Mystery Trooper (DVD)

Jack Logan inherits half the map to a lost Indian mine and a full share of action and adventure in this 10 chapter, no-punches-pulled serial from 1931.

Jack's search for the mine takes him to the Canadian Rockies, where he discovers that gangsters are also searching for the treasure and need his half-a-map to find it. Jack's companions in adventure includes pretty Helen, a local girl; her younger brother Billy; their "foster father," an Indian chief named Red Eagle; and White Cloud, an outlaw stallion who seems to know a lot more than he's neighing. And when things get too rough, our heroes can always count on a helping hand from the Mystery Trooper, a shadowy character who shows up whenever there's trouble and then vanishes again just as strangely.

Mystery Trooper has all the ingredients that serial fans demand: non-stop action and surprises (including a real bear wandering in and out of the proceedings), picturesque outdoor locations and - in a switch from conventional chapter plays with mystery villains - a mystery hero (the Trooper) who wears a costume and keeps his identity a secret.

• serial