This week’s mysterious silent movie was the 1925 film The Last Edition, with Ralph Lewis, Billy Bakewell, Joseph Campbell, Lou Payne, Lee Willard, Frances Teague, Lila Leslie, Ray Hallor, Rex Lease, Tom O’Brien, John Bailey, Cuyler Supplee, Ada Mae Vaughn, C. Hollister Walker, Will Frank and David Kirby.
Music by Stephen Horne.
Directed by Emory Johnson.
The Last Edition was restored in 2013 in a project by the EYE Film Institute Netherlands and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Further information on The Last Edition is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Last Edition is on YouTube.
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The Last Edition seemed like a perfect title for the last mystery movie of the year. True, we have next week, but it will conclude in 2026. And I couldn’t resist a movie about newspapers with wonderful historic shots of newspapering as it was in the days of hot metal. The old presses! The Linotype machines! Printers assembling type in a chase!
The plot is rather simple, a melodrama all the way, but it moves quickly, and of course, good triumphs in the end, despite an explosion and fire that destroy the San Francisco Chronicle Building.
I can’t imagine that The New York Times reviewed The Last Edition, but one never knows.
Mordaunt Hall gets the assignment (The New York Times, November 11, 1925):
Until it reaches a violent stage, The Last Edition, a pictorial melodrama now at the Cameo, is quite an interesting document that gives an unusually clear idea of the thought and action involved in bringing out a newspaper. The work in different departments, such as the city room, the composing room and the pressroom, are exceptionally well filmed, and the scenes depicting the “making over” for an extra edition are decidedly impressive.
For Monday, we have a mysterious couple.
Update: This mysterious couple remains as yet unidentified.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious fellow in a mystery car.
Update: This is Rex Lease in what appears to be a 1924 Ford Model T runabout.
For Wednesday, we have a mysterious guest making a mysterious gesture. Also Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Billy Bakewell with Ralph Lewis as Back of the Head Guy.
Brain Trust roll call: Stacia (Tuesday’s mysterious reporter). Note to Sylvia: No, but you’re on the right track.
For “Thursday,” we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Cuyler Supplee.
And these two mysterious gents.
Update: This is Joseph Campbell, left, and Tom O’Brien.
And this mysterious gent in a mysterious pressroom.
Update: This is Lou Payne.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mysterious reporter and Wednesday’s Back of the Head Guy), Stacia (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mysterious pressman making a rude gesture), and Mike Hawks (mysterious movie, Tuesday’s mysterious reporter and Wednesday’s mystery pressman making a rude gesture).
For Friday, we have a mysterious couple in a playful moment.
Update: This is Frances Teague and Rex Lease.
We also have this mysterious gent reading a mystery newspaper.
Update: This is Ralph Lewis.
Brain Trust roll call: Sylvia (mysterious movie and Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s and Thursday’s mysterious guests) and Dan Nather (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Seven Chances.
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An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
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SCRAMBLED WEDDINGS. Stanley Taylor in the car.
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The silents are always tough for me, unless they’re really well known. But, just for grins…
A Fatal Mistake 1924
This guess totally comes from the image of the auto, which I think is a 1924 Ford Runabout, and the ‘Press’ placard on the windshield. William Fairbanks starred, so let’s throw him in as the guy in the car.
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Tuesday is Rex Lease, who was in something like a dozen Tim McCoy westerns! I must have seen them all on a PBS show called “Matinee at the Bijou” when I was a kid, and he showed up again in some compilation video I bought for my dad way back in the 1990s. This doesn’t look like a Western though and I don’t have the movie yet.
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I knew I had seen it! THE LAST EDITION, restored by SFSFF. While mostly filmed in SF, Cahuenga Alley also appears. Rex Lease Tuesday, and Ralph Lewis and Ray Hallor today.
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This must be THE LAST EDITION (1925), Wednesday is William Bakewell pulling a face, I don’t have the other actors yet unfortunately.
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Rex Lease and William Bakewell in THE LAST EDITION.
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The Last Edition 1925
Mon – still searching
Tues – I’m having trouble differentiating between Rex Lease and Ray Hallor. Leaning towards Rex Lease.
Weds – Ralph Lewis is our BOTHG and William Bakewell our “rude gesture” guy.
Will add an update on the others from today.
Found a good website for the history on restoring this film. My former students would have LOVED the film because it shows how something is made. Wonderful “pressroom/printing press in action” shots.
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To continue….
Monday’s newlywed couple remain a mystery as far as names, but they’re riding in the “mistaken identity” taxi cab that Mr. Lease catches up to when the bad guy, Red, gets away from him following a very exciting fight and car chase.
Tues is definitely Rex Lease as Ray Hallor has no car (transports by cable car.)
Thur – 1) Cuyler Supplee
2) Joseph Campbell (which has thrown IMDb for a loop apparently) is the guy screen Left and Tom O’Brien is on the Right
3) Lou Payne (what great, long-suffering facial expressions)
That leaves the full reveal of Ralph Lewis, Ray Hallor, Frances Teague and maybe closer on Rex for Friday.
This was an engaging little film. Kind of an early crime/newspaper/police-Bell telephone operator cooperation procedural.
Watching the pressman/presses action scenes made me wonder how many of the workers ended up being nicknamed ‘Lefty’ and having to retire early. Those machines were huge and look dangerous.
Also wondered if the L.A. Times had those firepole cylinders for exiting the printing room. Perhaps you will share what you know when we next have our Zoom session.
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William Bakeqell Tuesday, Cutler Supplee, Will Frank and Tom O’brien, and Will Frank today.
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THE LAST EDITION (1925):
Monday — no ideas
Tuesday — Rex Lease
Wednesday — William Bakewell
Thursday — Cuyler Supplee, Wade Boteler (?), Tom O’Brien (on right), Lewis Payne (?)
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Frances Teague and Rex Lease and Ralph Lewis.
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Friday – 1) Frances Teague teasing her sweetheart, Rex Lease
2) Ralph Lewis
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Ralph Lewis.
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Is Wednesday’s lad Eddie Quillen?
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