The Mystery Squadron
Mascot
1933 / 12 Chapters
Directed by Colbert Clark and David Howard
Starring
Bob Steele as
aviator Fred Cromwell
Guinn
"Big Boy" Williams as Bill
"Jelly Bean" Cook
Jack
Mulhall as Hank
Davis
Lucile Browne as
Dorothy Gray
J.
Carroll Naish as
Collins
Bob Kortman as
Bracken
Lafe
McKee as
Stephen Gray
Edward Hearn as the
Sheriff
Near San Juan, New Mexico, the
mysterious Black Ace and his squadron of phantom
flame-throwing planes tries to sabotage Stephen Gray's dam
project.
Gray's assistant Hank Davis
hires Fred Cromwell (Western star Bob Steele) and Bill
"Jelly Bean" Cook (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams), two of the
greatest fliers in the world, to track down the Mystery
Squadron, infiltrate their mountain hideout and discover
the true identity of the Black Ace before it's too late.
Right: J. Carroll Naish as Collins.
Mystery villain "The Black Ace" and Jelly Bean Cook
All images above are actual frame-grabs from the digital
restoration, in warm/neutral-tone black and white, before
final compression.
A great deal of care has been
put into restoring this serial for DVD presentation. The
original film print is not complete and is missing footage
in chapter openings and end titles.
The opening title has been painstakingly restored using
footage from multiple chapters and is now complete but for
the line "Nat Levine Presents" which was originally at the
top of the screen. This was not replaced in this
presentation because it was removed from most original
chapters and could not be replaced without adding an
undesirably distracting bouncing element to every opening
title sequence.
All chapter ending titles, mostly missing in the original,
have been restored using the same display font Mascot used
originally.
The musical fanfares which accompanied chapter endings in
the original but which do not exist in most prints or video
versions have also been restored.
Reel change markers have been removed throughout.
A few reels of the original print (Chapter 1 reel 1,
Chapter 2 reel 1, Chapter 4 reel 2, and Chapter 5 reel 1)
were either soft in focus or grainy. These reels have been
video-noise reduced to remove grain and then sharpened
about 15%, which makes them look better on this DVD than
they did in the original print. Some graininess is still
evident in some sections of what remains but it is minor.
Chapter summaries have been slightly letterboxed and
contrast-adjusted for readability.
White-noise hiss which was present in the audio of the
entire serial has been completely removed, and the sound
has been normalized to about 85% (that means it is nice and
strong). There is very little background audio noise at all
remaining in the DVD. Most chapters sound like they would
have in the original theatrical presentation, or better,
because all that hiss is GONE.
We guarantee you this is the sharpest version of this
serial with the best sound available, possibly the
best-looking version that will ever exist.
No music or other audio effects have been added to this
presentation.
The entire serial is presented in a silvery cool black and
white. (Frame above is from the actual finished DVD showing
the black and white tone used in the final presentation)
A frame from the Alpha DVD of THE
MYSTERY SQUADRON
2-DVD
Set
English - 1:33:1 - Full Screen - Black and White - 1933 -
12 Chapters - Digitally remastered - Noise reduced -
Chapter and scene selections - Suitable for all audiences
ORDER
THE MYSTERY SQUADRON DVD (List
price $19.95, on sale now only from this website for
$12.95)
Now complete and begins shipping about Feb. 25, 2008