The Scuttlers

The Scuttlers
William Farnum in The Scuttlers
Directed byJ. Gordon Edwards
Written byPaul Sloane (scenario)
Based on
The Scuttlers
by Clyde Westover
Produced byWilliam Fox
StarringWilliam Farnum
Jackie Saunders
CinematographyJohn W. Boyle
Production
company
Distributed byFox Film Corporation
Release date
  • December 12, 1920 (1920-12-12)
Running time
6 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Scuttlers is a 1920 American silent drama film produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by J. Gordon Edwards. William Farnum and Jackie Saunders star in this adventure.

Plot

Jim Landers is hired by Lloyds of London to investigate Captain Machen who is suspected of scuttling his vessels in a conspiracy with Caldara, a wealthy ship owner. Allowing himself to be shanghaied in a bar at the San Francisco dock, Landers ends up as a crew member on a ship where the first mate, Erickson, treats everyone brutally. On board, Landers meets the Captain Machen's daughter Laura and falls in love with her. When a storm hits, Erickson, complicit in the conspiracy, opens bored holes in the hull and scuttles the ship which begins to sink. Landers catches Erickson in the act and they fight. Erickson drowns in the flooding hull and Landers is trapped on the sinking vessel. Machen and Laura escape in a lifeboat and make their way to shore. Just before he dies, Machen gives Laura evidence implicating Caldara in the crimes. Landers floats to shore and eventually exposes Caldara. He returns to Lloyds a hero and has Laura at his side.

Cast

William Farnum and Jackie Saunders in The Scuttlers

Preservation

It is unknown whether the film survives as no copies have been located, likely lost.

See also

References

  1. ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films:1911-20 by The American Film Institute, c.1988
  2. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Scuttlers
  3. ↑ "American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Scuttlers". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2025.