Synopsis

Mutt and Jeff are detectives (with Sherlock Holmes-like hats) out to capture The Phantom. Newspapers offer a large reward for his capture. He's easy to find, but since he seems to be half-shadow and half-smoke, he's impossible to catch. They follow clues which take them to the corner of a building, where they are lured by the Phantom through a series of doors. Following more clues, they are a step behind him, but he changes shape several times, from Charlie Chaplin to a black washerwoman to a cop. Jeff runs to the police station for help, and a car full of cops joins the chase for The Phantom. Mutt and Jeff have a rude awakening when they are chased off a park bench by a cop. When the boys finally corner their prey and summon the police, they're in for a surprise.

Characters

Mutt (Augustus J. Mutt), Jeff (Edgar Horace Jeff), The Phantom, Policeman

Credits

Directing

Director: Bud Fisher

Producing

Producer: Dick Friel

Writing

Writer: Bud Fisher (Original Strip)

Music

Music: Jimmy Bradford, Gerard Carbonara

Production notes

Silent cartoon.

Watch for a cameo by a cartoon Charlie Chaplin.

Re-released in two-color Kromocolor with a music soundtrack. In the early 1930s, this cartoon was colorized (by hand) and re-released with sound effects and a music score by James Bradford and Gerard Carbonara (recorded by Brunswick sound system). The film was reissued by Modern Sound Productions in two-strip Kromocolor.