Leaving the character of Elaine behind after three successful serials, Pearl White played Margery Golden in The Iron Claw, the enterprising Pathé company's best chapterplay of 1916. Poor Margery is kidnapped as a small child by Legar, the Iron Claw of the title (played, according to surviving reviews, with relish by Sheldon Lewis), who is avenging the loss of one hand in a fight with Margery's father (J.E. Dunn). The girl grows up among thieves and is about to embark on a life of crime herself when rescued by a mystery hero known only as the Laughing Mask. the Iron Claw doesn't give up that easily, however, and continues to pursue poor Margery through 20 heart-palpitating chapters. Only in the final episode, "The Triumph of the Laughing Mask," did the audience learn the identity of the mystery hero, who proved to be none other than Margery's nice but seemingly placid boyfriend Davey (Creighton Hale).
by Hans J. Wollstein
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