The Master Mystery


The Master Mystery is a 1918 American mystery silent serial film told in 15 installments. The film was directed by Harry Grossman and Burton L. King and written by Arthur B. Reeve and Charles Logue. The film stars Harry Houdini, Marguerite Marsh, Ruth Stonehouse, Edna Britton, William Pike, and Charles Graham. Episode 1 was released on November 18, 1918, by Octagon Films.

Plot

Justice Department agent Quentin Locke is investigating a powerful cartel that is protected by The Automaton, a robot. However, it uses a gas weapon known as The Madagascan Madness.

Cast

  1. Living Death
  2. The Iron Terror
  3. The Water Peril
  4. The Test
  5. The Chemist’s Shop
  6. The Mad Genius
  7. Barbed Wire
  8. The Challenge
  9. The Madagascan Madness
  10. The Binding Ring
  11. The Net
  12. The Death Noose
  13. The Flash of Death
  14. The Tangled Web
  15. ''Bound at Last; or, Unmasking of the Automaton''

    Production and Reception

In October 1919, Houdini sued the Octagon Film Corporation, Grossman, and Rolfe for a share of the film's profits. In 1922, Houdini was awarded $32,795.18.