''The Lightning Raider'' is a 1919 American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

film 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 ...

directed by

George B. Seitz George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits of ...

. It was the on-screen debut of

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

, albeit as an extra. The film serial survives in an incomplete state with some reels preserved at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Public Archives of Canada/Dawson City collection and other film archives, but it is not available on home video. The serial was shown in France as ''Par Amour''.

Plot

A beautiful young woman is in reality a daring master thief. While fleeing the scene of her latest robbery, she meets a handsome young millionaire named Thomas Babbington North. The film belongs to the sensationalistic "Yellow Menace" genre of its time, with

Warner Oland Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund; October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American ...

playing the insidious Oriental Wu Fang.

Cast

Pearl White Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at age 6, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serial film, serials. Dubbed the "Queen ...

as The Lightning Raider *

as Wu Fang *

Henry G. Sell Henry G. Sell (July 31, 1884 – August 20, 1968) was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in a number of serial film, serials produced by Pathé Exchange including several with Pearl White. After leaving film acting in 1922, he ...

as Thomas Babbington North *

Ruby Hoffman Ruby Hoffman (July 28, 1886 – September 22, 1973) was an American silent film and stage actress. Background Ruby Hoffman was born on July 28, 1886, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. She was an actress, known for ''The Lightning ...

as Lottie * William P. Burt as The Wasp (credited as William Burt) * Frank Redman as Hop Sing * Nellie Burt as Sunbeam * Sam Kim * Henrietta Simpson *

as an extra * Billy Sullivan (credited as William A. Sullivan) * Anita Brown

Episodes

# ''The Ebony Block'' # ''The Counterplot'' # ''Underworld Terrors'' # ''Through Doors of Steel'' # ''The Brass Key'' # ''The Mystic Box'' # ''Meshes of Evil'' # ''Cave of Dread'' # ''Falsely Accused'' # ''The Baited Trap'' # ''The Bars of Death'' # ''Hurled Into Space'' # ''The White Roses'' # ''Cleared of Guilt'' # ''Wu Fang Atones''

References

External links

* 1919 films 1910s action films American black-and-white films American action films American silent serial films Films directed by George B. Seitz Pathé Exchange film serials 1910s American films {{1910s-US-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Episodes

See also

References

External links