He's Mysterious Alright

 

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG-1934-The sinister Mr. Wong (Bela Lugosi in Asian makeup and Hungarian accent) is searching for the 12 coins of Confucius. Everyone suspects a Tong war but annoying, wise-cracking reporter Jason Barton (Wallace Ford; FREAKS (1932)) thinks otherwise. When one his henchmen fails, Wong has him thrown in a basement with rats (not shown). 

By day, Wong poses as Li See, a herbalist. He treats his niece Moonflower (Lotus Long) and her attendant pretty badly and she says he's mad. Jason & and girlfriend Peg (Arline Judge) team up to figure out the mystery when Jason gets a hold of the coin. 

Corny cliché talk and sometimes racist dialogue. Also with Richard Loo. Directed in fast fashion by William Nigh who ironically later did the Boris Karloff series of Mr. Wong detective films. It's based on the short story “The Strange Adventure of the 12 Coins of Confucius” (1927) by once popular mystery writer Harry Stephen Keeler. This was Lugosi's first film for the “poverty row” studio Monogram.

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Silent Tong

 

 (imdb)

THE TONG MAN-1919-Louie Toy (Toyo Fujita), antiques and opium dealer is assisted by his daughter Sen Chee (non-Asian actress Helen Jerome Eddy). Sen Chee is in love with Luk Chen (co-producer Sessue Hayakawa), Tong leader Bo Sing's most feared hatchet man. Chee convinces dad to hide sailor Lucero (Yutaka Abe), who murdered a man. Chen plans to return to China as a wealthy man but rival Tong leader Ming Tai (Marc Robbins) decides Toy must die for not paying him tribute. The assassins draw lots. Guess who gets to eliminate Toy? Chen of course. He sets up Toy for the kill but his love for Chee stops him. Later, Taj tells Toy he will have Chen killed if Toy agrees to let him marry Chee. Chee tries to kill herself and Lucero warns Chan he's marked for death. He rescues Chee and fights Toy who has a change of heart about the marriage. After Tai kills Toy himself and has Chee kidnapped, Chan and Lucero go for revenge. With a rooftop shootout/chase, an ax in the face and an unexpected happy ending. 

THE TONG MAN was a big hit when first released help by the free publicity that came from lawsuits brought on by many Chinese American communities aiming to ban the film from playing. Star Hayakawa was the US's first Asian film star. He and director William Worthington also made THE DRAGON PAINTER the same year.

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Bad Guy Got His Own TV Show!

 

 (imdb)

THE ADVENTURES OF DR. FU MANCHU-This TV series was produced in the 1956 by the television branch of Republic Pictures. They paid a good deal of money for the rights but only 13 episodes were made due to legal complications that lead to courtroom litigation with Sax Rohmer's estate. I know DC comics once released a comic where The Joker was the lead character and Marvel had the title "Super Villain Team-Up" but it's weird that a guy who's called "evil incarnate" in the intro would be the titular star featuring his adventures (which actually consist of spreading death and destruction). 

To top it all off, of course, Fu was played by a white actor Glen Gordon, who appeared in numerous TV episodes and movies (mostly uncredited). English actor Lester Matthews (THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON, THE RAVEN (both 1935)) is Fu's good guy arch-nemesis Nayland Smith and familiar character Clark Howatt plays Dr. Petre. Other regulars included Laurette Luez (PREHISTORTIC WOMAN (1950), JUNGLE GENTS (1954)) as Fu's evil female assistant, Carla Balenda as good girl Betty and John George (whose career started in the silent era) a Klob, Fu's subservient toady. The episodes were directed by Franklin Adreon or William Witney. The following episodes are the only ones I've seen. 

The Golden God of Dr. Fu Manchu-The doctor tries to smuggle all the gold coming into Macau. Keye Luke, Jean Willes and Rick Vallin guest star. (Episode 2)

The Vengeance of Dr. Fu Manchu-Fu tries to get a monopoly in chemicals used in munitions to use against his enemies. Philip Van Zant is his lackey. (Episode 4)

Dr. Fu Manchu's Raid-The evil one tries to create a worldwide panic so he can control the US stock market. Mel Welles plays Fu's obedient henchman. (Episode 8)

The Death Ships of Dr. Fu Manchu-This time the nefarious Fu tries to use germ warfare to start a war between China and the US. (Episode 9)

The Master Plan of Dr. Fu Manchu-Fu teams up with the still alive Hitler and has a famous plastic surgeon change his face. They plan to destroy all the US atom bombs and conquer the world. Steven Geray plays the other evil guy. (Episode 11)

The Satellites of Dr. Fu Manchu-The insidious one kidnaps 4 scientists including Petrie. He seems to have his eyes on space. Smith traps Fu but to save Petrie and the others, has to let him go. Otto Waldis plays a scientist. (Episode 12)

The Assassins of Dr. Fu Manchu-The devilish doctor tries to sabotage the group working on a secret jet fighter. Also thrown in is Fu's adopted son George, who is being trained to follow in his "father's" footsteps. Michael Whalen, John Eldredge, Frank Wilcox and Henry B. Thomas are in it. (Episode 13-last of the series)

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Are You With Me, Dr. Wu?

 

 (imdb)

MR. WU-1927-Mandarin Wu (Lon Chaney) hires American Mr. Muir (Claude King) to teach his son "the ways of the west". When young Wu grows to manhood, he (also Chaney) marries but his wife dies after giving birth to their daughter Nang Ping (Rene Adoree'). Years later young Wu is a powerful mandarin and Nang Ping, a precocious young woman who will soon wed a man she's never met. Everything seems OK until she accidentally meets Basil Gregory (Ralph Forbes), the son of a racist diplomat (Holmes Herbert). They fall in love and have secret meetings in the lotus garden. Only her friend Loo Song (Anna May Wong) knows. When she meets his parents, Nang realizes their romance is doomed. The gardener tells Wu he saw them together so in anger Wu kills him! Then he watches Nang as she and Basil declare their love. Later saying Nang has disgraced the family Wu kills her to save her soul. Then he tortures Basil and torments Mrs. Gregory (Louise Dresser) by making her choose who should live or die: her son or daughter (Gertrude Olmstead). 

Strange little drama with Chaney once again carrying the picture as the honorable Wu. Ironically, director William Nigh years later directed the “Mr. Wong” series of films with Boris Karloff. Lead actress Renee Adoree' (from France) was a big star at the time but later contracted tuberculosis and died in 1933.

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Wrestling Women Return (and The Mummy!)

 (rottentomatoes.com)

 WRESTLING WOMEN VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY-1964-An evil Asian (phony) Prince Fujiyata (Ramon Bugarini) and his "sisters" seek "the codex of the Aztecs" and kidnap, torture and kill several scientists trying to get it. Only Prof. Tracy remains. He has a plan to divide his half of the codex (the prince has the rest) among his friends detective Armando (Armando Silvestre) and his dopey comical assistant Tommy (Chucho Salinas) and two female wrestlers Loretta aka Gloria Venus (Lorena Valasquez from DOCTOR OF DOOM) and Lucy aka Golden Rubi (US born Elizabeth Campbell) but Tracy acts very mysteriously. Fujiyata's henchman Mao abducts Charlotte, the daughter of a dead scientist and hypnotizes her to be his spy. Fujiyata sends his sisters (two real life wrestlers) to battle the girls for possession of each other's half. The girls win and Tracy (and a flashback) discovers where the treasure may be. They take a necklace. Unfortunately the Aztec Mummy is guarding the tomb. The group escapes but the mummy (who can change into a bat) follows them. He kills all the bad guys and tries to make Charlotte his bride. 

More crazy wrestling horror from Mexico directed by the super prolific Rene Cordona (SANTA CLAUS).

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WW2

 

PRISONER OF JAPAN-1942-During WW 2 David Bowman (Alan Baxter), alcoholic conscientious objector and astronomer living on a South Sea island eventually rises up to rebel against the (phony) Japanese agent (Ernest Dorian) who's keeping him a prisoner. He gets help from Toni Chase (Gertrude Michael) who's on the same island for some reason. It has a sad ending. 

Patriotic war time low budget take from PRC directed by Arthur Ripley from a story by Edgar Ulmer (some sources say he directed parts of it too). This was Ripley's first full length feature after making many short films.

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The Wong and Only!

THE FATAL HOUR-1940-After his friend Dan Grady is killed, Captain Bill Street (Grant Withers) teams up with Asian sleuth Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff; didn't know he was Chinese, did ya?) to find the killer. Meanwhile female reporter Bobbie Logan (Marjorie Reynolds) returns from the previous Wong mystery and tries to help. This entry, the fourth of six King Karloff made for Monogram features a lot of sub-plots involving jade smuggling, a radio broadcast and suspects galore but not enough Karloff! As with all of them William Nigh directed and Scott Darling wrote it.

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First Fu

THE FACE OF FU MANCHU-1965-Although evil Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) is beheaded at the onset, his good guy nemesis Nayland Smith (Nigel Green) has a dream that his arch foe is still alive. After Dr. Muller (Walter Rilla) disappears Smith is sure of it and he's right. Somehow Fu got a double to take his place on the guillotine and now holds the doctor hostage to learn the secret of the Black Hill poppy. His slutty daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin) wants to whip a female traitor but Fu drowns her instead. Then Fu goes after some papers in a museum. Although Smith does his best and rarely underestimates his foe, Fu usually gets the drop on the situation (they read an address out loud in front of a spy, etc.). When an eccentric professor takes the papers home Fu hypnotizes him then wipes out a coastal town with some toxic gas he hopes to rule the world with. He goes to Tibet to get the secret ingredient poppy but Smith with the help of his usual companion Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion Crawford) blows up the castle he and his daughter are in. However his infamous catch phrase “the world shall hear of me again” is also heard. 

This was the first of five film versions with Lee as the infamous doctor each one getting cheaper and more preposterous as they went on. Don Sharp directed most of them and had already worked with Lee on THE DEVIL SHIP PIRATES the year before. Harry Alan Towers was the producer and wrote this one which I don't think was based on any actual story by creator Sax Rohmer. Karin Dor and Joachim Fuschberger also have roles.

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A Vacation Forever

MR. MOTO TAKES A VACATION-1939-The (phony) Japanese detective gets involved in protecting an ancient relic called “The Queen of Sheba's Crown” in San Francisco's Chinatown. Moto (who also appears in disguises) is less suspiciously acting than usual and is shot at several times by a mysterious trench coated figure. Mr. Featherstone (GP Huntley), the English dandy shows up to get in the way and Moto surmises that Mataxsa, an international jewel thief might be after the crown despite the fact that he's suppose to be dead! Suspects include Hildebrand (Lionel Atwill) the museum curator, Stevens (John “Dusty” King), the guy who headed the expedition that found the crown and Manderson (Joseph Schildkraut), the expedition's sponsor. In their finale fight Moto and Mataxsa nearly wreck the museum! 

Norman Foster once again directed this, the last of 8 Mr. Moto films with Peter Lorre.

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Mr. Wong

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG-1938-Famous Asian American detective James Lee Wong (the very un-Asian Boris Karloff) investigates the murder of  industrialist Simon Dayton (John Hamilton) even though the cause of death seems to be natural causes. The big mouthed  Capt. Street (Grant Withers) works with Wong but usually disagrees with him. Later another partner Wilk (Hooper Atchley) is killed alone in a locked room. The only clue seems to be shards of shattered glass. Their chief suspect is Karl Romer (John St. Polis), a guy who says he was cheated out of a stake in the trios' company. The third partner Meisle (William Gould) seems like a good lead but then he's killed the same way. And then there's the mysterious Countess (Evelyn Brent) and her friend The Baron. A nosy reporter Bobby Logan (Marjorie Reynolds) manages to get in Wong's way several times. There's not much action in this first in a series of 5 quickly made Monogram mysteries (the first 4 directed by William Nigh who apparently didn't mess around) but Karloff is fun to watch and the manner in which the victims are killed is a doozy!

The Wong character was created by Hugh Wiley and was popular in its time (there were even some comic books). In the stories (a dozen or so from 1934-1941 in Collier's) Wong was a agent for the US treasury but in the films he's a regular private eye. Withers and Reynolds would reprise there roles in the sequels.

Big note: Some of my Mr. Wong info came from http://www.thrillingdetective.com/index.html

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Edward G. Hatchett Guy

THE HATCHET MAN-1932-Edward G. Robinson is Wong, “hatchet man”, a kind of Chinese hit man used by San Francisco Chinatown Tong to gain revenge on a murdered comrade. Unfortunately he's made to kill his best friend (J. Carroll Naish) who seems to know his death is imminent so he leaves all his assets to Wong and makes provisions that when his daughter is 21 she will marry Eddy, I mean Wong. 15 years later things have changed. The narrator says “Gone are the queues and the chopsticks”. The daughter is now the grown up Toya San (Loretta Young) and is married Wong, a successful and legitimate businessman. They seem to be happy but when a rival Tong stirs up trouble Wong starts honing his hatchet. He also winds up with a sleazy gigolo bodyguard Harry (Leslie Fenton) who for some reason Toya falls in love with. When Wong catches them together he nearly kills Harry but Loretta pleads for his life and Wong allows them to run away. Wong is kicked out of his Tong in disgrace, sells his business and works in a field. Later he gets a letter from Toya saying she has been deported to China because her beau was smuggling opium. Somehow he goes all the way to China to get her back (he also gets his hatchet out of hock). He finds Harry an addict and Loretta a waitress. He rescues her and takes care of the boyfriend in a great final scene. “Great lord Buddha will find you no matter where you are on the face of the Earth”. 

 Although nearly devoid of any actual Asians (except in very minor roles) THE HATCHET MAN does boast several Caucasian character actors in make-up including Charles Middleton, Dudley Diggs and Tully Marshall. It was directed by William Wellman a few years before the introduction of The Hays Office so the story is loaded with references to drugs, prostitution and violent acts. It's based on a play by Achmed Abdul and David Belasco. 

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