Anna May Wong

 (imdb)

 

DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON-1931-We learn that the evil Fu Manchu went crazy after the accidental deaths of his wife and son during the Boxer Rebellion. He wrongfully blamed Gen. Petrie (Holmes Herbert). Scotland Yard defeated him and he is dead. Now his daughter Ling Moy (Anna May Wong) is an “Oriental dancer”, not knowing who her father is. But it turns out Fu (Warner Oland) is not dead and in fact he kills Petrie with poison tobacco in front of his wife (Nella Walker) and son Ron (Bramwell Fletcher), Sir Basil (Lawrence Grant) and Ah Kee (Sessue Hayakawa). 

Kee shoots Fu but he gets away with help of the butler. He dies but when Ling learns that Fu is her father, she vows to kill Ron, the last Petrie. “I will be your son!”, she declares. Fu makes it seem like Sir Basil and the police kill him while he's in the act of killing Ling so Ling can get close to Ron, whose girlfriend Joan (Francis Dade) doesn't like the fact that Ron is sweet on Ling but Kee also professes his love for Ling. When Ling has a chance to kill Ron, she hesitates having now fallen in love with him but later shows her true self, holding Joan captive and threatening to pour acid on her. 

Sometimes clumsy but well-done mystery drama with a great finale. It's based on the novel “The Daughter of Fu Manchu” by Sax Rohmer. One of 13 films directed by actor Lloyd Corrigan between 1930 & 1937. His penultimate film was NIGHT KEY (1937) with Boris Karloff.

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Terry

 

TERRY AND THE PIRATES-1940-Tough guy scientist adventurer Pat Ryan (Granville Owen aka Jeff York) and his wimpy over anxious buddy Terry Lee (William Tracy) are in Asia to deliver some important papers to Terry's dad Dr. Lee (J. Paul Jones). They find that Dr. Lee has already left on an exhibition into the jungle because he didn't get their telegram. The two, along with their (fake) Asian servant Connie (Allen Jung) get a surly greeting from everyone they encounter (including the alcoholic governor). The town is run by the malevolent Master Fang (Dick Curtis) who intercepted Ryan's telegram and sends a lackey with a gorilla Baboo to get the papers. Fang is also after the treasure from The Temple of Mara, overseen by it's queen The Dragon Lady (Shelia Darcy). Rich white guy Allen Drake (Forrest Taylor) and his daughter Normandie (Joyce Bryant) help Pat and Terry mount the search party despite threats from Fang who sends his white gang disguised as natives to break up Pop Lee's party. On the first night of Pat and Terry's exploring, his group with Connie and huge local magician Big Stoop (Victor DeCamp) are attacked by the fake natives and left to burn to death in a tent. 

Of course since this is a 15 part serial produced by Columbia Pictures every episode has a (mostly) cheat cliffhanger ending that the heroes escape from at the last minute in the following episode. It's based on a comic strip created Milton Caniff (who hated the serial) in 1934. Caniff also created "Steve Canyon".  

Director James Horne had directed KOLLEGE with Buster Keaton in the silent days and later several Laurel & Hardy movies as well as a few other serials but died suddenly in 1942. 12 years later “Terry” portrayer Tracy would have a co-starring role in a “Terry And The Pirates” TV series.

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Hello Moto

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. MOTO-1938-In the fifth entry of the series, the famed Japanese detective (played by non-Asian Peter Lorre) investigates “the league of assassins” for Scotland Yard by disguising himself as a timid turbaned servant to one of its members (Leon Ames). He gets involved with Anton (Henry Wilcoxon), an industrialist who's life seems to be threatened because of his secret steel formula and Anton's girlfriend Anne (Mary Maquire). Forrester Harvey and Lotus Long (later in the unheralded PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN) have roles and the film's director Norman Foster (who directed most of the MOTO series) has a bit role. There's a great fight in a bar and the climax is terrific!  

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War Is Crazy

5 GATES TO HELL-1959-Vietnam (French Indo China) 1950 is the setting for this crazy little war film!

More exploitation than propaganda, it tells the tale of a international medical team that's captured by some Asian rebels who want the doctor (Ken Scott) of the group to "heal" their dying leader. Second in command Chen Pamok (Neville Brand speaking pidgin English but not made up to look Asian!) takes a fancy to nurse Athena (Dolores Michaels) while the rest of the women (including THE FLY's Patricia Owens, Nobu McCarthy, future BEVERLY HILLBILLIES co-star Nancy Kulp and nun Shirley Knight) are abused by the army. The group (there's one other "western" male played by John Morley) stages an uprising where it seems Chen is killed but so are the doctors. The women escape but Chen somehow survives and pursues them. The women eventually have to fight it out in the climax.

Benson Fong hangs around as Chen's leering assistant. Irish McCalla (same year as SHE DEMONS) has a small role as a nun who's crucified (basically shown off screen).

5 was written produced and directed by James Clavell who later became much more famous for his novels like SHOGUN. He had written the screenplay to THE FLY and later directed TO SIR WITH LOVE. Some close-ups seem out of place but where else are you going to see TV's Miss Hathaway wearing an army helmet and fooling around with a grenade?

Thanks once again to my pal Tony for getting this to me and thanks to anyone who reads this!