genre fiction. The Masked Mystery Villain was frequently used in the adventure stories of Pulp magazines and Movie Serials in the early twentieth century. They can also appear in Crime fiction to add to the atmosphere of suspense and suspicion...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, The Black Ace, and his "Mystery Squadron" of pilots. The identity of the Black Ace is so secretive that it is even concealed from his own men in the Mystery Squadron. Fred Cromwell and his partner Bill Cook seek to identify the Black Ace and stop his attacks on Gray's construction of the power dam. Cromwell and Cook struggle to identify the Black Ace, as a number of characters behave suspiciously, including Lafe Johnson, a rival contractor to Gray; Martin, the hotel owner; Collins, a construction employee for Gray; and Dr. Flint.
Cast
- Bob SteeleBob Steele (actor)Bob Steele was an American actor. He was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. After years of touring, the family settled down in Hollywood in the late 1910s, where his father, Robert N...
as Fred Cromwell, old stunt pilot friend of Hank Davis - Guinn "Big Boy" WilliamsGuinn Williams (actor)Guinn "Big Boy" Williams was an American actor who appeared in memorable westerns such as Dodge City , Santa Fe Trail , and The Comancheros...
as Bill "Jellybean" Cook, old stunt pilot friend of Hank Davis - Lucile BrowneLucile BrowneLucile Browne was an American film actress. She starred opposite John Wayne in the 1935 films Texas Terror and Rainbow Valley....
as Dorothy Gray - Jack MulhallJack MulhallJack Mulhall, born John Joseph Francis Mulhall, was a film actor since the silent film era and appeared in over 430 films....
as Hank Davis, dam foreman and ex-stunt pilot - Purnell PrattPurnell PrattPurnell Pratt was an American film actor. He appeared in 114 films between 1914 and 1941.He was born in Bethel, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* On with the Show...
as Lafe Johnson - Robert FrazerRobert FrazerrightRobert W. Frazer born Robert William Browne on 29 June 1891 in Worcester, Massachusetts, US, was an American actor who appeared in some 224 shorts and films from the 1910s until his death on 17 August 1944 in Los Angeles, California, US, due to leukemia...
as Dr Flint - J. Carrol NaishJ. Carrol NaishJoseph Patrick Carrol Naish was an American character actor born in New York City. Naish was twice nominated for an Academy Award for film roles, and he later found fame in the title role of CBS Radio's Life With Luigi , which was also on CBS Television .Naish appeared on stage for several years...
as Collins - Edward Peil, Sr. as Martin
- Bob KortmanBob KortmanBob Kortman was an American film actor mostly associated with westerns, though he also appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy comedies...
as Bracken - Lafe McKee as Stephen Gray
Chapter titles
- The Black Ace
- The Fatal Warning
- The Black Ace Strikes
- Men of Steel
- The Death Swoop
- Doomed
- Enemy Signals
- The Canyon of Calamity
- The Secret of the Mine
- Clipped Wings
- The Beast at Bay
- The Ace of Aces
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