Ross Verlag, Part 9: W.J. Mörlins

In this post in the Ross Verlag Tribute, EFSP presents film star postcards which were distributed by Ross Verlag but published by Verlag W.J. Mörlins. This German publisher located in Berlin operated in the early 1920s. Mörlins published besides postcards autobiographies of the actors Bruno Kastner ('Von mir über mir, 1921) and Hella Moja ('Nie wieder in meinem Leben!', 1921), as well as deluxe albums of the four-part film Fridericus Rex (1921-1922). The earliest postcard series in our collection (no. 420-430) are sepia-tinted star portrait postcards. A highlight is a series, no. 647, with postcards of the popular Fridericus Rex series (1921-1922) with the main actors in costume. Fridericus Rex is also the subject of the postcards of no. 651, but now with film stills in sepia. Then followed a green-tinted series (no. 8001-9011) with film star portraits. Remarkable is that every picture in this post - with one exception - was taken by master photographer Karl Schenker.

German postcard by Verlag Ross / W.J. Mörlins, Berlin, no. 420/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Karl Schenker.

Max Pallenberg (1877-1934) was an Austrian singer, actor, and comedian. He was one of the most important comedians of his time and often played under the direction of Max Reinhardt. Although Pallenberg was successful as a stage comedian, he only incidentally accepted roles in films.


German postcard by Ross Verlag / W.J. Morlins, Berlin, no. 427/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Karl Schenker.

Austrian-American soprano singer and actress Fritzi Massary (1882-1969) was one of the greatest 20th-century operetta divas. She was a superstar in Berlin and Vienna in the Weimar era, but after the rise of the Nazis, Massary was forced to flee Germany. In London, she appeared in an operetta Noel Coward wrote for her. The popular singer also starred in several early German ‘sound pictures’ and other silent films.


German postcard by W.J. Mörlins / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 540/3. Photo: Nini & Carry Hess, Frankfurt am Main.

Niddy Impekoven (1904-2002) was a German dancer and actress. Numerous tours took her all over Europe. In Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit - Ein Film über moderne Körperkultur (Nicholas Kaufman and Wilhelm Prager, 1925), she was recorded dancing. She also played in two fiction films, Die Pritzelpuppe (Ulrich Kayser, 1923) with Blandine Ebinger, and Armes kleines Mädchen (Ulrich Kayser, 1924), based on Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Match Girl'.

Fridericus Rex

German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/ 1. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Albert Steinrück as Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, the father of Frederick the Great, in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/2. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy Film Co. Otto Gebühr as Crown Prince King Frederick II in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921). Fridericus Rex was a four-part series with Otto Gebühr as King Frederick II as Crown Prince in parts I and II.


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/3. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy Film Co. Charlotte Schulz as Wilhelmine, Marchioness of Bayreuth, favourite sister of Frederick the Great, in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/4. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy Film Co. Erna Morena as Queen Elisabeth Christine, spouse of Frederick the Great, in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/5. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Otto Gebühr as King Frederick the Great in Fridericus Rex (Arzen von Cserépy, 1921-1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/6. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Georg John as Generalfeldmarschall von Zieten (Field Marshal von Zieten) in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/7. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Eduard von Winterstein as Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922). Caption: Fürst Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau, "Der alte Dessauer" (Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, "the old Dessauer").


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/8. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Julia (here: Julie) Serda as the Empress Maria Theresia of Austria in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1922), starring Otto Gebühr.


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/9. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy Film Co. Alfred Abel as 'Voltaire, the genial friend of Frederick [the Great]' in the Fridericus Rex trilogy (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922). NB. Alfred Abel is not listed as playing Voltaire in any of the Frederick the Great films, but the back of this postcard states this is the case.


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/10. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Maria Orska as the dancer Barberina of the Royal Theater in Berlin in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/11. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Otto Gebühr as Friedrich II in Der Alte Fritz/The Old Fritz (Gerhard Lamprecht, 1928).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 647/12. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Karl Geppert as the grenadier Damian Mampe in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 651/1. Photo: Karl Schenker / Cserépy-Film Co. Otto Gebühr as crown prince Friedrich (Frederick, the future Frederick the Great), and Albert Steinrück as his father Friedrich Wilhelm I in the Fridericus Rex series (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922).


German postcard by W.J. Morlins, Berlin / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 651/2. Otto Gebühr as crown prince Frederick (future Frederick II) and Lili Alexander as Doris Ritter in Fridericus Rex (Arzén von Cserépy, 1921-1922).

The green series

German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins, Berlin / Vertrieb Ross-Verlag, Berlin, no. 9001/1. Photo: Karl Schenker.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins, Berlin / Vertrieb Ross-Verlag, Berlin, no. 9001/2. Photo: Karl Schenker.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins, Berlin / Vertrieb Ross-Verlag, Berlin, no. 9001/3. Photo: Karl Schenker.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins, Berlin / Vertrieb Ross-Verlag, Berlin, no. 9001/4. Photo: Karl Schenker.

Gunnar Tolnaes (1879-1940) had his most famous performance as an Indian prince in the Danish orientalist melodrama Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (1917), with Lilly Jacobson. It was so popular that it had a Danish sequel in 1919 and a German sequel in 1921. After a substantial film career in Denmark, he alternated acting in German films as well as in Danish films, until the end of the silent era.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 9007/3. Photo: Karl Schenker.

German actor Ernst Hofmann (1890-1944) was one of the most attractive actors of German silent cinema. in the 1910s He was the producer and star of Der Knabe in Blau (1918), the first film by legendary director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 9010/2. Photo: Karl Schenker.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 9010/3. Photo: Karl Schenker.

Dark-haired and wide-eyed Ressel Orla (1889-1931) was an actress of the German silent film who peaked in the late 1910s and early 1920s. The now mostly forgotten star appeared in some of the early films by Ernst Lubitsch and Fritz Lang.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins / Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 9011/1. (With the logo of Rotophot). Photo: Karl Schenker.

Rita Clermont (1894-1969) was a German film actress of the silent era. She received her first contract from Messter Film. Until 1924, she appeared in 60 silent films.

Source: Ross Verlag Postcards. And please check out our post on Karl Schenker and his Atelier Schenker.

With thanks to Jean Ritsema and Ivo Blom! Our Ross Verlag Tribute will be continued next week and please, remember to check out the Ross Verlag Movie Stars Postcards website.

Janine Darcey

French actress Janine Darcey (1917-1993) was known for such films as Entrée des artistes (1938), French Without Tears (1940) and the classic Film Noir Du rififi chez les hommes (1955). She was married to Serge Reggiani. Darcey appeared in 60 films between 1936 and 1993.


French postcard by Editions EPC, no. 215. Photo: Roger Kahan.


French postcard by Editions Chantal, Rueil, no. 529. Photo: Max Glass.

The most promising newcomer of the year

Janine Darcey was born Janine Renée Casaubon in 1917 in Asnières, now Asnières-sur-Seine, France. She was the daughter of Eugène Casaubon, an industrialist, and Marie Bouchon. She went to school in the Paris region, before leaving for England to continue her studies.

On her return, she took drama classes and had minor roles as an extra in several films. One of her first films was the French comedy Le mioche/Forty Little Mothers (Léonide Moguy, 1936) starring Lucien Baroux, Gabrielle Dorziat and Pauline Carton. On 1 July 1937, Janine married Pierre Torre from a wealthy industrialist family. They divorced in 1941.

Marc Allégret noticed her and offered her a leading role as a young actress, a student at the Conservatoire in the successful and acclaimed crime film Entrée des artistes/The Curtain Rises (Marc Allégret, 1938) with Louis Jouvet. For this role, she was awarded the Suzanne Bianchetti Prize for the Most Promising Newcomer of the Year.

That year, she also appeared in the French drama Le petit chose/The Little Thing (Maurice Cloche, 1938) starring Robert Lynen, Arletty and Marcelle Barry. The film was based on Alphonse Daudet's 1868 novel 'Le Petit Chose'. She then played the great role of Sylvia Clayton, whose love life interferes with diplomatic negotiations, in Marcel L'Herbier's historical film Entente cordiale/Cordial Agreement (Marcel L’Herbier, 1939).

She then completed the stellar cast in the romantic comedy Cavalcade d'amour/Cavalcade of Love (Raymond Bernard, 1939). Darcey also appeared in the British comedy French Without Tears (Anthony Asquith, 1940) opposite Ray Milland and Ellen Drew. During this time, she also acted in the theatre, appearing, for example, at the Théâtre de la Michodiere.


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 113. Photo: * Star.


French postcard by Editions O.P., Paris, no. 129. Photo: * Star.

The best crime film I've ever seen

In 1943, Janine Darcey played the only female character, the social worker Andrée in Le Carrefour des enfants perdus/Children of Chaos (Léo Joannon, 1943). She fell in love with the lead actor, Serge Reggiani. They married in 1945 and had two children. Her son Stéphan (born 1945) later embarked on a career as a singer, songwriter and composer until his suicide in 1980. Her daughter Carine (1951-2017) was also a singer and a Michel Fugain's Big Bazar troupe member.

Caring for her family put her out of action for a few years. She began to reappear in front of the camera only in the late 1940s, not surprisingly reuniting with her husband in films, for example in the detective film Le mystère de la chambre jaune/The Mystery of the Yellow Room (Henri Aisner, 1949). Both starred, though each in a different episode, in the short story project Retour à la vie/Return to Life (André Cayatte, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Dréville, Georges Lampin, 1949).

Darcey acted in the classic crime film Du rififi chez les hommes/Rififi (Jules Dassin, 1955) with Jean Servais and Carl Möhner. Film critic and future director François Truffaut praised the film, stating that "Out of the worst crime novel I ever read, Jules Dassin has made the best crime film I've ever seen" In 1955, Darcey divorced Serge Reggiani and in 1957, she remarried Michel Jacovleff, a writer but above all an adventurer and a fraud, and thanks to him the actress's film career was on the wane again.

She appeared as a hotel owner in the successful crime drama Un témoin dans la ville/Witness in the City (Édouard Molinaro, 1959) starring Lino Ventura and after a long hiatus, she appeared as the mayor’s wife in Cayatte's drama Les risques du métier/Risky Business (André Cayatte, 1967) with Jacques Brel. In the 1970s, she moved to a small mountain village, Gréolières in the Alpes-Maritimes. She appeared in a minor role as a patient in Le fantôme de la liberté/The Phantom of Liberty (Luis Bunuel, 1974), and as Miss Lambert, the secretary in the comedy Coup de tête/Hothead (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1978) starring Patrick Dewaere.

Devastated by the suicide of her son Stéphan, she only returned to film a few times in the 1980s. With age and distance from the professional world, roles became increasingly rare. One of her last films was the comedy The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (Ben Lewin, 1991) starring Bob Hoskins. Janine Darcey died in 1993 in Fontenay-lès-Briis, France. She was 76. Her final film, the drama Délit mineur (Francis Girod, 1994) with Caroline Cellier and Claude Brasseur premiered after her death.


French mini-poster (collector card). Photo: CICC / Pathé. Janine Darcey and Pierre Larquey in Sixième Étage (Maurice Cloche, 1941).


Belgian collector card by Nels Bromurite for Kwatta. Photo: Filmavox.


French postcard, no. 85. Photo: De Korster.

Sources: Pavel ‘argenson’ Vlach (CSFD - Czech), Wikipedia (French and English), and IMDb.

The Secret of the Submarine (1916)

Ivo Blom collected this large series of Spanish minicards, made for the lost American serial The Secret of the Submarine (1916). The director of this silent serial was George L. Sargent and the star was serial queen Juanita Hansen. The Secret of the Submarine was produced by the American Film Company and distributed by Mutual. Amatller Marca Luna in Barcelona published the minicards.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 1. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen as Cleo Burke in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 3. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Hugh Bennett as inventor Dr. Ralph Burke in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 4. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. George Clancey as 'Hook' Barnacle in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 6. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Dr. Ralph Burke (Hugh Bennett) works on his submarine invention in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 9. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). Dr. Ralph Burke (Hugh Bennett) demonstrates his new submarine invention to Lt. Hope (Tom Chatterton), 'Hook' Barnacle (George Clancey), and Burke's daughter Cleo (Juanita Hansen).

He previously had his right hand torn off by a shark

The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916) was an American serial of 15 episodes. The serial started to run in the United States on 22 March 1916, according to IMDb and other sources. Wikipedia writes the date was 22 March 1915. The European release was much later, e.g. 1918-1920 in Italy and 1921 in Denmark. All episodes are considered to be lost.

Secret of the Submarine was written by war correspondent Richard Barry in the lead-up to the United States' involvement in World War I. The serial was released one year after the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine on 7 May 1915. Instead, Russia and Japan would be America's Allies in the First World War. The United States declared war on Germany on 6 April 6, 1917. The serial was Juanita Hansen's serial debut.

Scientist and inventor Dr Ralph Burke (Hugh Bennett) tries to perfect a device that can allow submersibles to remain underwater indefinitely - without needing to resurface to obtain fresh oxygen. At the opening of the story, the discovery has been perfected and offered to the US government. Lieutenant Jarvis Hope (Tom Chatterton) of the United States Navy is tasked with witnessing a practical demonstration of the new invention.

Hope also meets an old acquaintance, Hook Barnacle (George Clancey), whose life he once saved. Hook had previously had his right hand torn off by a shark, and was subsequently replaced with an iron hook. Hook and Burke's daughter Cleo (Juanita Hansen) soon become very interested in each other. But Hook talks too much, and it isn't long before the rest of the village knows the reason for Lieutenant Hope's visit.

Among those who find out are Sextus (Harry Edmondson), a Russian, who works for Olga Ivanoff (Hylda Hollis), Head of the Russian bureau in the US, and Tatsuma (or Satsuma, played by William Tedmarsh ), a Japanese working under the orders of one Mahlin (George Webb). Both are ordered to obtain the document with the invention. Even a third party goes after the secret document: Gerald Morton (Lamar Johnstone), the ruthless nephew of a wealthy American lobbyist. At the end of episode 1, Tatsuma manages to sink the submarine with Cleo, Hope, Hook, and Burke in it.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 17. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. George Clancey (left) as 'Hook' Barnacle in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 18. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). Our heroes follow the evildoers who are on the train, in search of the books that may contain... The Secret of the Submarine!


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 22. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). On the right, Cleo (Juanita Hansen) is bound and gagged, and lowered to the cellar at Stephansky's, while left Olga Ivanoff (Hylda Hollis) observes the situation.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 28. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). At the front: George Clancey as 'Hook'Barnacle, Juanita Hansen as Cleo and Tom Chatterton as Lt. Hope, while at left, behind them the Japanese spy Tatsuma (William Tedmarsh) observes them.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 34. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. William Tedmarsh as Tatsuma and probably George Webb as Mahlin in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).

The car even has to jump over a broken bridge

The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916) is a serial filled with cliffhangers. In episode 2 Burke's party isn't killed thanks to the courage and wit of Cleo and Hope. Sextus and Tatsuma fight each other in Burke's house, thinking the opponent is a member of the household. At night Burke hides papers in books, before being murdered.

In episode 3 a penniless and fatherless Cleo sells valuable books of her father's collection, only to discover one contains the secret of the submarine. The bad guys have overheard this, and all rush to the auction house. The good guys miss the train and the car even has to jump over a broken bridge, but they arrive too late at the auction house: Tatsuma has already copied the list of purchasers and has set the auction house on fire.

In episode 4 Hope and Cleo get the list of purchasers too and follow Tatsuma to the house of Stephansky, a bomb maker (having purchased one of Burke's books), where also Morton and Olga have arrived. Cleo is instructed to return alone that night. She is bound and gagged and lowered into a cellar. A fight occurs between Stephansky and Hope, who want to free Cleo, and Morton drops a bomb in the cellar, exploding the whole house.

In episode 5 we discover Hook had saved Cleo just in time, and Hope survives the explosion, but Stephansky is killed. Olga and Morton have managed to escape. Burke's book doesn't contain the secret. All make haste to reach Mrs. Del Marr, wife of the British Consul in S. Francisco, the next owner of one of Burke's books. Her house was once a den for Russian spies and has secret passages which Olga knows. Olga, Morton, and Mahlin disguised as servants, enter the house. A fight between Mahin and Hope occurs and the two books by Mrs Del Marr disappear. In episode 6 we discover Hook took the books but they don't contain the secret. A pursuit by boats follows, towards the next owner of a Burke book, Mr. Fitzmaurice, who is at Santa Cruz Island. Hope and Cleo witness the boat of Morton and Olga behind them being blown up. Tatsuma and Mahlin manage to switch off the light of the lighthouse, leaving Hope in the dark.

In episode 7 Cleo and Hope, but also Olga and Morton, and Mahlin and Tatsuma arrive on the island, in search of the book. Tatsuma finally blows up Fitzmaurice's cabin with Cleo and Hope. In episode 8 Cleo and Hope survived the explosion. Satsuma hears Dr Owen, a friend of Fitzmaurice, also owns a book, so Mahlin wrecks the train on which Cleo, Hope, Olga and Morton are going to Owen. They all survive. Morton pretends to be Hope to Owen at a cafe, but Hope arrives and understands the situation. During his attack on Morton, an earthquake occurs, wrecking the bar.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 41. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 42. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). The man left could be George Webb aka Mahlin.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 45. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). The aftermath of one of the several explosions in the serial. The woman could be Juanita Hansen, clearly holding the sought-after book.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 48. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 49. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 51. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen in the mountains, possibly with George Webb (Mahlin) in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 52. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen as Cleo, Tom Chatterton as Lt. Hope and George Clancey as 'Hook' Barnacle in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 56. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).

Escaped with a parachute

In episode 9 of The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916), Cleo and Hope discover the document in Owen's book was a prescription, but Olga and Morton don't believe this and kidnap Cleo. Morton flies her to his mountain cabin but she escapes with a parachute. Yet, he tracks her down and presses her once more to tell where the secret is. Aviator Smith, whose plane Morton stole, and the police track down Morton. Hope tries to reach Cleo on the other side of a chasm, by use of a cable, but Mahlin is about the cut the cable with an axe.

In episode 10 Hook arrives just in time and throws Mahlin in the chasm instead. Morton and Olga arrive on the plane and shoot at the cable basket with Cleo and Hope, but Hope shoots down the plane. Olga and Morton survive and manage to escape. Mahlin and Tatsuma attack Hope, Hook and Cleo observing the books. Hope is about to save Cleo from Tatsuma when he gets into quicksand. Cleo climbs down a vine and is about to lift Hope by her foot when Mahlin cuts the vine.

In episode 11 Hook rescues Cleo and Hope. Olga is accidentally wounded by cowboys, hunting bandits. Just as Hope is congratulated by the government for his actions, a message arrives that the owner of the book with the secret, Romero, lost it in the mountains. In episode 12 Hope needs to marry another woman for honour, while Cleo and Hook fall on hard times, experiencing poverty in town. Olga and Morton are captured by bandits. In episode 13 Olga and Morton find Robinson's Philosophy, the lost book, in the bandits' den. It makes clear the secret is revealed in another book, Metallurgy. Morton dumps Olga and heads for the city. Hope discovers the other woman is just a gold-digger and breaks off the planned marriage. He also hears the government is in an awkward position because of a possible war imminent. Cleo leaves Hook. In episode 14 Hope and Hook meet, quarrel, make peace and start searching for Cleo together. Hope finds her just in time as she is about to commit suicide. Olga demands Morton to give him the book. When he accuses her of killing Burke, she wants to strike him with a dagger, but he kills her instead. The police enter and Olga, dying, points at the culprit. Mahlin has seen it all and steals the book and a package Olga had with her.

In the final episode 15, Cleo is kidnapped by Mahlin and Tatsuma. Hope, searching for Cleo, meets Morton and hears about Olga's secret. He agrees to meet Mahlin and Tatsuma and give the book in exchange for Cleo. A fight follows and Tatsuma flees through the window. Holding him at gunpoint, Hope forces Mahlin to uncover Cleo's hiding, but it is only after a month of searching in vain that Hook finds Cleo at a miserable beach. Hope stops the submarine he is on and jumps on the motor boat with Cleo and Hook: reunited at last!


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 62. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). Down left are Lamar Johnstone as Morton and Hylda Hollis as Olga Ivanoff. Possibly in the bandits' den.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 67. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen as Cleo holds Tom Chatterton as Lt. Hope in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 68. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen as Cleo, Tom Chatterton as Lt. Hope The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, American Film Company 1916), starring Juanita Hansen, and distributed by Mutual. Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona. Here, Hansen's Cleo holds Tom Chatterton aka Lt. Hope.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 73. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). Here Lamar Johnstone as Gerald Morton and Hylda Hollis as Olga Ivanoff, struggling with a dagger.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 75. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). The police find Morton (Lamar Johnstone) and the dying Olga Ivanoff (Hylda Hollis).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 76. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). Here, possibly George Webb as Mahlin, abducting Cleo (Juanita Hansen).


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 77. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Scene from The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916). The final fight between Hope, Tatsuma and Mahlin.


Spanish minicard by Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona, no. 79 of probably 79 or 80. Photo: American Film Company / Mutual. Juanita Hansen as Cleo and Tom Chatterton as Lt. Hope, finally reunited, in The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, 1916).

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb. Our plot description was based on a longer description at IMDb, drawn from the Motion Picture World synopsis.