The Haunted Bell - Production & Contact Info

The Haunted Bell (1916)
Short | Mystery, Short

The Haunted Bell (1916)

Short | Mystery, Short

The picture opens with a close-up of a Hindu priest kneeling before a large bell. This fades into a scene of Hindu girls engaged in a lively Oriental dance. Again the scene fades out and we see John Lane, the novelist, seated at a desk in ...See moreThe picture opens with a close-up of a Hindu priest kneeling before a large bell. This fades into a scene of Hindu girls engaged in a lively Oriental dance. Again the scene fades out and we see John Lane, the novelist, seated at a desk in his den, gazing with apparent amazement at a large bell that is hanging near an open window. His wife enters and he asks her to close the window, telling her that the bell rang of its own accord. The scene then shifts to the apartment of Prof. Nassaib Haig, who is praying with a priest at a shrine of Buddha. The professor dines the following day with John Lane, who tells him that his descriptions of India will be a great help to him in writing his novel. On entering the novelist's den after dinner the professor sees the bell and bows to it, greatly to the surprise of Mr. and Mrs. Lane. After the professor has left Mrs. Lane looks in a dazed manner at the bell and suddenly screams and falls in a faint to the floor. Lane and the butler rush to her assistance. On recovering from her faint she insists that the bell is haunted, as she heard it strike nine times. This seems to rouse the curiosity of the butler, who examines the bell. Later we see the professor confiding to the priest that he has discovered the long lost sacred bell of Tajmahal Temple, and they plan to get possession of it. Accordingly, the professor goes to a curio dealer and gives him a commission to secure the bell, warning him that Mr. Lane must never know of whom it is being purchased. The curio dealer calls on Lane and tells him that, knowing him to be a fancier of antiques, he thought he must have some he would care to dispose of. Mrs. Lane suggests that her husband dispose of the haunted bell, but he tells the curio dealer that he wouldn't sell it for $1,000, having made up his mind to solve its mystery, and the butler is a silent witness to their conversation. On reporting Lane's refusal to part with the bell for $1,000, the professor authorizes the curio dealer to offer him $5,000 for it, and a Hindu servant overhears this from behind the portieres. Back in the Lane parlor Mrs. Lane notes that the clock registers noon, and on entering the novelist's den, both she and her husband are astounded to hear the bell ring twelve times. Presently the curio dealer enters and makes the offer of $5,000 for the bell. That evening, while trying to solve the mystery of its spontaneous ringing, Lane sees that it is ten minutes to nine by the steeple clock in the distance and regulates his clock accordingly. Ten minutes later he hears the clock strike nine and a light dawns upon him, as the bell rings at the same time. Mrs. Lane enters the den and he tells her that it is a case of sound vibration, explaining that the steeple clock and the bell are in tune when the window is open, but when the window is closed the sound vibration is cut off. Next morning Lane discovers in his den the body of the curio dealer. Meanwhile the butler is leaning against the door with pajamas in his hands. Lane goes to the door, opens it and the butler falls into the room in a nervous fright. Lane orders him to report the murder to the police, and the butler hides the pajamas behind the door. Mr. and Mrs. Lane find the pajamas, the coat of which is spotted with blood. When the butler returns from telephoning the police Lane confronts him with the blood-stained pajamas and accuses him of the murder, but the butler declares he can explain the blood stains. He tells them that, after going to bed, he heard a gun discharged. He jumped up, ran into the hallway and found a man stretched out on the floor. In placing his hand over the man's heart to ascertain if life was extinct his hand became stained with blood, which he tried to wipe off on his sleeve. Lane doubts his story and presently admits a detective, several policemen and the Hindu servant of the professor. Requested to give an explanation of the Hindu's presence, the detective says: "This man was arrested in this neighborhood last night. We brought him along, thinking he might be concerned in the case." The detective then asks to see the dead body, and proceeds to put the Hindu through the third degree. The Hindu acknowledges the crime, while Lane turns to his wife and says: "Now, I will get rid of the haunted bell." Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
6 cast members

Name	Known for
King Baggot John Lane John Lane See fewer	Jim Webb, Senator (1914)
Edna Hunter Mrs. Lane Mrs. Lane See fewer	The Unchastened Woman (1918)
Joseph Granby Professor Nassaib Haig Professor Nassaib Haig See fewer	The Great Romance (1919)
Sam Crane His Servant His Servant See fewer	The Haunted Bell (1916)
Frank Smith The Butler The Butler See fewer	A Strange Disappearance (1915)
Joseph W. Smiley The Curio Dealer (as Joseph Smiley) The Curio Dealer (as Joseph Smiley) See fewer	Life Without Soul (1915)