Levine and Samuel Bischoff produced THE SILENT FLYER (Universal, 1926) with Malcolm McGregor, Louise Lorraine, and canine Silver Streak. Above is from the March 27, 1926 Moving Picture World available at the Internet Archive. This was Nat's first serial, and soon after production wrapped, he founded Mascot Pictures Corporation.
Above - trade paper ad for Levine's first two serials under his Mascot brand name. Anita Stewart had the lead in ISLE OF SUNKEN GOLD (Mascot, 1927). HEROES OF THE WILD (Mascot, 1927) starred Jack Hoxie with help from White Fury (horse) and Tornado (dog). Harry Samuel Webb (1892 - 1959) directed both. In the mid 1930s, Webb was co-boss and co-owner of Reliable Pictures with Bernard B. Ray and Reliable's sagebrush heroes included Tom Tyler, Jack Perrin, and Bob Custer.
 (From Old Corral collection)
Above is hero Walter Miller in a Chapter 8 lobby card from KING OF THE WILD (Mascot, 1931). Also in the cast were Nora Lane, Tom Santschi, Boris Karloff, Dorothy Christy, and Vic Potel. Miller was the frequent leading man to serial queen Allene Ray in many Pathe silent chapterplays and later, was frequently employed by Levine.
 (From Old Corral collection)
Left to right are Al Bridge, Harry Carey Sr. and Yakima Canutt in a lobby card from chapter 3 of THE DEVIL HORSE (Mascot, 1932).
 (From Old Corral collection)
Above - Chapter 5 lobby card from THE DEVIL HORSE (Mascot, 1932) which starred Harry Carey and Frankie Darro.
Above is a crop/enlargement from THE DEVIL HORSE lobby card above. Frankie Darro is being assaulted by J. Paul Jones, who plays the helper to brains heavy Noah Beery, Sr. Coming to Darro's aid is prolific performer Jack Mower who portrays "Adams", the leader of the vigilantes.
 (From Old Corral collection)
Above are the real life father and son team of Noah Beery Sr. (as baddie 'Cyrus Kraft') and Noah Beery Jr. (as Johnny Mack Brown's Indian helper 'Nakomas'), in a Chapter 5 lobby card from FIGHTING WITH KIT CARSON (Mascot, 1933). Johnny Mack Brown is on the left wearing buckskins.
 (From Old Corral collection)
Ken Maynard and Tarzan versus the "Rattler" in MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (Mascot, 1934), 12 chapters, directed by Otto Brower, and the second unit director was B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason. Scuttlebutt was that Maynard was also to star in THE PHANTOM EMPIRE chapterplay. But Maynard was difficult and cantankerous and that didn't endear him to the thrifty boss/owner of Mascot. The end result: Maynard was done at Mascot, and Levine cast Gene Autry as the lead in THE PHANTOM EMPIRE.
 (From Old Corral collection)
Above is a Chapter 12 poster from LAW OF THE WILD (Mascot, 1934) which starred Rex, Rin-Tin-Tin Jr., Bob Custer, cross-eyed Ben Turpin, and Lucile Browne.
Bob Custer (1897 or 98 - 1974) was a cowboy hero in silents, but he never made it big in sound films. His real name was Raymond Anthony Glenn and he couldn't handle the dialog required in talkies - to be blunt, he was terrible delivering lines. The dozen or so sound westerns he made were for the lower echelon production outfits, and around 1937, Custer left the business. At Nat Levine's Mascot cliffhanger factory, Rex (the black hoss) and Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. (the dog) got top billing, probably because they had more drawing power than Custer.
 (From Old Corral collection)THE LAW OF THE WILD (Mascot, 1934), 12 chapters, was directed by Armand Schaefer and B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason.
In the above lobby card, Custer is persuading Edmund Cobb, and in the lobby card below, he's landing a right to Dick Cramer's jaw.
 (From Old Corral collection)
 (From Old Corral collection)
Above is a Chapter 3 lobby card from THE LOST JUNGLE (Mascot, 1934). From L-to-R are Clyde Beatty, Crauford Kent and Syd Saylor.
Couple years after this was filmed, Levine and Beatty re-united at Republic Pictures for the serial DARKEST AFRICA (Republic, 1936). |
