Movies by J.P. McGowan

His Nemesis
With ruin staring him in the face, Manning, of Manning and Company, commits a theft which averts the crash. The scoundrel cleverly contrives to throw suspicion upon Reynolds, an old and faithful employee. Reynolds receives a three-year sentence. Beatrice, the daughter of Manning's victim, believes in her father's innocence. Led to believe Manning the real cause of her father's tribulations, Beatrice vows to wreak vengeance upon the scoundrel.
The Operator at Black Rock
The holdup of the Fast Mail; the runaway train, and the leap on horseback from a fifty-foot cliff are just some of the action

Deadwood Pass
The Hawk has broken out of prison and the Sheriff and Sorrenson have a plan to have Whitlock pose as the Hawk, infiltrate the gang, and recover the stolen bonds. All goes well until The Chief who knows the real Hawk arrives.

Stormy Seas
Two men in love with the same girl race to save her when she is trapped aboard a ship on fire in storm-swept seas.

When a Man Rides Alone
The Llano Kid is robbing stages but only taking money from Montana Slade's Cottonwood Mine. He then gives the money to those cheated by Slade. The Sheriff is after him and eventually obtains a picture and displays wanted posters and is soon after him.

So This Is Arizona
An Arizona Ranger's investigation results in his having to arrest the brother of the girl he loves.

Lawless Valley
A cattleman's association hires a range detective to track down and capture a notorious rustler known as El Lobo.

Crossed Signals
A federal agent is sent to a small town to bust up a counterfeiting ring, which is apparently headquartered in the local railway station. The counterfeiters have framed the station's manager for the crime, and she must work with the agent to clear her name and get the goods on the real counterfeiters.

The Chinatown Mystery
Restored by the George Eastman House in 2001, this 1928 serial was considered a “last hurrah” for the silent-era serial, and brought together some of the biggest names of the era: director J.P. McGowan, actors Francis Ford and Joe Bonomo (a carnival strongman-turned-actor), producer Trem Carr (who would later help found Monogram Pictures), and a slew of silent-era supporting icons such as Ruth Hiatt, Grace Cunard, and more. Chapter names like “The Clutching Claw,” “The Devil’s Dice, “Galloping Fury,” and “The Invisible Hand” offer all one ne...

The Lost Express
A train that is carrying the formula for a valuable form of granulated gasoline disappears before it reaches its destination. Railroad investigators and the authorities try to determine where it is and who took it.

Elmo the Fearless
Elmo finds himself in 18 different hair raising and dangerous adventures always escaping in the nick of time!
The Diamond Runners
Helen, a "diamond runner," reaches South Africa.
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
Helen is operator at Bells. Jerry McGuire, engineer on the local freight, and Tom Thornton, his fireman, are both rivals for the hand of the girl. Jerry is preferred and Tom tries to get Jerry to take to liquor again, a habit that he has overcome. Tom is unsuccessful.

The Last Roundup
There is trouble on the Bar D ranch as cowhand Mile Ahead plans to rustle the herd. He starts a fire on the opposite side of the ranch to keep the hands busy and also kidnaps the new school teacher. Fighting the fire, Foreman Denver leans the cattle are gone and going after Mile Ahead, learns the teacher is a prisoner in the school and the fire that is now out of control is heading her way.

Below the Deadline
Wharf-master Buck Elliot is the leader of a band of murderous crooks. The gang shoots down a policeman in a wharf side scuffle, and Detective Donovan swears revenge on the murderer.

Judith of the Cumberlands
Two rival mountain clans that have been feuding for years begin a new battle over the moonshine whiskey trade. A young man and a girl from each of the different clans try to end the feud, and wind up falling for each other.

King of the Circus
Eddie King goes up against a villainous circus owner in this action adventure which was directed by genre specialist J.P. McGowan and released in 18 chapters.

The Girl and the Game
Irrepressible Helen Rhinelander, the daughter of a railroad president. A dastardly villain, Segrue, however, desires not only Helen but also the plans for a new railroad. Happily, Helen's childhood sweetheart, Paul Storm, now an engineer, is right there to protect the damsel-in-distress through the serial's 15 exciting chapters.

Hills of Missing Men
A US Army officer is sent undercover into the hills of Mexico's Baja California region to find and bring down the madman Crando and his group of crazed followers, who are setting up their own criminal empire spreading from Mexico into the United States.

Under Texas Skies
Three cowboys try to stop a crook from defrauding an orphan girl out of her money.