| Vanishing Trails | |
|---|---|
 Contemporary advertisement | |
| Directed by | Leon De La Mothe |
| Produced by | William Nicholas Selig |
| Starring | Franklyn Farnum Mary Anderson |
Production company | Canyon Films |
| Distributed by | Aywon Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 15 episodes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent English intertitles |
Vanishing Trails is a 1920 American silent Western film serial directed by Leon De La Mothe. The film is considered to be lost. [1]
As described in a summary in a film publication, [2] the serial involves the mystery of the murder of William Stillman (Wells) and the finding of the heir to his fortune. Silent Joe (Farnum) arrives in an effort to discover the murderer and prove that he is the true heir. He and the heroine Lou (Anderson) have their adventures in the mountainous terrain with its "vanishing trails." They are aided by The Shadow (Orlamond), a demented scientist with his trained dog, and several remarkable, death-dealing inventions.
The year 1920 in film involved some significant events.
Kenneth Daniel Harlan was a popular American actor during the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer roles. His career extended into the sound film era, but during that span he rarely commanded leading-man roles, and became mostly a supporting or character actor.
The Spoilers is a 1914 American silent Western film directed by Colin Campbell. The film is set in Nome, Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush, with William Farnum as Roy Glennister, Kathlyn Williams as Cherry Malotte, and Tom Santschi as Alex McNamara. The film culminates in a spectacular saloon fistfight between Glennister and McNamara. In 1916, an expanded version was released, running 110 minutes.
William Farnum was an American actor. He was a star of American silent cinema, and he became one of the highest-paid actors during this time.
Mascot Pictures Corporation was an American film company of the 1920s and 1930s, best known for producing and distributing film serials and B-westerns. Mascot was formed in 1927 by film producer Nat Levine. In 1935, it merged with several other companies to form Republic Pictures.
The Secret of Treasure Island is a 1938 Columbia movie serial based on the serialized Argosy magazine story Murder at Pirate Castle (1936). The magazine story was written by L. Ron Hubbard, at the time a writer of pulp fiction who went on to found the Scientology religion.
William Anderson Orlamond was a Danish-American film actor. Orlamond appeared in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1938.
Bullet Proof is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring Harry Carey. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.
Franklyn Farnum was an American character actor and Hollywood extra who appeared in at least 1,100 films. He was also cast in more films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture than any other performer in American film industry. He was also credited as Frank Farnum.
The Trail of Hate is a 1917 American silent drama film that portrayed the military exploits and personal rivalries of two United States Army officers stationed in the American West and later in the Philippines. The production starred John Ford, who at that time was credited as "Jack Ford". Currently classified as a lost film, this two-reel short is identified by some biographers of John Ford and in many filmographies, both in print and online, to be his second release as a director. He is also credited in various sources for writing the film's screenplay or "scenario". Other Ford biographers, however, most notably American director and film historian Peter Bogdanovich, credit this production's screenplay and its direction to John's older brother Francis Ford.
The Girl in Number 29 is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by John Ford based on the novel The Girl in the Mirror (1919) by Elizabeth Jordan. The film is presumed to be lost.
The Flaming Disc is a 1920 American silent adventure film serial directed by Robert F. Hill. The first episode of the series, "Rails of Death", opened on November 21, 1920. A total of 18 film episodes were produced. The Flaming Disc is now presumed to be a lost film.
In the Days of Buffalo Bill is a 1922 American silent Western film serial directed by Edward Laemmle. The film, which consisted of 18 episodes, is currently classified as lost.
The Phantom Foe is a 1920 American fifteen-chapter adventure film serial directed by Bertram Millhauser and starring Warner Oland. A partial print of 14 episodes is in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection while the 15th episode is stored in the Library of Congress. The plot involves a villainous mesmerist played by Harry Semels.
The Third Eye is a 1920 American crime mystery drama film serial directed by James W. Horne. The film is considered to be lost.
Speed is a 1922 American action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The story is a typically convoluted serial plot. Speed Stansbury is heir to a large fortune. A master criminal hires someone to frame Speed for murder and bank robbery. As Speed pursues the man who can prove his innocence to South America, he himself is followed by Lucy, the woman he loves.
Agnes Vernon was an American film actress of the silent era. While still in her teens, she experienced a meteoric ascent from obscurity to box-office sensation. After turning twenty-three and a movie career fading away, she abandoned the silver screen forever. Vernon performed in over 90 films between 1913 and 1922. She completed most of her roles under contract with Universal Pictures.
Sinners is a lost 1920 American silent drama film based on a play of the same name by Owen Davis. The play was produced by William A. Brady and starred his daughter Alice Brady who also stars in this film. The Realart Company produced and released the film. Alice Brady's husband James Crane appears in this picture as well as in her next film, A Dark Lantern.
Louella Maxam was an American actress who performed in over 50 silent films from 1913 until 1921. She was often cast in comedies and Westerns, most notably being identified in 1915 as a "leading lady" in a series of shorts starring Tom Mix, who during the silent and early sound eras was promoted as the "Cowboy King of Hollywood". Later, she was a female lead in other films for various studios, including several productions featuring another early cowboy star, Franklyn Farnum. Following her departure from acting, Maxam worked in county and municipal government in California, including service with the Burbank police department, where in 1943 she was hired as that city's first "police woman".
