''The Jade Box'' (1930) is a

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

. It was a partial

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

with long silent sequences. Only an incomplete version survives today in Universal's vault, with incomplete footage and some missing sound discs.

Plot

John Lamar buys a Jade Box in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

but it is stolen by his friend Martin Morgan. A cult, searching for the box because it contains the secret to invisibility, catches up with and abducts Lamar. After discovering the theft, the cult send a message to Martin and the pair's children: John Lamar's son, Jack, who is engaged to Martin Morgan's daughter, Helen. Jack searches for the Box while Martin attempts to discover the secret of invisibility for his own schemes.

Cast

* Monroe Salisbury as John Lamar, original purchaser of the Box and cult abductee *

Jack Perrin Jack Perrin (born Lyman Wakefield Perrin; July 25, 1896 – December 17, 1967) was an American actor specializing in Westerns. Early life Perrin was born in Three Rivers, Michigan. His father worked in real estate and relocated the family ...

as Jack Lamar, John's son & Helen's fiance * Francis Ford as Martin Morgan, false friend of John Lamar *

Louise Lorraine Louise Lorraine (born Louise Escovar; October 1, 1904 – February 2, 1981) was an American actress. Life and career Louise Lorraine was born Louise Escovar in San Francisco, California. Lorraine began working in films as an extra and "a bat ...

as Helen Morgan, Martin's daughter & Jack Lamar's fiance *

Wilbur Mack Wilbur Mack (born George Frear Runyon, July 29, 1873 – March 13, 1964) was an American film actor and early vaudeville performer from the 1920s through the 1960s. His film acting career began during the silent films, silent film era. Bi ...

as Edward Haines *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1873 – September 20, 1948), was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany to Julius White and Ida Berg White, White g ...

as Percy Winslow *

Jay Novello Jay Novello (born Michael Romano, August 22, 1904 – September 2, 1982) was an American radio, film, and television character actor. Radio career Novello began his 47-year acting career in the 1930s, performing as a character on radio. ...

as Bit *

Eileen Sedgwick Eileen Sedgwick (October 17, 1898 – March 15, 1991) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Born in 1898, Sedgwick was in her first film in 1914 and appeared in more than 110 films during her 15-year career. She was the sister of ...

Frank Lackteen Frank Lackteen (born Mohammed Hassan Lackteen August 29, 1897 – July 8, 1968) was an American film actor best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1965, including several Three Stooges shorts. ...

Critical reception

Cline states that, while ''The Jade Box'' is not of a high technical quality, it did show at the time that a mystery serial could be improved by the addition of music and sound effects.

Chapter titles

# The Jade of Jeopardy # Buried Alive # The Shadow Man # The Fatal Prophecy # The Unseen Death # The Haunting Shadow # The Guilty Man # The Grip of Death # Out of the Shadows # The Atonement _Source:

References

External links

*
''The Jade Box'' at SilentEra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jade Box, The 1930 films 1930s fantasy films American silent serial films Transitional sound films American mystery films American black-and-white films Universal Pictures film serials Films directed by Ray Taylor Films with screenplays by Frederick J. Jackson American fantasy films 1930s mystery films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Silent mystery films English-language fantasy films English-language mystery films