Stuart Webbs

Stuart Webbs was 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 modeled on Sherlock Holmes.^[1] Webbs was the most popular of the group. His original film series ran from 1914 to 1926^[2] 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 The series was originally made by Continental Art Film, but following a dispute May and Reicher left to form their own production company.

References

1. Prawer p.88
2. Abel p.426

Bibliography

• Abel, Richard. Encyclopedia of Early Cinema. Taylor & Francis, 2005.
• Prawer, S.S. Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933. Berghahn Books, 2005.