The House Without a Key (serial)

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The House Without a Key (serial)

Overview
The House Without a Key is a 1926 American silent mystery serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet. It’s based on the 1925 novel The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers and is famous for introducing the fictional detective Charlie Chan on screen. The leading stars are Allene Ray and Walter Miller. The serial is now considered lost, and it was released as a 10-episode Pathé Exchange project.

Key details
- Release date: November 21, 1926
- Running time: 10 episodes
- Country: United States
- Language: Silent with English intertitles

Cast (selected)
- Allene Ray as Carry Egan
- Walter Miller as John Quincy Winterclip
- E. H. Calvert as Dan Winterclip
- Betty Caldwell as Barbara Winterclip
- Natalie Warfield as Minerva Winterclip
- Jack Pratt as James Egan
- William Bailey as Harry Jennison
- Frank Lackteen as Kaohla
- George Kuwa as Charlie Chan
- Harry Semels as Saladine
- Charles West as Bowker
- John Cossar as District Attorney
- Scott Seaton as Detective
- Cliff Saum as Kennedy
- John Webb Dillion
- Shia Jung (uncredited) as The young Chinese girl

Chapter titles (10)
- The Spite Fence
- The Mystery Box
- The Missing Numeral
- Suspicion
- The Death Buoy
- Sinister Shadows
- The Mystery Man
- The Spotted Menace
- The Wrist Watch
- The Culprit

Notes
- The film is considered lost today.
- It helped popularize Charlie Chan, a character later seen in many films and books.