Two prospectors, one the father of Sky "Lightning" Bryce and the other the father of Kate Arnold, find a large gold deposit belonging to an Indian tribe. They head for home but each sends a note to their respective off-springs advising them of their good fortune. One of the fathers conceives a plan of taking a dagger and wrapping a piece of string around the blade, after which he prints on the string with a lead pencil, the exact location of their find. If something happens to them, the string goes to the son and the knife to the daughter. That night an Indian approaches their camp and blows some mysterious wolf powder which causes a man to see wolves in place of human beings. Lightning's father see his partner as a wolf and stabs him to death; later he is brought into town in a dying condition but before dying, hands the knife and the string over to the sheriff with instructions to deliver to Lightning and Kate.
Stunts
Yakima Canutt's early work before he invented modern stunt coordination.
Practical Effects
Wolf powder visual effects: 1919's answer to CGI.
Production
Five hours of serial cliffhanger architecture, perfectly preserved.
Director
Paul Hurst
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Yakima Canutt's deputy role here predates his legendary Stagecoach stunt by twenty years; he's basically background scenery who would revolutionize Hollywood action.
Movie serials like this were literally designed to make kids return weekly—cliffhangers were emotional manipulation before streaming perfected it.
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