A 1916 spy comedy where the weapon is fake but the mustache twirling is real.
Foreign powers keep getting their hands on U.S. military secrets, so the head of the American diplomatic corps calls in his nephew Dick Stansbury to help. Stansbury knows that Doctor Montell is at the bottom of this, so he poses as an inventor of an innovative aerial gun. This sparks the doctor's interest, and when they both attend a weekend party at the Ryerson estate, Montell tries to get Stansbury to sell the gun to his country.
Acting
Francis X. Bushman directing himself with maximum smolder.
Production
1916 fake-invention props that look deliciously handmade.
Director
Francis X. Bushman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during WWI when American spy paranoia was shifting from entertainment to genuine national anxiety.
Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne were cinema's first superstar couple—this was basically their date night on film.
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