The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939) YTS

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 6 / 10

Luckily, I've never been a great fan of

Luckily, I've never been a great fan of charades - which is just as well because in this short and sweet little murder mystery, it (called "Indications" here) proves to have quite lethal consequences! It falls to "Capt. Street" (Grant Withers) assisted by criminologists "Wong" (Boris Karloff) and his pal "Janney" (Holmes Herbert) to try to establish why "Edwards" was shot during the role-playing game. As ever, there are no shortage of suspects ranging from his soon-to-be disinherited wife "Val" (Dorothy Tree) to his secretary "Harrison" (Craig Reynolds) as well as some rather mysterious oriental folks who seem very nimble in the frequently darkly lit (if at all) scenarios.. Oh, and we mustn't forget that the legendary sapphire "Eye of the Daughter of the Moon" (trips of the tongue that one, eh?) has gone awol too - along with a letter from the lately deceased naming the person he suspected might try to bump him off. It is a quickly paced and reasonably well written adventure, this. Karloff is on good form and hell, even the usually wooden as a plank Ivan Lebedeff ("Strogonoff") adds some value too. One of the better "Wong" stories and well worth an hour.

Reviewed by Hitchcoc 7 / 10

Better Than Most

Having seen a number of these Mr. Wong movies, I was expecting to see a much more minimal production. They must have had a little more money for this one. As usual, the plot is a little obtuse. The jewel that is at the center of all the activity apparently has a curse on it. The "bad guy" who aren't really the bad guys want to return it to its proper setting, in a museum in China. The master collector whose house looks like a museum, with lots of Oriental artifacts, doesn't listen when warned. A young man, who has a thing for the collector's wife, is implicated in his murder (the death occurs at the time he fires a stunt gun during a game of charades). Mr. Wong realizes that there are some extenuating circumstances and that a silencer was brought into play. There is nice action and some good suspects. It keeps us guessing to the very conclusion. Even the murderer isn't without sympathy. Not a bad little whodunnit.

Reviewed by oldblackandwhite 7 / 10

Classy Karloff Elevates Low-Budget Monogram Mysteries

Having a popular, first-rate actor like Boris Karloff in the title role of its Mr. Wong mystery series added an unaccustomed touch of class to poverty row studio Monogram's usual low-budget lineup of undistinguished programmers. The portrayal of the genteel Chinese detective must have likewise been a nice change of pace for the refined Englishman from the run of monsters and other sinister types he had been typically cast. Okay, so Karloff looked about as much like a Percheron ice wagon horse as a Chinaman. Let's just assume he was one of a those half-British Hong Kong Wongs. In any case he manages to project a convincing Oriental ambiance with only a minimum of makeup, while showing the maximum of sophisticated acting talent his fans have come to expect. Monogram seems to have responded by giving the Mr. Wong series the best staff and the biggest budget the financially disadvantaged studio could scrape together to support Karloff, who was a bigger name than they were used to having around.The Mystery Of Mr. Wong, second in the series, is immeasurably better produced than the first entry. Nice sets, both interior and exterior, smart, well-lighted cinematography and tight editing complement William Nigh's sharp direction. A full-bodied, original score by Edward J. Kay enhances the drama, action, and suspense while setting the just-right mysterious, exotic, and sometimes spooky atmosphere. The Scott Darling screenplay is complex and intelligent with engaging, at times even snappy, dialog. It presents a classic drawing room style mystery. The principle murder victim is a cad hated by all, which makes practically every character a suspect. Clues appear and disappear, sometimes even falling out of pictures on the wall. Karloff gets a competent supporting cast including elegant, if not so well-known leading lady Dorothy Tree, polished, oft-seen character actor Holmes Herbert, and stalwart Grant Withers in his reoccurring role as tough cop Captain Street. The police in this one are portrayed as less overbearing and bumbling than in the previous entry -- perhaps there were complaints from the policemen's benevolent associations. It's a mixed blessing. While the cops here are more efficient and less disruptive to the cagey Mr. Wong's efforts to solve the case, they are inevitably and sadly less humorous. While those of the politically correct persuasion may complain about an Occidental playing the Chinese detective, these little movies nevertheless gave good employment to a number of Oriental supporting actors, notably in this one Lotus Long, as a maid who knows more than she should about the mystery, Chester Gan as the no-nonsense butler who tries to help the police, and Lee Tung Foo in a reoccurring role as Mr. Wong's efficient manservant. The producers of the series gave pretty Ms. Long parts in two other Mr. Wong numbers, including the leading lady role in Phantom Of Chinatown (1940).The Mystery of Mr. Wong nimbly belies its cheap origins all the way through -- so well put together, intriguing, smoothly paced, and entertaining, it seems almost like an "A" picture, or at least a big studio a "B" production. Karloff is a delight. Viewing the first two movies in the set, has made the fifteen bucks I sprang for VCI's well restored two-disk album of all six Mr. Wong movies look like the shopping coup of the season. If you like off-beat little mystery potboilers that pack a load of entertainment into a short running time, then Mr. Wong is wight for you! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The Mystery of Mr. Wong

1939

Crime / Mystery

The Mystery of Mr. Wong

1939

Crime / Mystery

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Luckily, I've never been a great fan of

Better Than Most

Classy Karloff Elevates Low-Budget Monogram Mysteries

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