Vampire in Africa

 

 (imdb)

THE VAMPIRE'S GHOST-1945-In deepest Africa, the natives are restless and practicing voodoo (?). On a plantation owned by Mr. Vance (Emmett Vogan), he, his daughter Julie (Peggy Stewart) and her husband Roy (Charles Gordon) seek the advice of local white guy Webb Fallon (John Abbott), who saves Roy during a bar brawl. Fallon seems nice enough but suffers a spell when Father Gilchrist (Grant Withers) touches him. He also casts no reflection in the mirror and when shot at, the bullet goes right through him. 

The natives don't like it because there have been several "vampire killings" around the village. Two natives plan on killing Fallon and fail but Roy learns Fallon's secret! He's a 400-year-old vampire who drinks blood and preys on young people. He puts a spell on Roy and makes him his slave and sets his sights on Julie much to the annoyance of Lisa (Adele Mara), a dancer at the local gin mill. After killing her and a sea captain (Roy Barcroft), Fallon plans to run away with Julie. At the temple of death, he plans to make her un-dead but jungle drums, a cross and a spear spell his doom. 

Quirky horror quickie from Republic directed by Lesley Selander, usually more at home with westerns, who also later directed CATMAN OF PARIS (1946) and FLIGHT TO MARS (1951). Olympic medal winner Jim Thorpe appears unbilled as a sailor. 

Star Abbott, usually a memorable supporting actor, was also in the Sherlock Holmes entry PURSUIT TO ALGEIRS the same year. Co-star Grant Withers had been Captain Street in the "Mr. Wong" series with Boris Karloff. I couldn't find a death date for lead actor Charles Gordon. If he's still alive he would be 99 at the of this writing. 

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Young Wong

PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN-1940-This is the Monogram Pictures 6^th and final entry into their “Mr. Wong” series that started in 1939 with Boris Karloff in the lead. This time out however the detective is Jimmy Wong, a younger, more dashing and modern version than his predecessor and he's portrayed by Keye Luke, an actual Asian actor (born in China)! He helps investigate the poisoning death of an archaeologist. Capt. Street (Grant Withers) returns from the previous films and has a bigger role than usual. Jimmy's kind of love interest is Win Len (Lotus Long) and the plot revolves around the missing “Scroll of China”. 

It's refreshing to see the two leads actually played by Asian actors but unfortunately it's the only one made featuring “Jimmy”. The beginning lecture, photos and flashbacks look like they came from another movie. Director George Waggner (he directed THE WOLFMAN the same year) wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Joseph Lewis. PHANTOM's director Phil Rosen made many “quickies” (like SPOOKS RUN WILD) and several in the Charlie Chan series.

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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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