Forgotten Reels: The 3rd Alarm (1922)

Posted on July 25, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we are back at the Rotten Ink Theater for another Forgotten Reels update, celebrating the Silent Film era of cinema. As I am sure you all know Horror is my favorite genre of films as they have always captured my imagination and delivered chills, thrills and even blood spills. We will get to the Silent Age of Horror on Forgotten Reels, but before we do, I would like to take a look at other genres from the Silent era and that is why for today’s update I chose a film from 1922 that is a drama about an old firefighter. The film is called The 3^rd Alarm, and this will be a first time watch for me! So let’s grab some soda and popcorn and find our seats as it’s time to chat about some Silent Cinema!

The 3rd Alarm is a 1922 Drama film that was released by Film Booking Offices Of America and was the brainchild of the films director Emory Johnson who was with his mom at a Los Angeles street corner watching the Elk’s parade and see the LAPD’s fire horses in their final public appearance as they were being replaced by vehicles, and this trigged a story of how everything old has a passing down or a changing of the guard. And with this idea he had his mother Emilie Johnson write up the script as she had a history of working on Silent Films for Hollywood. Emory then went out and hired Ralph Lewis to play the lead character Dan McDowell, Lewis was an actor who had been working in Silent Films sense 1912 and was in such films as “The Birth Of A Nation (1915)”, “Macbeth (1916)”, “Dante’s Inferno (1924)” and “The Block Signal (1926)”. Also brought into the cast was Johnnie Walker, Ella Hall, Virginia True, Frankie Lee and Josephine Adair. Emory also bought a rundown five-story apartment building in Los Angeles in order to set it ablaze for the shots of fire in the film, and he even lived with the LA Firemen for a week just to see their life styles and get their actions down. And the film was originally going to be called “The Discard” before being called The 3^rd Alarm and released in movie houses. And once out the film got great promotion with Firemen help spreading the word and once in theaters it was meet with positive reviews from both critics and audience. The film was considered one of the best 40 films of 1922 and over the years it has been restored and released on DVD as well as on Digital Platforms, as the film has fallen into the Public Domain.

With The 3^rd Alarm being about firefighters and with fire being burning hot I decided that I needed a hot chip to cover with this review so I selected the “Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ Potato Chips.” I have to say that growing up Ruffles was by favorite chips and I am looking forward to trying this flavor! And that’s the thing about choosing Potato Chips to go along with these Silent Films, the flavors to choose are many as are the brands. Check out the picture below to see what the chips look like in the freshly opened bag.

This will be a first time watch for me and one I am looking forward to watching and reviewing here for you friends and readers. And I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some chips and a soda and let’s travel to the fire with Alpha Video.

The 3^rd Alarm
Starring: Ralph Lewis and Ella Hall Directed: Emory Johnson
Not Rated 1922 58min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

A fire has broken out and a firebox is used to call in the firefighters who slide down the pole and get the horses hooked to the fire cart and are on their way as fast as the horses can run. Dan McDowell is the driver for engine seven and has been a firefighter for 20 years and has a bond with the horses, and even the neighborhood kids like to show up at the station to see the horses that pull the fire engines including his own daughter Alice and her friend Jimmy who is a newsboy for the city as today is his birthday and they let him ride Bullet the stations main horse. And the kids all have fun with the horses minus one little boy that’s candy apple was eaten by Bullet.

Mother McDowell is the wife of Dan and is at their home near the station making a birthday cake for Dan as it’s his birthday as well and the young girl comes home and watches as her mother ices the cake, as Dan takes the kids around the station all while they are ridding Bullet. Alice decides that she wants to make something for the cake. Meanwhile Johnny McDowell is Dan’s son who is away studying to become a doctor and it’s were he also meet his sweetheart June Rutherford as they are hanging around the lake and he shows her a horse charm that he bought as a birthday gift for his father, but she was hoping it was a engagement ring. And the happy couple head to the McDowell house for the celebration.

Back at the station the Fire Chief shows up in his motor car and is happy to tell them all that Engine Seven will be motorized soon and the horses will be retired, the firefighter are all happy and as Dan hitches Bullet on the post and says goodbye to the kids he enters the station and gets the news, his heart breaks as he knows that means the horses will be going away and he has a bond with them all. The rest of the department tries to cheer him up, as this is a good thing as the department is becoming modernized. June Rutherford returns home and her dad Dr. Rutherford and teases about leaving school forever, as back at the McDowell home Alice has made a cake topper of a horse that has Bullets names on it. Back at the Rutherford home her father is talking about no one being good enough to try and marry his daughter but promises that he will be nice to Johnny when he comes to dinner that night.

Johnny shows up at his father’s house and is greeted by Alice at the door, while at the station Dan is sitting outside feeling old and outdated as Bullet comes walking over to comfort his friend. Alice shows up at the station and tells her father its time to come home, and Dan fallows his daughter home and they run into Jimmy who gives Dan a free paper for his birthday, and Dan invites the youngster in to have some cake but he can not due to him having to sell papers. Johnny shows his mother the horse charm he bought his father and they hide it on his plate for him to find. Dan ends up buying all the papers so that Jimmy can come and celebrate his birthday along with his. Once inside Alice decides that she is going to help Jimmy wash his hair and causes a massive mess as water sprays all over the kitchen. Once they clean up the head into the dinning room and Dan’s eyes are covered and once he opens them he sees the room decorated and before he can see the cake the fire alarm goes off and Dan if off to do his job, and his family and Jimmy are upset that this special time was interrupted.

Nighttime falls and the McDowell family is standing at the window as off in the distance they can see something is on fire and the night sky is lit up by it. While Dan McDowell and his fellow firefighters have hoses in hand and are trying to get the blaze under control. And this lasts all night and his birthday was ruined and his family was left waiting for their father.

Time passes and the new motorcar engine is at the station and is there to retire the horses on Engine Seven, as the firefighters and neighborhood kids are all looking the vehicle over Dan is cleaning the horse straps and bits. And once the Engine fires up the animals around hate the sound and even a stray cat runs away in terror as the fireman laugh at the scaredy cat. And then someone comes to take the horses away, and Dan is heartbroken as he looks at his friends that he has taken care of for so long now and gives them hugs and stands in the street as he watches the horses be taken away, Jimmy joins him for their final farewell. The fellow firefighters notice how sad Dan is so they go to him and try and cheer him up. And they get him to get into the drivers seat of the Engine Seven and they cheer for him.

The following days Dan McDowell is not feeling the motorcar and is being forced to learn how to drive it, and he is not doing well with driving as he is hitting curbs and is awkward behind the wheel, and Dan realizes that he just can not drive the car. Dan comes home a defeated man and he has to tell his wife that he has been places into forced retirement due to not being able to drive the car, his time has passed and he fills down and out. He feels that he has failed his son Johnny who he is putting through medical school, his wife tries to lift his spirit by telling him there are other jobs he can do and that the Fire Department was not everything. As she leaves the room Dan starts crying as she does in the kitchen when Johnny comes over for a visit, and his mother informs him of his fathers discharge. Johnny enters the room to cheer up his father and tells him that not to worry as his girlfriends father is one of the top surgeons and that he only has one more year of school and he will be a full doctor himself! Dan then alerts his son that they have taken everything from him his horses, his job and now they have taken his son!

We then show a flashback to the McDowell home and a doctor informs Dan that his infant son is very sick and that the youngster’s only hope is Dr. Rutherford! And Dan rushes to get to Rutherford’s office and once inside a nurse tell him that the Doctor can not see him, but in the hallway the Doctor passes and Dan begs him for help to save his son. But Dr. Rutherford refuses to leave his office as in another room a patient is indeed of surgery to save their life, and he claims he cannot trade one life for another. And Dr. Rutherford leaves Dan in the hallway and closes the door to help save another life.

Johnny is shocked at what he has heard and asks if his father can look past this as he is in love with June, and Dan says he will never forget and forgive this action and that Johnny must do what he thinks is right. Johnny is now heartbroken and torn between the love of his life and his fathers anger. While at the Rutherford home June is talking to her father and showing him pictures of her and Johnny together. While back at the McDowell Home Johnny is in his room in distress and his haunted by his fathers disapproval of his girlfriend June, and almost writes her a breakup letter but crumples it up and hangs his head in sadness and thought.

The next morning Dan McDowell is checking the paper for job listings as its clear the fire fighters as well as the stations pet dog are missing him. Across the town the old retired fire horse Bullet is sold to a man for only $150.00, and back at the station the fire alarm rings and Dan even hears it and starts to leap from his chair, but the remembers that he sadly no longer is a fire fighter. And he watches as Engine Seven rushes off to the site of the fire. As Dan is sitting sad in his chair the fire house dog gets into the McDowell Home and comes to Dan’s side and even brings him his old fire hat. And Dan goes deep into thought and wants to figure out what to do for a job.

Dan the next morning applies for a driving job and all looks good, but he soon finds that its not for wagon driving its for a motor car and does not get the job. As he leaves the job interview feeling defeated he sees a sign for labor work and looks at his hands. We then join Johnny who is walking June to her car and she tells him that her father would like to see him tonight about maybe hiring him at his clinic. We then go back to Dan who has gotten the labor job and he and other men are digging holes, and the boss of the dig site shows up and Bullet is the horse pulling his wagon and when Bullet sees Dan he walks over to his old friend. The Boss gets mad and walks over and starts getting rough with Bullet, and Dan tries to stop him and take up for his old animal friend and ends up punching the man in the face! Dan and then man then get into a full fist fight and just in time Johnny is walking by and as Dan is knocked down Johnny and the man get into a fight! And Johnny drops the man with a good hit and then goes to check on his dad, and Johnny tells the man he will get Bullet away from him if it’s the last thing he ever does! Johnny then stops his father from going back to digging and Dan quiets the job.

That night the man who owns Bullet puts him into a stale and is still being mean to him, but as fire engines drive by Bullet hears the sounds of the fire bells and goes into action and breaks free from the stale and heads toward the fire. Johnny meanwhile goes and visits the office of Chief Andrews who is in control of the cities Police and Fire Departments and informs him that he has quit medical school and would like a job and he is given one. While back at the McDowell home the police have shown up with the Horse abusing man and they are questioning Dan and his wife about Bullet missing and they think Johnny might have stolen him. And as Dan walks them around his property Dan is shocked as Bullet is in his garage. And as the man takes Bullet back the police let Dan know that they want his son for the theft, but Dan tells them that he is the one who stole Bullet and he is put under arrest. Dan thinks he is protecting his son, but really no one is to blame as Bullet just escaped and went to the home that he knew he was loved at. Johnny shows up a very short time later dressed in his new uniform and sees his mom and sister crying on the porch and finds out why and rushes off to the police station.

At the police station Dan is being booked in for horse theft, and Johnny comes in and is told that the police cannot help him with the situation. While back at the Rutherford’s apartment home June gets a call from her father that he will be late home tonight and for dinner. But as June is talking to her father the housemaid comes in and alerts her that the home is on fire! June gets the servants to safety and then goes back to get her little dog and is now stuck inside a building that is on fire, and she is in panic as there is no way out of the inferno and she passes out from the smoke and heat. The fire department are on their way and from his jail cell window Dan can see the blaze at the Rutherford apartments.

At the Rutherford Apartments people are rushing out of the burning building as the fire department has shown up and start hooking up their hoses in order to fight the fire. While at the street corner selling his papers young Jimmy sees the story of Dan being arrested over Bullet and heads to the station and talks to Chief Andrews and tells him that he is the one who found Bullet wondering the streets and placed him in the old McDowell woodshed so the horse would not get lost, Chief Andrews tells Jimmy that they are going to get Dan out of jail. While back at the fire they are doing their best to put out the fire that is now out of control and they call in Engine Seven for help and on this engine is Johnny McDowell who is heading to his girlfriends house. While back at the fire June wakes up and gets the window and is spotted by the fire fighters bellow. And they send the ladder up and Johnny rushes up it to save his love from a burning death. As Johnny is up their trying to save June the building starts to collapse and the order goes out for Johnny to come down with our without June! But Johnny is able to get to June who he has climb on his back and together they climb down, just then Dr. Rutherford gets home and is scared as part of the building crumbles at the spot of June and Johnny! Dan McDowell is now out of jail and has rushed to the fire and has suited up to help get the blaze under control and to save lives. But the water pressure drops and the fighters are not able to combat the fire without water, but they find June and Johnny who are alive but cannot be saved just yet as a massive safe is on the rubble they are trapped in and the men are pulling but are not able to move it!

More fire engines with more firefighters are on the way, and Bullet once more hears the bells ringing and rushes off to the fire! While back at the fire Dr. Rutherford begs Dan McDowell to save his daughter and he tells him she is all he has in life, and Dan remembers back to the day he begged the Dr. to save his son. Meanwhile Bullet is now on the scene of the fire, and he and Dan work together and with Bullet they are able to move the safe and save the lives of June and Johnny! The other fire trucks are now on the scene and they have more water and are able to clear a path for all the heroes stuck to get out of the inferno safe. Dan McDowell learns to forgive Dr. Rutherford who in turn is very grateful for the rescue of his daughter. In the end The McDowell Family along with the Rutherford Family, Jimmy and even Chief Andrews are at a ranch and they have a surprise for Dan, and it’s all the old Fire Horses are now at this farm that Dr. Rutherford bought in order for Dan to be able to care and look after all his old friends. We also see that Johnny is now a Doctor and has cured Jimmy who no longer needs a crutch! And all ends well for everyone.

Review: The 3^rd Alarm was a silent film that really surprised me as this was a first time watch for me and at the start I was not fully sure what to expect as it was clearly a drama film and it started off a little show, but by the less then half way mark I was hooked and found myself drawn into this world and felt a bond with Dan McDowell and his family and extended family. As Dan was a hard working man who was working a tough job and was saving peoples lives as well as their homes all the while bonding with the horses that worked hard to pull the fire wagons to get them to the sites to fight the fires, and with technology coming in Dan and his horses were discarded as things of the past. The movie really brings to light how the work force views employees that have been loyal to them for decades but are getting older and are forced to retire or are fired as they think the newer and younger is better. But I do need to stress that Dan was loved by the fire department but could not get down how to drive the new motorcar and that’s why he was given his pink slip. And you have to give this film major credit as they really did set a massive apartment building ablaze and they told a great story of change, respect and the importance of family. And that’s the thing you as a viewer get to see is not only the change of times with more modern technology coming in to make things easier, but you also see a change of a man who had a grudge and learns to let it go and by doing so he changes as a person. I also like that the horse Bullet has a personality of his own and feels like he really is apart of the McDowell family, and when he escaped his abusive owner I cheered for him to get away and was glad that he and his fellow retired Fire Station Horses have a nice ranch to retire at. The love between Johnny and June is also a great layer as Johnny loves her very much but is also torn over his fathers hatred for her father, and in the end the true love between the two bring them together. I really enjoyed this drama film as I found all the characters interesting and likable and this one really did surprise me on how well I liked it.

Now let’s talk briefly about the chips and I have to say that it I was really surprised as I found myself liking these chips as well! The BBQ flavor was good and strong and had a bold flavor, and the Flamin’ Hot aspect brought some heat, but it was not as over baring like the taste can be such on the Cheetos. The burn of the chip sticks around a little after eating them, but it’s not too bad and does not feel like its coating your mouth like many of the Flamin’ Hot snacks do. And besides Ruffles just making a good basic chip the BBQ flavor is really what pushes this chip into the very tasty realm and made me buy more bags after eating them for this review.

Movie: ***
Chips: ***

The 3^rd Alarm is a great silent film and it nearly almost got three and a half stars from me as even days after watching it I found myself thinking about moments in the film and the characters themselves. I like the idea that Dan, his wife and young daughter lived on this ranch and took care of the horses while Johnny and June would end up married and have kids making Dan a grandpa and they lived out their lives as a very happy family…or at least that is what I think happened after the events of the film. But grab your bag of Ruffles as the Rotten Ink Theater has turned up the house lights letting us know that the film is over and that our time looking at Silent Films is over for now. So while we head out, let’s take a moment and chat about what our next update will be about as I am happy to say that we will be walking across the street to the Rotten Ink Stadium as I will be ranking Ohio’s Best Collegiate, Softball and Minor League Baseball Team Mascots! So until then, watch a Silent Movie or Three, read a comic or two and as always support your local Cinema. See you next update for some good old Baseball talk!

Forgotten Reels: The Island Of The Lost (1921)

Posted on November 16, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! As you can see, we have a packed house here at the Rotten Ink Theater as the silent film that we will be discussing on this “Forgotten Reels” is a one time lost German Sci-Fi, Horror flick that was re-discovered in Germany and has not really made its way to America and sadly is really unknown by the masses here and for the most part has been forgotten by the world as well. The film is called “The Island Of The Lost” that was released in 1921 and is a unofficial film based on a classic novel written by H.G. Wells and when Phil of Creature Feature Video brought this film to my attention I knew I had to cover it here at the Rotten Ink Theater as this was a perfect film for “Forgotten Reels” as its one that will be a first time watch for me and this also could be the first time many of you readers even heard of this film! So let’s find our seats and grab a snack and a drink as it’s time for us to talk Silent Cinema.

The Island Of The Lost is a German film released by Terra Film in 1921 and is one part Sci-Fi and Horror and has a dash of Comedy and Romance. The films script was written by Hans Behrendt and Bobby E. Luthge and is very loosely based on the novel “The Island Of Dr. Moreau” by H.G. Wells who had no idea that this film was even made based on his work, and this was a common practice back in the early years of cinema that filmmakers would adapt famous novels into films and not get the permission of the writers who created them. They got Urban Gad to direct who had directed many films before this one with some of his well known ones being “The Abyss (1910)”, “Zapata’s Gang (1914)”, “Cinderella (1916)” and “What A Girl (1920)” to name a few. The film casted Erich Kaiser-Titz as Professor McClelland the films Dr. Moreau and other actors like Alf Blutecher, Ludmilla Hell, Hanni Weisse, Hermann Picha and Nien Tso Ling also made up the cast. The film mostly showed just in Germany and did not make the impact that the adaptation films of F.W. Murnau made the year before and after its release as it was sandwiched between the 1920 film “Der Januskopf” that was based loosely on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and 1922’s Nosferatu that of course was unauthorized based on Dracula. The film also had early effects of human and animal hybrids and was done with makeup and prosthetic effects and I can only imagine how moviegoers reacted to seeing these creatures in 1921. After its run The Island Of The Lost faded away and was misplaced and was forgotten by time. But a print of the film was found in Berlin and it was saved from decay. The film even made its way to America finally as it screened for the first time in 2014 at a Monster Bash Convention and was meet with mixed to positive reviews. The film while still not as known by fans of Silent Horror Cinema has made it mark on those who have watched it. The film can be found on grey market DVD.

The snack I choose to eat while watching this Silent Film for the first time is a classic for me and I picked an Andy Capp snack food and choose the BBQ flavor! Many of you remember my write up for Andy Capp when he went to Camp and I gave the history of the snack named after the comic strip Icon but for this update I will quickly give you a crash course on them. Andy Capp Snacks started in 1971 by Goodmark Foods Inc. and made corn and potato snack food that look like fries and featured the comic strip character Andy Capp as the products mascot and spokesman. In 1998 ConAgra Foods bought Goodmark and they still make this bard of snack food to this day! They had many flavors for their Andy Cap Firs line including over the years Salsa, Cheese, Ranch, Cheddar & Bacon, White Cheddar, Hot Chili Cheese and the most iconic being Hot. And while my favorite flavors are Cheese and Hot my third is BBQ and for some reason that sounded the most tasty to go with this film. So take a look below to see these BBQ Fries in their natural habit of a freshly opened bag.

I am very much looking forward to watching this one as it is a German Horror flick that I have never seen and I love the fact that its American premiere was at a Monster Bash Convention that is my favorite one to attend as I am a big fan of classic monsters as you long time readers know. The print of the movie we are looking at is from Creature Feature Video an amazing company that brings many of these Silent films to home media for fans to collect and own. I will be grading both the film and the BBQ Fries on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some a snack and a soda and lets travel to The Island Of The Lost with Creature Feature Video. And yes the stills used in this review update are indeed taken from the CFV print and the DVD that I own.

The Island Of The Lost
Starring: Erich Kaiser-Titz and Alf Blutecher Directed: Urban Gad
Not Rated 1921 61min Creature Feature Video DVD-R Full Frame

Robert Marston reads about a bottle being found with a note inside that has coordination’s and a cry for help from a woman named Jane Crawford. He then heads to visit his fiancé Evelyn Wilkinson and the two walk for a few moments and catch up before Robert is off again, but drops his newspaper and Jane notices that a part has been ripped out. Meanwhile Dr. Ted Fowley a friend of Robert’s is putting up with two paid patients of his Jim and Jess that sit in the waiting room to look like the doctor is busy who are talking about how to get more money and Ted has an idea using ads in the paper about an artificial man.

Evelyn tracks down a newsboy and buys another paper so that she can find what part of Robert’s paper was missing while Robert has arrived at the practice of his friend Ted and even runs into Jim and Jess who are faking injuries. As Robert enters the office he alerts Ted of the note found in the bottle and they both agree that the handwriting looks like Jane who was Robert’s ex-fiancé who went missing while in London. Ted asks Robert if he is still in love with Jane and he says no that Evelyn is his love, but you can tell he is torn. Meanwhile people are lining up outside Ted’s office with the promise of the newspaper ad about an artificial man. Ted tells Robert he needs to go to Jane and tell her the truth of what is going on, but Robert does not want Evelyn to find out about Jane. While Ted along with Jim and Jess deal with the people who have gathered because of the ad while Evelyn shows up and Robert and they chat for a moment but Ted begs Robert to get him away as his ad has backfired and the people are getting rowdy and the two run out the back door and onto a submarine and sail away and set sail for the island that Jane is at. As the do so Evelyn has the article about the found message in the bottle that has the location and watches as her lover sails away. Robert and Ted on the submarine dive and the two friends and the crew chat and set sail for the long journey to the island to get to Jane.

Time passes and they are at the island and as Robert and Ted armed with rifles go ashore the submarine and its crew head to the mouth of a river to wait for the two to get back from this expedition. Robert and Ted explore the land and nothing is around at first besides trees, rivers and planets and then they spot an animal man that is a mix of ape and human and he does not seem friendly. The friends flee and reach another part of the river and find a massive hut and they take a makeshift boat to get to the hut and to get away from the strange things in the woods.

Once they reach the hut via a window they see the shadow of Jane and they rush inside with rifles at the ready and while looking for her the find lab equipment as well as medical books…as this hut is also some ones lab! And while looking around a man in a radioactive suit appears and introduces himself as George McClelland and wonders what they are doing in his hut as this island is were he does his experiments and they are clearly outsiders. Robert and Ted lie and say they came on a yacht and McClelland thinks they are just wondering lost friends and welcomes them and claims that an outbreak has wiped out all the natives of the island and that he is the only living person on it. Ted acts as if he is going to go back the ship to bring a bottle of wine back, but instead looks around and finds a steel door in the hut and behind it is Jane who is happy to see him and to be on the verge of being rescued. But Ted is caught by Fung-Lu who is the assistant to McClelland and when Ted demands the key to the cell Fung-Lu says that McClelland has it and Ted marches into the lab and demands the key!

McClelland agrees and leads Robert and Ted to the cell, but they make a big mistake as they leave the riffles behind and when they walk away Fung-Lu takes the guns away leaving them armless. Once inside the cell Jane is happy to see Robert and Ted but she is still very scared of McClelland who ends up stepping aside and Robert, Ted and Jane make a run for it and leave the hut and get back into the little boat and start heading toward the shore. And inside McClelland and Fung-Lu talk about opium, but they will not get any until these outsiders are dealt with.

As the boat gets to the bank and Jane tells them that she was attacked by three people and when she woke up she found herself on this island and that McClelland is a terrible person and she would always hear the screams of animals as she was locked in her cell. As Jane runs ahead of them Ted tells Robert that he must tell her that he is now engaged to Evelyn, but he cannot bring himself to do so. As the three friends run through the woods Fung-Lu is tossing bombs around the docked submarine spooking the crew and destroying the ship or so he claims when talking to McClelland in order to get some opium. McClelland denies his assistant the drug unless he signs a paper that gives McClelland all credit for the experiments that the pair have done on the island, and Fung-Lu does so just so he can get the drug he needs.

Robert, Jane and Ted arrive to were they left their canoe and find it missing so the follow the river to opening and see that the submarine is also missing and there is only on survivor and it was the ships butler. Jane says she knows a place that the four of them can take shelter in for the night and it’s an old tree house and before they climb up they take inventory of the supplies they have. Once they get Jane inside and safe they send the Butler out to get wood so that they can make a warm fire for the night and as the butler looks around for wood a Native is stalking him, while in the tree house Ted is getting mad at Robert for not coming clean to Jane that he has found another love, but Robert says he will not as he still cares for Jane. Meanwhile the Butler ends up running into the native who is female and they run off to her hut and they fall in love. While back at the lab Fung-Lu is smoking his opium and drifts away into his own mind.

Robert, Jane and Ted later that day make a fire and are sitting around it when Ted makes sure to ask Robert if he has thought about Evelyn and this makes Jane ask who Evelyn is, and this puts Robert on the spot and Ted then tells Jane that Evelyn is Robert’s fiancé in London and while both Jane and Robert look hurt good old Ted looks pleased with himself. The next morning they are now in grounded hunts getting ready for the day and Ted even goes outside and milks a goat for milk and brings it to Jane, and Robert is not pleased that his best friend is flirting with his lady. And when they ask Robert to join them for breakfast he gets pouty and refuses and walks off alone. Meanwhile Ted and Jane end up sharing the goat milk and continue to flirt with one another and finally they even kiss. As Robert is trying to build a raft to get them off this island and forget that his heart is breaking as he still has feelings for Jane who is now falling for Ted after she learns that Robert had moved on once she was kidnapped.

Meanwhile Fung-Lu is feeding one of the animal people that is one of the experiment of McClelland who informs Fung-Lu that they will allow Jane to have her freedom for now but when they need her they will go and get her. Once McClelland and Fung-Lu leave the office the animal man sneaks in and trashes the office in a rage and is caught and threatened to be whipped for his bad behavior and when McClelland asks the animal man who is his creator and God the poor soul points at Fung-Lu and this angers McClelland who corrects him and claims that he is his crater and then whips him one and the animal man crawls away. Then McClelland and Fung-Lu talk about how interesting it is that the animal people are starting to take on more traits of humans like even stealing.

Jane and Ted leave the hut and start looking around the land for food when the spot the a tribe King, but little do they know yet that the King is the butler who left them the night before and when they realize they have a good laugh as the Butler dances around as the female native plays a drum. Robert has finished his makeshift raft and is about to take off when he is caught by Ted who is upset that Robert was about to leave him and Jane on the island. Ted tries to remind him of Evelyn back in London, but Robert says that she is dead to him as Jane should be his lady again. Robert and Ted walk away from each other in anger and Jane then decides that she will talk to Robert and Ted talks a walk down the beach with his bow and a staff he has made. Meanwhile the talk between Robert and Jane does not help as he claims he still loves her and she questions why he found another woman so fast after she was kidnapped.

As Jane makes her way to Ted a boat is sighted in the ocean and they scream for Robert about the approaching ship, the butler hears the news as well and takes off his Tribe King outfit and puts back on his suit to join them as the native woman is not happy he ran off. As Robert is joined by Jane and Ted he alerts them that them being together is ok as he will return to London to be with Evelyn and the three run off to try and get the ships attention, and the butler catches up to them and tries as well. All four are happy as they think they are going to be rescued from this cursed island. They start a big fire and even wave a white shirt on a stick around in order to get attention and alert the ship that help is needed, but sadly the ship does not see them and keeps sailing away further and further. Robert returns to his raft, the butler returns to his native woman and Ted along with Jane return to the hut all now feeling heartbroken and defeated.

Back at the lab of McClelland it is decided that its time for them to get Jane back as they need her for the next big experiment and he sends out his animal man with a blow dart and tells him to bring Jane back to the lab, the beast man heads out to do what he is told. And while Jane is looking for roots the animal man hits her with the dart and as she is about to pass out Ted was alerted that something is wrong from her scream and goes rushing to find her and does so just in time as she passes out into his arms as the beast man looks on in anger as he has failed his mission.

Ted gets Jane to the hut and places her on a bed, she has a bad fever and he knows that he must get medicine from McClelland to save her life and he rushes to tell Robert what is going on. Meanwhile the animal man is in trouble when McClelland is mad that he did not bring Jane back to the lab when he was given orders to do so, he then sends him back out to get her. Ted rushes to the lab and swims across the river to get there as Robert rushes to the hut to check on Jane and picks her up and takes her away. Once at the lab Ted and McClelland talk and he asks for medicine to help with the fever, but before he answers he wants to show Ted what he has been up to on this island.

McClelland brings Ted into a room that is filled with lots of animal people and the mad doctor explains to him that all of these creatures use to be animals and his experiments are turning them all into animal people, and while they hate him they all fear him. Ted is shocked and saddened by what he is seeing as these creatures seem like they are in pain as he looks and sees creatures that were once rams, walruses and birds now these twisted mutations.

McClelland then takes Ted to another room and shows him more of his terrible experiments, and with this Ted figures out that McClelland is really Professor Thompson a man who was kicked out of London for his extreme work with artificial men. Ted then realizes that Thompson needs a heart for his new experiment and has seen and heard enough and attacks the Professor! Thompson mocks Ted for his attack and alerts him that he and Robert have only slowed down his work and not stopped it, and with that Ted runs from the lab and dives into the water to swim ashore and heads to the hut to find Jane gone! While Robert is caring Jane the animal man pushes over the tree that had the tree house in it! Showing that he is super strong and is on the trail of Jane and the places she has been as he must not fail and needs to bring her to the lab.

Ted hears the tree falling and rushes down towards the river and sees Robert who is going to put June on his raft and the two friends start fighting each other as Jane wakes up and looks confused and its Robert who knocks out Ted and notices that the animal man as appeared and kidnapped Jane and is heading back toward the lab. Robert catches up to the beast man and the two start to fight, meanwhile Evelyn has shown up around the island and along with a sailor and a friend of hers get into a rowboat and head toward the island shore.

Once Evelyn reaches the shore of the island her friend and her find Ted injured but being cared for by the butler and the native woman, he tells Evelyn of Robert and Jane and she decides that she is done with Robert but would like to see this woman Jane. The Butler takes them to the hut and informs them of the animal people as well as the evils of McClelland and his experiments. As Evelyn and crew head towards the lab we find that Robert is now a prisoner and that Jane is wanting to know if Ted is dead at the hands of Robert and all the while McClelland and Fung-Lu are figuring out what parts of what animal they want to use for the next animal man. And he then alerts Jane that her heart is needed for this next beast man and he wants Fung-Lu to get it for him. And as Fung-Lu takes Jane to an operating room, the butler has made his way to the lab and finds Robert in a cage, but before the butler can get help he is attacked by the animal man, but the butler stabs the beast man in the heart and wounds him deeply.

As the butler runs off its Evelyn who now goes into the lab and sees the animal people who are all worked up as Thompson’s new animal man is alive and as raised from the slab. The new beast man is crazed and we learn that Fung-Lu has given Thompson the heart of a tiger and not Jane’s and this has made the creation more animal than man. Evelyn finds and frees Jane who in turn finds Robert and sets him free and Evelyn then uses fire to keep the animal men at bay as the three escape, the animal people set their rage on Thompson and as the hut is filled with smoke they attack their creator with murder in their eyes.

The lab is fully on fire as Evelyn, Jane and Robert watch it burn the bank, they are later joined by Ted and the female native all who watch as Thompson, Fung-Lu and the animal people burn to death in the massive fire. And it’s clear that Jane wants to be with Ted as the two embrace and kiss as the film ends with the lab fire.

Review: This unofficial movie adaptation of The Island Of Dr. Moreau is a fun early German Sci-Fi Horror film that seems to have been forgotten by time and that’s a shame as I found myself really enjoying this one lots as it was a cool mix of drama, horror and even a dash of comedy. The performance of Erich Kaiser-Titz who was Thompson aka McClelland is really good and he looks like a madman at times and when he needs to be mean his face twists and his eye widen and you feel his madness. The shooting locations are very simple and very effective as the use of huts, woods and water is very fitting for the plot of this film and the locations the filmmaker choose to use were well selected. The friendship of Robert and Ted is an odd one as while its clear they have been friends for a long time their friendship will be tested when it comes to the ladies as Ted is kind of a drama magnet as he pushes topics that ends up causing issues when in the end it was clear he was doing this in order to try and win the heart of his friends ex-girlfriend, and for his action he even gets punched and knocked out. And while it looks like Robert and Ted are our heroes in the end the real hero is Evelyn who is the one who saves Robert and Jane from being killed and is even the one that sets the fire that kills the films villains, plus is the one who brings a ship that will allow them all to get off the island. Actress Hanni Weisse is stunning as Jane Crawford and is a great early actress who was also in the film “The Hound Of The Baskervilles” from 1914 as well as 1915, and when she is on screen she steels the show. The film does have some flaws and at times the story is a little weak and some of the characters actions are very unmotivated. The butler character that is played by a black actor and some of the humor around him is very dated and is a little cringe in spots. And for me the biggest letdown is that they very much downplay the Horror elements of this tale as McClelland and the Animal People should have taken more of the spotlight and not the love triangle of Robert, Jane and Ted…but with that even said I still really enjoyed this film! The Animal People are great and for the time look creepy even though they are just actors with fur and animal costumes on, they still hold a weird and creepy look to them that I am sure made movie goers in 1921 very scared by their weird appearance. The print of this film by Creature Feature Video is good and while the film it’s self has flaws like dirty frames and missing frames this is a very good print and made the film even more enjoyable. I say if you love German Silent Horror Films get a copy of this film and sit back one evening and have a great and spooky time with it.

Now for the quick look at Andy Capp’s BBQ Fries and I have to say they are a very tasty corn snack that has a very heavy BBQ taste they are a solid snack to munch on if you are looking for something cheaply priced that packs a good flavor. And I will say while they are good they are not as tasty as the Hot or Cheese Fries as they both have more of a flavor that is not as basic as the BBQ. The mix of corn and potato make these BBQ Fries look like French fries and if you are looking for something very cheap to munch on while watching Silent Films these are not bad.

Movie: ***
Chips: **1/2

The Island Of The Lost is a really interesting film that due to being “Lost” for so many years I think it really has been forgotten and is really a undiscovered Gem for fans who like early German Silent Horror Films, and I need to really stress that it is by no means a German Expressionist film and lacks those films eerie use of shadows and crooked structures. And while it’s not a good loose adaptation of the classic The Island Of Dr. Moreau story and it is not even the best film inspired by Dr. Moreau, what it is though is a great fun film that I am glad has been found so that it might be able to gain a following among fans of Silent Horror. And make sure to get a copy of this film from Creature Feature Video and see what you think of this film. Well the clean up crew is here in the theater so I think that is our sign to head on out, and as we make our way to the exit doors I want to thank you once more for talking Silent Cinema with me and also that the next one will take us to our big Thanksgiving update and will be about that Warrior Princess Xena! So until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Silent Horror Film or two and as always support your Local Horror Host. See you next time as we have a Turkey Day date with Xena and Gabrielle!

Forgotten Reels: The Lost World (1925)

Posted on September 13, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Forgotten Reels is a new update theme here at Rotten Ink and will take us to the Rotten Ink Theater to sit around and talk about Silent Cinema! As I am sure you all know by now, I am a major fan of all types of films and genres, but did you know that I am a huge fan of Silent Films? And when it comes to Silent Horror Films as well as Silent Science Fiction films, I am a major geek for them and have been trying to figure out a way to cover them here on Rotten Ink and thanks to the success of the “Wild West Round Up” updates I have found the formatting that would work to share my love for them! When covering the Silent Films, I am also going to cover a different bag of my favorite kind of snack food and I am talking about potato chips! And like before, I will be given a star rating to both the film and the chips. For these Forgotten Reels updates I will be covering releases from companies like Alpha Video, Grapevine Video, Creature Feature Video and Madacy Entertainment. And yes, I know that Kino Lorber and Criterion a lot of the times has the way better prints that have been restored and re-mastered, I just feel that the companies above have the look and quality I remember seeing these types of films for the first time as a kid. I also want to give my friend and amazing artist Jason Gilmore a big thank you for the Forgotten Reels logo that will be used for these Silent Film themed updates. Oh, I almost forgot the first film we will be covering for Forgotten Reels is a real classic in cinema as it’s the 1925 film The Lost World! So let’s find our seats and get ready to talk some Silent Cinema!

The Lost World is a 1925 film that was based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was released by First National Pictures and had a budget of $700,000. Harry O. Hoyt was brought on the production to direct as he was the man in the director chair for such films as “The Moth (1917)”, “The Rider Of The King Log (1921)” and “Sundown (1924)” to name a few, and they had screenwriter Marion Fairfax in to adapt the novel for screen as she had a long history of being behind the pen for many classic silent films. The film brought in classic actors like Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Arthur Hoyt and Bull Montana to fill roles, and the film is considered one of the first in cinema to use stop motion special effects. Willis O’Brien, the godfather of this style, was the man behind these amazing dinosaur effects, and he is one of the all time great effects masters and would go on to work on the 1933 King Kong among many other iconic films of cinema. The dinosaurs of the film were based on the artwork of Charles R. Knight and decades after the film, it’s said that Forrest J. Ackerman had many of the O’Brien models in his private collection. Ackerman was a true lover of classic Horror and Sci-Fi cinema and saved many items like them from being lost to time. The river scenes of the film were said to be shot behind MGM studios in an open sewer area, or so the Hollywood story goes. Another great story about The Lost World is that in 1922 Conan Doyle showed a ton of magicians including Harry Houdini test footage of O’Brien’s dinosaurs and would not tell the origins of the footage while they all viewed it and they as well as the press was said to have been blown away by the effects. The film over the years is said to have made $1.3 million dollars and was the first film to be shown on a flight in 1925 via a nitrate film reels and is as well what kicked off the dinosaur movie craze that is still going to this day. Over the years some prints of the film have fallen into the Public Domain and have been shown on many Horror Host programs as well can be found on many budget VHS, DVD and on YouTube. And over the years Lost World has had some lost footage found as well as has been re-mastered.

The chips I chose to pair with this film are “Grippo’s Bar-B-Q,” a chip that I have loved since I was a young kid and a potato chip company from the great state of Ohio. Growing up as a kid, popcorn, Andy Capp’s Hot Fries and potato chips were the snacks of choice for my brother and I as we watched USA Saturday Nightmares or WWF Monday Night Raw, and one of our favorites hands down when it came to chips was always Grippo’s! You see my father has always worked in the grocery business and he would from time to time bring home different styles of snack food for not only him to eat but also for my brother and I to try, and Grippo’s was always a popular eat at our house during movie and TV watching. Grippo’s started in 1919 and is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio and was founded by Angelo Grippo. The company over the years has made all types of snack foods from Pretzels, Sugar Cones and their most popular item is Potato Chips that comes in many flavors from the overly popular BBQ as well as Cheddar, Salt & Vinegar as well as a few others. Grippo’s is still going strong to this day and so many of my friends love these chips. Below is a shot of a freshly opened bag so that you can see these BBQ Grippo’s in their natural habitat.

Forgotten Reels is a themed update that will be sticking around for a very long time here on Rotten Ink as being able to share my thought and the wonders of Silent Films is something that I really like to do! And I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film rating, I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some chips and a soda and let’s travel to The Lost World with Alpha Video. And yes, the stills used in this review update are indeed taken from the Alpha Video print and the DVD that I own.

Lost World
Starring: Wallace Beery and Bessie Love Directed: Harry O. Hoyt
Not Rated 1925 63min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

We open in the office of the London Record Journal, and the Editor is upset as he has just gotten word that Professor Challenger is going to sue them over the paper doubting his story of living dinosaurs, and they are also worried, as Challenger has attacked three reporters just that day! In order to get the interview with Challenger, they send eager reporter Edward Malone who stumbles into the editor’s office and has to hurry to Zoological Hall to cover a lecture that Challenger is giving and try to score the sit down interview for the paper, as well as sneak in as reporters are banned from the lecture. At the Hall many people are in line for the lecture including Sir John Roxton who is an explorer and hunter who wants to disprove Challenger’s claim of dinosaurs. And it seems like many of those attending are there to mock Challenger and his claims. Malone is able to easily get into the lecture thanks to Roxton who brings him in on his pass. As he starts the crowd mocks Challenger, who in turn wants to get a committee and a group together to head to the Amazon and to this Lost World with him! And some in the crowd who believe and disbelieve take him up on this chance to see the Dinosaurs and they are Professor Summerlee, John Roxton and Edward Malone. But when Malone alerts Challenger of his profession, the Professor goes into a rage and tries to attack the young man and chaos breaks out. And Challenger, mad that a reporter got in, returns to his home.

As Professor Challenger gets home for the night, still mad over the lecture, he soon finds that Edward Malone has entered his home via a window, as he would like to talk to the Professor and says that he really needs to go on the expedition in order to impress his fiancé who will not marry him until he faces a major challenge, and this means nothing to Challenger who attacks Malone and they two fight and struggle so much that they end up in the street! A Police Cop witnesses the fight and when Malone refuses to press charges and even takes blame for the fight, Challenger ends up listening to Malone when he finds out that he is also close friends with Sir John Roxton. Once inside the parlor, Challenger has his butler call upon Miss Paula White, and also Roxton comes to the house and they talk about the diary of Maple White and as Paula shows up the story of the Lost World that is populated with Dinosaurs is discussed. Paula explains how her father discovered a plateau in the Amazon alone as she was back at camp sick from a fever, and as she speaks Malone flips through the pages of the diary and sees the explorers drawings of Dinosaurs that he said he saw! And then Paula claims that she has seen them herself and that her father is lost on that plateau as his crew left him behind in fear of the beasts. And as they talk, Mrs. Challenger enters the parlor and is upset that her husband has kicked out everyone up to this point has come to the house to help. Edward Malone then comes up with the idea to get the paper to pay for the rescue mission as he can pass it off as a good human-interest story as they might think that the talk of Dinosaurs is fake but saving an explorer in a exclusive story they would bite on. Challenger agrees to this pitch and everyone is happy. Malone asks Roxton to go talk to the editor with him, and before they leave Roxton tells Paula that he is going on this mission for her. Paula looks both happy and taken back by this, but is happy they help is on its way for her father.

The London Record Journal funds the rescue mission and Professor Challenger, Sir John Roxton, Professor Summerlee, Paula White, Austin and Edward Malone meet up with some natives and boat down the river to the secret location deep in the Amazon. Once they reach the plateau they all make camp and Malone is writing to his editor as everyone else is enjoying the rest and wildlife around the area. But watching them is a strange apeman who is monstrous in nature and watches and Roxton talks of how Paula said her father used a fallen tree in order to get to the plateau and Challenger says in the morning they will knock down another tree and get across. The apeman then pushes a bolder off the cliff and tries to crush the rescue party, his attack fails and causes the men to look around and they see a massive Pterodactyl flying around and then landing and eating, and Challenger then declares that everything in Maple’s diary is true.

The next morning Challenger leads them to the top of the plateau and chops down another tree to make a bridge across a cliff and while doing all this dinosaurs start to pay attention to the noises being made by these human invaders. One by one they cross the fallen tree and then watch as a Brontosaurus feeds on leaves. They are scared and yet also so amazed by this sight. The massive creature then does the unthinkable and knocks their tree bridge off the cliff and causing them all to be stuck now. All the while back at the camp native Zambo with his pet monkey Jocko and Austin, the butler of Challenger watch on and are helpless to save them from being stranded.

As night falls, the group starts a fire to stay warm and try and come up with a plan, and unknown to them the apeman once more is watching them this time from the trees. Malone heads to Paula and tries to find out what is on her mind. She tells of the worry she has that something bad has happened to her father as she feels he would have made his way to the fire if he was still alive. Malone tries to comfort her as Roxton watches on and is not pleased that someone else talking to the woman he loves. But before anything else can be said, the whole group gets a scare as a T-Rex appears and attacks and kills another dinosaur before their eyes. They then watch as the T-Rex’s path of murder doesn’t stop as it goes after a Tyrannosaurus and its baby. He fails in his attempt to kill and gets a horn would to his side that makes him even more mad as he heads out into the jungle and into the camp! Challenger and Roxton armed with rifles open fire on the T-Rex and Malone throws a lit torch at it scaring it off and back into a battle with a Tyrannosaurus. As the group then finally spots the apeman and Roxton shoots him in the arm scaring him away. Meanwhile the T-Rex kills the Tyrannosaurus as well as then kills a Pterodactyl. Meanwhile at the base camp, Zambo and Jocko are drinking water when Austin has an idea that they can make a giant rope from the hammocks and have Jocko climb the mountain plateau to give it to them.

After all the excitement of the T-Rex attack, Challenger and the group find a cave to seek shelter in from the craziness of the jungle. They decided that this cave would be their home until they are saved or for the rest of their lives and then Challenger tries to design a catapult weapon out of bent down trees in order to fight off dinosaurs. While in the cave Roxton is looking around and finds a skeleton of a human that has a locket, and inside that locket is a picture of Paula…the hunter thinks he has found the remains of her father Maple White, he then also finds an open at the back of the cave that leads straight down the mountain and fires his gun and gets the attention of Austin and Zambo who yell back and fourth with Raxton that they will be turning the rope into a ladder and will send Jacko up with it in the morning, but the monkey needs to see Paula to make the climb. Meanwhile alone in a part of the cave Malone tells Paula that he loves her, and is breaking his promise to his fiancé as he wants to be with her. Roxton walks in on the two embracing and sharing loving words, Malone informs his friend that he and Paula are going to marry each other in the cave as Summerlee was once a minister before he was a professor and goes off to find him. As Roxton says he needs to tell Paula something very important.

In the jungle Challenger and Summerlee are watching a Brontosaurus feed and are following it, as back in the cave Raxton gives Paula the locket and tells her the bad news of her father’s death. The T-Rex shows up once again and this time goes after the Brontosaurus and knocks the massive creature over the cliff, the T-Rex is mad that he did not get to eat his victim and wonders off into the jungle. Meanwhile in another cave the apeman along with his chimpanzee friend sulk over the humans being around and him being wounded by a bullet. Paula and Raxon are waiting for the others to return as they have been gone for hours now and they are worried, but Raxton tells her they must wait for them in order to lead them to the cave opening so they can all escape. And also a volcano on the plateau is about to erupt adding more danger for Challenger and his crew as the lava starts to flow the dinosaurs start to stampede and it’s making it hard for Challenger, Summerlee and Malone to get back to the cave for shelter. The T-Rex is attacking his fellow fleeing dinosaurs as fire is breaking out all around in the jungle! And they are finally able to make their way to the cave as the volcano calms down and the fires stop and the dinosaurs go back to their normal lives.

Back in the cave Raxton shows Paula the opening as she calls for Jocko, the little monkey, who with the ladder makes his way up the mountain to get to her, and does so delivering their way to escape the Lost World. The Brontosaurus who fell from the cliff is shown to be alive and stuck in mud, and it’s the mud that spared its life and cushioned the landing. With the ladder now in place Paula White starts making her way down the mountain, Jocko the monkey is next, then Professor Summerlee, Professor Challenger, Edward Malone and lastly Sir John Roxton gets on the ladder. But the apeman and his chimpanzee friend and a score to settle with Roxton and they start to pull the ladder up with him still on it as his friends below try to pull it back down, but the apeman is just too strong. They fire a rifle up at the mountain and hit apeman in the chest and Roxton makes it down to land safe. As they are heading away from the mountain, Challenger spots the wounded Brontosaurus and with the help of Major Hiddard of Brazilian Geodetic they get the dinosaur out of the mud in a month’s time with a one-way ticket to London.

In London Professor Challenger is giving another lecture to a roomful of people and he tells them that they are brining a living Brontosaurus to London and that reporter Edward Malone is on the ship that is bringing the creature to them in mere moments. Challenger then gets a phone call from Malone who informs the professor that during unloading at the dock the straps on the cage broke and now the Brontosaurus is loose in the streets and causing panic and chaos. In the streets people are running and driving away in fear as the dinosaur is on a rampage. Challenger tells the crowd at the lecture to stay inside as his dinosaur is free in the streets, and the crowd starts to think that this is a scam and begin to boo and turn on Challenger who they think is a liar. All the while the Brontosaurus is stomping around the city causing destruction and ends up on the London Bridge and it ends up breaking under its weight and it falls into the water and swims away. After the dinosaur is gone Paula and Malone come together and Roxton pushes his feelings for her aside and is happy for the couple. And Professor Challenger sits on the bridge and watches as his dinosaur fades away into the horizon.

Review: The Lost World is a truly amazing early cinema film that allowed the team of Harry O. Hoyt and Marion Fairfax to truly bring the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to life on the big screen and offered thrills, chills to movie goers who left the theater wondering if they had just seen footage of real dinosaurs! The film really focuses on reporter Edward Malone and his quest to cover the big story of the lost world as well as him falling in love with Paula White who his own friend famed hunter Sir John Roxton also is crushing on. And all three of these characters are great and their story is interesting and helps add more drama to the story and also adds a good amount on tension to a group that is already stuck in a land of dinosaurs who want to eat them for dinner. But I think like most people who have read the book as well would agree that the real star of the film is the eccentric Professor Challenger whose anger, passion and personality sets him apart from the rest of the cast of characters and Wallace Beery was the perfect actor to cast in that role. The Dinosaur effects were done by the true legend and godfather of early day special effects Willis O’Brien and this film was a great warm up for him as in 1933 he would bring us the masterpiece of cinema King Kong. And the T-Rex in this movie is such a jerk and gets his jollies in just killing other dinosaurs as well as trying to kill our heroes. And let’s not forget to point out the awesome Brontosaurus rampage in London, a scene that influenced many Kaiju and Giant Monster movies over the decades. One thing I have to point out is that actor Bull Montana played the Apeman on the Lost Planet and he is one of cinema’s early creature actors as he would wear that suit or one just like it in the 1920 Horror Comedy Film “Go And Get It” and had the movements of creatures down, but that I am sure this is due to his years of being a Pro Wrestler. This film is also very much the inspiration for the Jurassic Park book and film series, and The Lost World is one of the world’s best Silent Films from that era as it brings so many emotions with it and best of all its super entertaining from start to finish. If you have not seen this film, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy from Alpha Video or another home media copy and give it a watch.

Now let’s briefly talk about the Grippo’s Bar-B-Q Potato Chips, a snack food that has always been a favorite in my family’s household growing up. When eating this bag I can see why I loved them as a kid. The BBQ seasoning on these chips is very flavorful and have a nice spice taste that makes it so easy to eat a full bag in one sitting. They have a taste like no other BBQ chip and that is why those who have tried Grippo’s always put them at the top of their shopping list for snack food. And they are not afraid to coat the chip in the seasoning and hands down these are some amazingly good potato chips!

Movie: ****
Chips: ****

The Lost World really is a fantastic Silent Film. The effects that they pulled off in 1925 are amazing and set the guidelines for special effects to come in Hollywood, and really the film is a mix of Adventure, Sci-Fi and Horror and really was one of the early versions of a Giant Monster movie as the end of the film has a Dinosaur running wild in a big city that would go on to be a staple of the kind of films. And as you can see, this first Forgotten Reels update starts off with a perfect Silent Film as well as a perfect bag of chips. But the house lights have been turned on and that is our cue to head out, but before we do, I would like to let you all know that our next update will take us to New York and the time that Dracula visited it as the topic is the 1979 film Love At First Bite and the photo comic book based on it! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a Silent Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon as we continue our countdown to Halloween 2022 and spend some time with Count Dracula.