Universal Weekly (1927-1930)

Vol. 25, No. 22 Universal Weekly 39 Synopses “MARTIN OF THE MOUNTED” Two-Reel Mustang Picture Northwest Mounted Police Picture Starring FRED GILMAN CONSTABLE MARTIN jails a fur thief and his accomplice, after catching one of the men with a remnant of a large haul. The bulk of the stolen pelts, bearing the trademark of The Monopoly Company are still cached. Andre Beaupre, an honest old trader who lives with his daughter Marie, employs Louis, another member of the gang headed by Red Burke. The gang sets a trap for Martin. One of the prisoners tips him off that Andre is “the man higher up’’ and that he has in his fur store a whole bale of the trade-marked furs. Martin verifies this and arrests Andre, whom he takes away handcuffed. As soon as they have ridden beyond the clearing the mountie sets the old man free, telling him that he fell for the hoax to snare the gang. Under cover of night, Martin and the old man return to find the gang at work on Andre’s store, preparing to steal his most valuable pelts. Martin gets the drop on the gang, with the exception of Red, who has induced Marie to ride with him on a pretext of freeing her father, but who intends to force the girl to marry him. Old Andre, watching outside, tries to stop them, but Burke takes the girl’s bridle and makes her go with him. Andre alarms Martin, who leaves his prisoners in charge of th,e old man while he rides after Burke and brings him down. Marie falls into Martin’s arms. “THE STOLEN RANCH” Blue Streak Western Featuring FRED HUMES (Length: 4578 ft.) BREEZY HART takes charge of his war buddy, Frank Wilcox, who has been shell shocked so badly that he goes out of his head every time he hears a noise. Breezy leaves Frank in a deserted cabin near the ranch formerly owned by his dead uncle and now possessed by Sam Hardy, although Frank has good reason to believe that his uncle intended to leave the place to him. Breezy gets a job on the ranch as pot scraper and supports Frank in his hideout while Frank becomes friendly with June Marston, daughter of a neighboring rancher. Breezy, at the same time, has fallen in love with Mary Jane, his kitchen pal at the ranch. Hardy is alarmed when he receives word from the government that Frank Wilcox, believed dead, has been discharged from the service, suffering from shell shock. Later one of the ranch hands learns of Frank’s presence in the vicinity when he fires a gun near the cabin hideout and Frank betrays his fear of the gun shot by falling off a rock and injuring himself. The hand carries the news to Hardy at the ranch house. Hardy determines to do away with Ftank and orders two roughnecks to make for the cabin at once. Breezy, listening at the kitchen door, hears Hardy plot with a conspirator to accept Tom Marston’s cash offer for the property and burn the original. He breaks in on them, knocks them both out and gets the document away from them. He jumps on his horse and rides to the cabin where he finds Frank engaged in a losing tussle with Hardy’s killers. His arrival turns the tide of battle and the two men are not only licked, but are compelled to stand at the window to await the arrival of Hardy who enters the shack when they assure him that they have the two boys hog-tied. As soon as Hardy enters he is promptly knocked down and locked in with the other two while the boys ride back to the ranch. Their prisoners escape and pursue the boys to the ranch house, only to be met by the grinning sheriff and his posse, who take charge of the conspirators, leaving the owner of the ranch, now cured of shell shock, to make arrangements for his partner’s wedding, as well as his own. “TRAIL OF TRICKERY” Two-Reel Mustang Picture Stai-ring EDMUND COBB Northwest Mounted Police Picture TERRY MALONE, a Mountie who has been assigned to the task of running down a gang of smugglers, rides to his new post and sees a signal flashing from the hills. Rose Duquesne, daughter of Jules Duquesne the factor, is driving a buckboard. The signal light frightens the horses. They bolt. She is saved by Terry, who takes her home. There he meets her father, who is in league with the smugglers and who urges Rose to marry Bart LaTour, leader of the band of smugglers, whom she despises. Fearing the new Mountie, the gang decide to clear out with their loot and disband. Bart is determined to marry the girl at once and take her with him. On his next visit to the girl, Terry overhears enough to arouse his suspicions. The guilt of the gang is confirmed when he sees them packing away the loot. Pouncing on the gang, he knocks out one and locks another in the cellar. Bart deserts his men and forces the girl to the seat of the buckboard, then drives the horses at breakneck speed through the woods. “PRISONERS OF THE STORM” Universal Jewel With HOUSE PETERS (Length: 6102 Ft.) BUCKY MALONE and his elder partner, Pierre LeGrande, prepare to close their northern mine to avoid being snowed in for the winter. Sergeant McClellan, of the Mounted Police, overhears them in a trivial quarrel, and, when he arrives at White Lake, their destination, he is one of a group of people who see LeGrande’s dog sledge pull in without LeGrande. McClellan hits the trail and finds evidence that LeGrande has been murdered. He suspects Malone, not knowing that the two miners parted at the mine. Attempting to make the arrest, he is wounded by Malone in a scuffle and carried by the latter to a cabin where his leg swells and brings on a high fever. Malone then risks capture by going to the settlement for a doctor. In White Lake he meets LeGrande’s daughter, Joan, who is in serious financial straits. Doctor Chambers, a disbarred physician, has offered aid which she has declined, being suspicious of his motives. Not knowing that the stranger was her father’s partner, she appeals to him to help her in finding her father. A blizzard threatens and the doctor refuses to make the trip, so Malone sets out at night alone with bandages and medicine. The girl follows him at daybreak and the doctor, being unable to dissuade her, goes with her to the cabin where they are snowed in with the policeman and his prisoner. The jealous doctor turns McClellan against the man who has saved his life, and Joan’s love, which has been growing for Malone, turns to hate when she learns that he is accused of murdering her father. A snowslide buries the little cabin under a mountainous drift. Vainly they attempt to tunnel their way out. The air in the little hut is almost exexhausted when Malone sees a big box of blasting powder. He prepares a big charge and sets it off. A peep of daylight appears after the explosion. The doctor rushes for the opening. Malone warns him that a second charge is coming, but too late. The doctor is killed by the charge which sets the others free. The contents of his medicine case are scattered about the floor, and among them is found the bag of nuggets belonging to the murdered LeGrande. Malone is free. Joan comes to his arms. Leaving the captured men in charge of a girl slavey, Terry pursues and captures Bart. The horses run away with Rose still in the seat. Handcuffing him, the Mountie takes after the racing buckboard and saves the girl who is to be Mrs. Malone.