| The Whispering Shadow | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Colbert Clark Albert Herman |
| Distributed by | Mascot Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1933 |
| Running time | 12 chapters (225 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Whispering Shadow (1933) is a Serial film, starring Béla Lugosi in his first of five serial roles. Lugosi received $10,000, the highest known salary of his career, for this film. (He also received the same amount for The Mystery of the Marie Celeste aka The Phantom Ship in 1935). The serial was filmed in only 12 days. It was the last film for actor Karl Dane.
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The Shadow in The Whispering Shadow is the underworld mastermind. He has invented a device that makes him invisible but leaves his shadow visible (which does, indeed, whisper). Despite being the voice of The Shadow, Lugosi is a red herring.[1]
The cinematography mimicked that of Karl Freund in Universal's Dracula - for example, using close ups of the actors' eyes - in order to take advantage of Bela Lugosi's fame as the star of that film.[1] The shadow of The Shadow is not real; It was drawn in later by animators.[1] Harmon and Glut comment on that "If Street & Smith, owners of the original [The] Shadow of magazine and radio fame, had found out about the owner of the whisper, they might have sued."[1] The serial was later edited down to a feature length edition (as was common in those days).
Source:[2]
| Preceded by The Devil Horse (1932) |
Mascot Serial The Whispering Shadow (1933) |
Succeeded by The Three Musketeers (1933) |
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