Flaming Disk, the
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Flaming Disk, the
 | |
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| Episodes: | 18 |
| Year: | 1920 |
| Country: | United States |
| Seasons: | 1 |
| Seasons Breakdown: | (1) 18 |
| Category: | Crime |
| Colour: | No |
| Format: | Cinema Serial |
| Company: | Great Western |
| Creator: | Arthur Henry Goodson (writer) |
| Run Time (mins): | |
| Language: | English |
| Type of Show: | Live Action |
| Status: | Ended |
| Broadcaster: | |
Summary
The story centres on Professor Wade (Kohlmar), an inventor who develops an advanced optical disc‑lens capable of concentrating solar energy into a narrow, intensely focused beam powerful enough to vaporise steel. Recognising its potential military value, government agent Elmo Gray (Lincoln) is assigned to safeguard both the professor and the device.
The antagonist, Stanton (Watson), leads a criminal gang that steals the invention and uses it to carry out a series of high‑profile bank robberies. Emboldened by the weapon’s destructive power, Stanton ultimately threatens to annihilate an entire city unless his demands are met.
A notable twist involves Elmo’s brother, Jim, also portrayed by Lincoln, who falls under Stanton’s hypnotic control. Manipulated into assisting the gang, Jim participates in their crimes until episode 17, when he finally breaks free of the trance. Reunited, the brothers join forces to reclaim the weapon and bring Stanton to justice, killing him in the process.
By the 1930s, such narrative devices, particularly the use of hypnotised or corrupted doubles, had become common in adventure serials, with Dick Tracy (1937) (Dick Tracy) serving as a classic example.
Cast
Professor Wade LEE KOHLMAR, Elmo Gray ELMO LINCOLN, Helen LOUISE LORRAINE, Stanton/Jim Gray ROY WATSON, Briggs FRED HAMAR, Stanley Barrows GEORGE WILLIAMS, Con JENKS HARRIS.
Crime, United States, 1920, English
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flaming_Disc
Image Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flaming_Disc#/media/File:The_Flaming_Disc_(1920)_-_1.jpg
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