Director:
David SmithWriters:
Wyndham Martyn, IngletonCinematographer:
Jack MacKenzieProduction Company:
Vitagraph Co. of AmericaThe scenario was based on the novel, The Secret of the Silver Car by Wyndham Martyn. Principal photography was underway by 19 February 1921, as stated in that day’s issue of Motion Picture News. The film’s working title was that of the novel.
According to the 12 March 1921 [Moline, IL] Dispatch, at least twenty automobile manufacturers asked to build the titular car. Producers Vitagraph Co. of America declined all offers and instead commissioned an unbranded custom-made vehicle. The 13 March 1921 [Tacoma, WA] Daily Ledger noted that director David Smith, who was generally relegated to lower budgeted pictures, had requested The Secret of the Silver Car while awaiting the start of another assignment. Interior scenes were filmed at Vitagraph Studios in Hollywood, CA, as stated in the 14 March 1921 [Santa Cruz, CA] Evening Herald.
An article in the 19 March 1921 [Dayton, OH] Herald revealed that lead actor Earl Williams had been severely injured during a bicycle race in his youth and had avoided riding ever since. The film, referred to as The Mystery of the Silver Car, marked the first bicycle ride of his adult life.
News items in the 24 March 1921 and 28 March 1921 Los Angeles Times reported that Williams suffered damage to his left hand after landing “too direct a blow” to the head of a fellow cast member. Exterior shots were taken at Mt. Baldy, CA, over the course of a week, although the 2 April 1921 Motion Picture News claimed that ...
The scenario was based on the novel, The Secret of the Silver Car by Wyndham Martyn. Principal photography was underway by 19 February 1921, as stated in that day’s issue of Motion Picture News. The film’s working title was that of the novel.
According to the 12 March 1921 [Moline, IL] Dispatch, at least twenty automobile manufacturers asked to build the titular car. Producers Vitagraph Co. of America declined all offers and instead commissioned an unbranded custom-made vehicle. The 13 March 1921 [Tacoma, WA] Daily Ledger noted that director David Smith, who was generally relegated to lower budgeted pictures, had requested The Secret of the Silver Car while awaiting the start of another assignment. Interior scenes were filmed at Vitagraph Studios in Hollywood, CA, as stated in the 14 March 1921 [Santa Cruz, CA] Evening Herald.
An article in the 19 March 1921 [Dayton, OH] Herald revealed that lead actor Earl Williams had been severely injured during a bicycle race in his youth and had avoided riding ever since. The film, referred to as The Mystery of the Silver Car, marked the first bicycle ride of his adult life.
News items in the 24 March 1921 and 28 March 1921 Los Angeles Times reported that Williams suffered damage to his left hand after landing “too direct a blow” to the head of a fellow cast member. Exterior shots were taken at Mt. Baldy, CA, over the course of a week, although the 2 April 1921 Motion Picture News claimed that it was two weeks. The 8 April 1921 [Los Angeles, CA] Evening Citizen News estimated that filming would be completed by mid-April 1921.
The picture was released as The Silver Car in early June 1921, with openings on 1 June 1921 at the Victoria Theatre in Saskatoon, Canada, and on 3 June 1921 at the Park Theatre in Urbana, IL. Later that month, the 16 June 1921 Wid’s Daily noted that the National Board of Review approved the feature in its monthly publication, Exceptional Photoplays.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
The Secret of the Silver Car
On a voyage to Europe, reformed criminal Anthony Trent seeks former war comrade "William Smith," the only person who knows his true identity. In England, Anthony discovers that Smith’s real name is Arthur Grenvil, the son of the Earl of Rosecarrel. He also meets and falls in love with Arthur’s sister, Daphne. Upon learning that the earl is being blackmailed by Count Michael Temesvar, who threatens to expose a treaty between their two countries, Anthony embarks on a suicide mission to the Balkan States to retrieve the treaty, overcoming a myriad of deadly obstacles. Following Anthony’s escape in the count’s silver automobile, the earl rewards him with an Australian ranch and the hand of ...
On a voyage to Europe, reformed criminal Anthony Trent seeks former war comrade "William Smith," the only person who knows his true identity. In England, Anthony discovers that Smith’s real name is Arthur Grenvil, the son of the Earl of Rosecarrel. He also meets and falls in love with Arthur’s sister, Daphne. Upon learning that the earl is being blackmailed by Count Michael Temesvar, who threatens to expose a treaty between their two countries, Anthony embarks on a suicide mission to the Balkan States to retrieve the treaty, overcoming a myriad of deadly obstacles. Following Anthony’s escape in the count’s silver automobile, the earl rewards him with an Australian ranch and the hand of Daphne.
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