Stuart Webbs is a fictional detective who appeared in a series of German films and serials during the silent era. Webbs was one of a number of detectives with English-sounding names to appear in German cinema of the era. Like his contemporaries, such as Joe Deebs, he was modelled on Sherlock Holmes. Webbs was the most popular of the group. His original film series ran from 1914 to 1926, and he continued to appear in other later films such as The Green Monocle (1929).

Webbs was played by Ernst Reicher until 1926. A number of figures directed entries in the series including Joe May, Johannes Guter and Robert Wiene. The series was originally made by Continental-Kunstfilm, but following a dispute May and Reicher left to form their own production company, Stuart Webbs-Film.

History The role of Stuart Webbs was played by Ernst Reicher, and once each by Fritz Greiner, Ralph Clancy, and Karl Ludwig Diehl. Joe May directed the films, but directors Adolf Gärtner, Johannes Guter, Max Obal, Robert Wiene, Franz Seitz Sr., Lupu Pick, Rudolf Meinert, and Ernst Reicher himself also contributed. The directors of some films are unknown.

Stuart Webbs was a gentleman detective modelled after Sherlock Holmes, who solved even the most difficult cases with intelligence and elegance. Throughout the First World War, this fictional character was popular with German cinema audiences. Webbs's adventures were filmed regularly until 1921; after that, the individual episodes of the series, now produced by Emelka, also based in Munich, were produced at irregular intervals. In 1926, a remake of The Armoured Vault (), again with Reicher in the title role, was produced; it was his last appearance as the suave detective. Two late additions to the series were the silent films The Green Monocle () with Ralph Clancy and Masks () with Karl Ludwig Diehl, both in 1929.

In 1935, film historian described the origins of the series:

List of episodes Exact counts vary due to lost or incomplete records. Many entries are now considered lost. Year Series number German title (English title) Director Leading actor 1914 I. Die geheimnisvolle Villa (The Secret-Filled Villa) Joe May Ernst Reicher 1914 II. Der Mann im Keller (The Man in the Cellar) Joe May Ernst Reicher 1914 III. (The Haunting in the Professor's House) Joe May Ernst Reicher 1914 — Das Panzergewölbe (The Armoured Vault) Joe May Ernst Reicher 1915 V. (The Striped Domino ) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1915 VI. (The Dead Awaken) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1915 — (A Man's Shadow ) Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher 1915 VII. (The Midnight Ship ) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1916 VIII. (The Letter Opener) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1916 IX. (The Amateur) Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher 1916 X./XI. (The Cry for Help ) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1917 XI. (Stuart Webbs: The Journey to the Afterlife ) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1916 XIII. (Countess de Castro ) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1916 XIII. Die Peitsche (The Whip) Adolf Gärtner Ernst Reicher 1917 XIV. (The Senate Election ) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1917 XV. (The Light Signal) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1917 XVI. Die Pagode (The Pagoda) Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher 1917 XVII. (The Floating Raft) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1917 XVIII. (The Death Star) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1917 XIX. Die Diamantenstiftung (The Diamond Foundation) Johannes Guter Ernst Reicher 1918 XX. (The Enigmatic Gaze) Johannes Guter Ernst Reicher 1918 XXI. Die Geisterjagd (The Ghost Hunt) Johannes Guter Ernst Reicher 1918 XXII. (The Railway Marten ) Johannes Guter Ernst Reicher 1918 XXV./XXIII. (The Devil's Waltz) Johannes Guter Ernst Reicher 1918 XXIV. (The Bull of Saldanha ) Johannes Guter Ernst Reicher 1918 XXV. (The Deputy ) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1918 — (The Mysterious Letters ) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1918 — (The Stolen Model) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1919 XXVI. (The Whims of Luck ) Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher 1919 — (The Brothers of Saint Parasitus ) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1919 — (The Castle on the Hillside ) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1920 — Die graue Elster (The Gray Magpie) unbekannt Ernst Reicher 1920 — Der Schrecken im Hause Ardon (Panic in the House of Ardon) Robert Wiene Fritz Greiner 1920 — Der Sprung ins Dunkle (The Leap in the Dark) Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher 1920 — (George Bully and Stuart Webbs) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1921 — (The Rat Hole) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1921 — Camera Obscura Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1921 — (The Adventures of Stuart Webb: The Master Detective ) — Ernst Reicher 1923 — (At the Last Moment) Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher 1924 — Die Perlen des Dr. Talmadge (The Pearls of Doctor Talmadge) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1924 — Die malayische Dschonke (The Malay Junk) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1925 — (The Secret at Elmshöh Castle ) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1925 — Das Parfüm der Mrs. Worrington (Mrs Worrington's Perfume) Franz Seitz sr. Ernst Reicher 1925 — Der Schuß im Pavillon (The Shot in the Pavilion) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1925 — (The Secret of an Hour ) Max Obal Ernst Reicher 1926 — Das Panzergewölbe (The Armoured Vault) Lupu Pick Ernst Reicher 1929 — Das grüne Monokel (The Green Monocle) Rudolf Meinert Ralph Clancy 1930 — Masken (Masks) Rudolf Meinert Karl Ludwig Diehl

Gallery of film posters

Notes

References

External links The German Early Cinema Database