The Death Ray - Harry Grindell Matthews (1924)

From IMDB: 'The Death Ray' is not a comedy: it's a documentary film of what purports to be an actual demonstration of a genuine invention. Unfortunately, we'll never know how much of what occurs here is authentic science, and how much is hoax or outright fraud.UPDATE: I'm appending this addendum (or addending this appendum) three years after my original IMDb review. In the intervening time, I've learnt a bit about Harry Grindell Matthews, and I now believe that he was a flat-out fake ... worse than a fake, well and truly a fraud in the criminal sense. Apparently he spent most of his backers' funds on posh living for himself rather than R&D for his death beam. Also, to film 'The Death Ray' he engaged a director (Gaston Quiribet) whose background was in special-effects work and cinematic trickery: a strange choice if this movie were a straightforward documentation, but a very logical choice if the film was meant to deceive. I now suspect that deception was Grindell Matthews's intention all along. Well, movies ARE meant to be make-believe! Ah, well... Mastered from an original 35mm nitrate film print.

[@Nobilangelo]

There was a old British war movie (fictional) that amongst other things showed a rural scientist who claimed to have invented a death-ray that could kill a sheep at a distance, and in the movie a couple of boffins from the Department of Defence went to see him to see if he had. They were sceptical of course, thinking he was a nut or a fraudster, and when the sheep didn't die they looked at each other with 'I told you so' looks. But then they realised that he had accurately measured the range, that without realising its significance he had invented a very accurate radio-rangefinder. That got them very interested. I saw the movie on TV years ago but have never been able to track it down since. Not being able to remember its title did not help...

[@davidc.williams-swanseauk3623]

Tim, tnank you you so much for bringing this man to the attention of the general public.

[@ComicManGus]

OK - THIS IS AN ARCHIVE THAT HAS TO BE ONE OF A KIND - CONGRATS!!!!!

[@robertszymanski717]

Reminds me of those ole Flash Gordon movies from the 1930's !!! I love those films! My parents saw them at a theatre back in Detroit Michigan .10 cents to see a movie! I also love Commander Cody films! The guy with the rockets on his back and his raygun! Fighting those robots that have arms and legs that look like vacuum cleaner hoses!

[@lewisweaver7653]

His lab is a 5 minute drive from me

[@saucersource]

Nikola Tesla has no Death Ray plans until 1940 but 1935-07-11 Tesla 79 promises to transmit force which is 10 years after 1924 concoction by Matthews

[@saucersource]

In the 1924 film, "The Death Ray", Matthews is shown exploding gun powder from a distance with his "death ray."

[@saucersource]

@Kalki Datthasis At 6:02 that is what this film says

[@saucersource]

@Kalki Datthasis Nikola Tesla didn't talk of death beam until 1934 but I heard from Bill Lyne the 1893 Chicago Exposition had a Tesla demonstration to explode gun powder remotely and might have been done many ways by others

[@lt4203]

My friends great great uncle 🤩

[@volcano-catonyoutube8706]

Fascinating; not the invention, so much as the old fraud behind it. Definitely a film there; some of his stuff worked, but he repeatedly refused to allow the experts to examine any of it and was clearly a confidence trickster - to what degree depends on where you stand, I guess. Great film though!.

[@NickRoman]

Well, one legitimate reason to not allow experts to examine your device is to prevent them from just stealing the technology and cutting you out.

[@michaelsmyth8545]

Great post

[@filigenzilab9613]

I wonder what the physics are

[@stev838]

It’s the second birth of dew. Tesla was the first And paradise the last

[@imnotjoe]

MU brought me here