The Moon Riders (1920)

The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920) is a lost American Western serial, distributed by Universal. The stars were Art Acord and Mildred Moore. The serial counted 18 episodes. Chocolate Pi in Barcelona published a series of 54 cromo cards of the serial which was distributed in Spain by Cinematografica Verdaguer under the title Los Jinetes de la Luna.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 5 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Art Acord in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 7 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Art Acord, right, in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 11 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Beatrice Dominguez, Art Acord, George Field, Charles Newton and Mildred Moore in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 24 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Mildred Moore, Charles Newton and Art Acord in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 28 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Charles Newton, left, in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).

Outlaws, skull-mased Indians and a fantastic treasure

"The Moon Riders is considered to be one of the more successful serials of the silent film era and it established Art Acord as a western star", according to Wikipedia. IMDb tells about the plot: "The struggle of a group of homesteaders against an unscrupulous band that desires to profit through obsolete Spanish land grants." Serial Squadron adds: "Cowboy Buck Ravelle has to contend with a band of outlaws and a lost, skull-masked Indian tribe to recover a fantastic treasure."

Acord played the lead as the ranger Buck Ravelle, Mildred Moore played Anna Baldwin, Charles Newton played her father, Arizona Baldwin, George Field was Egbert, the leader of the gang, Beatrice Dominguez was the housekeeper's daughter Rosa, and the Native American actor Tote Du Crow was Warpee, the Indian Chief.

Gary Eugene Brown writes on High Noon, "Universal signed Art to make cowboy pictures (1919). The first production was an eighteen-chapter serial The Moon Riders. While filming an episode, Art's horse slipped, reared up and was going to fall into a ravine. Art could have bailed off; however, his costar Mildred Moore was mounted with him. Art jerked on the reins to balance the horse momentarily, in order to lower Mildred to the ground and then his horse fell taking Art with him.

The production was halted for two months while Art recuperated from severe injuries. After the serial, which was well received: "unusually good....... the best western serial we have ever seen", Universal didn't renew his contract. Art eventually signed with a Poverty Row studio to make inferior westerns." Yet, Universal realized its mistake and he was rehired in 1921, doing successful films for them like Winners of the West (1921).

The chapter titles of The Moon Riders are 1. Over the Precipice. 2. The Masked Marauders. 3. The Red Rage of Jealousy. 4. Vultures of the Hills. 5. The Death Trap. 6. Caves of Mystery. 7. The Menacing Monster. 8. At the Rope's End. 9. The Triple Menace. 10. The Moon Rider's Bride. 11. Death's Door. 12. The Pit of Fire. 13. The House of Doom. 14. Unmasked. 15. His Hour of Torture. 16. The Flaming Peril. 17. Rushing Waters. 18. Clearing Skies.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 29 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. George Field, and Mildred Moore in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 33 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Mildred Moore, George Field and Beatrice Dominguez in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 35 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Beatrice Dominguez and George Field in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 37 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Art Acord, Mildred Moore and Charles Newton in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 43 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. George Field in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 44 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Art Acord, left, in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 45 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. Mildred Moore and Tote du Crow in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolate Pi, Barcelona, no. 52 of 54 cromo cards. Photo: Cinematografica Verdaguer, Barcelona. George Field and probably Beatrice Dominguez in The Moonriders (B. Reeves Eason, Theodore Wharton, 1920).

Sources: Gary Eugene Brown (Hign Noon), Serial Squadron, Wikipedia and IMDb.