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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Lions In Central Park

 

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CENTRAL PARK-1932-Unemployed Rick (Wallace Ford; he was in FREAKS the same year) meets would be actress Dot (Joan Blondell) in Central Park. Meanwhile, Smiley (John Wray), the ex-zookeeper who went crazy and was committed, escapes from the insane asylum and feeds his replacement to a lion. The lion escapes. Charlie (Guy Kibbee), a police officer with bad vision is blamed. Dot gets involved with what she thinks is a police operation but it's actually gangsters posing as cops to steal some charity money. Rick discovers the scam but can't get the police to believe him. All the wrong people get arrested but in the end, all 4 story lines are wrapped up. 

Director John G. Adolfi was known for his collaborations with actor George Arliss.

Mummy Time!

 

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THE MUMMY'S TOMB-1942-Stephan Banning (Dick Foran in old age makeup) relates his tale from 30 years before of the search for Egyptian princess Ananka (events told in the previous THE MUMMY'S HAND). Also present are his son John (John Hubbard), John's girlfriend Isobel (Elyse Knox) and her mother Mrs. Evans (Virginia Brissac). Banning takes satisfaction in knowing he destroyed the mummy, Kharis. 

However in Egypt Prof. Andoheb (George Zucco) did not die and neither did Kharis. Andoheb clues his new discipline Mehenet (Turhan Bey) in on to how to control the mummy with tana leaves. Mehenet and Kharis head to the US for revenge. The bandaged monster's first victim is Ban-ning. The sheriff invest⁹igates because strange dust marks are found on his throat. Then Babe (Wallace Ford as an old man) arrives but Kharis comes back and kills Banning's elderly sister (Mary Gordon). Babe is the next victim. John finds a torn bandage and takes it to Prof. Norman (Frank Reicher) who confirms it comes from a mummy. Then John gets a draft notice and proposes to Isobel. Mehenet hangs around and clearly desires Isobel. He wants to make her his wife and commands Kharis to kidnap her. The mummy is not happy about it but does it anyway. A posse is formed to find her. Mehenet plans to make himself and Isobel immortal. The posse confronts him and he's shot by the sheriff. Kharis and Isobel are trapped in the burning Banning house but John rescues her (and is almost strangled by Kharis). The poor mummy burns up again and John and Isobel get married.

TOMB is arguably the best of the Lon Chaney Mummy series but did they really have to kill off the characters from the previous entry? Director Harold Young had made THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL with Leslie Howard in 1934 but later on was mostly a B-movie director. In 1945 he worked with Chaney again on one of the “Inner Sanctum” series, THE FROZEN GHOST and made THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE, the last entry into the “Paula, the Ape Woman” series.

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The Mummy!

 

THE MUMMY'S HAND-1940-An Egyptian high priest of Karnak (Eduardo Ciannelli) summons his fez wearing son Ab (George Zucco, round of applause) to an ancient tomb. Before he dies he tells the tale of princess Ananka who died and how grieving lover Kharis stole the secret of eternal life from Isis (tana leaves) but was caught and buried alive. For 3000 years Kharis has protected his former lover's tomb. Dad also gives son the lowdown on tana leaves and how they control the mummy. (3 keeps him alive, 9 brings him to life, more than 9 is a no-no). In Cairo, Steve Manning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford) meet magician Kim Sullivan aka The Great Solvani (Cecil Kellaway). Manning is an archaeologist who convinces Sullivan to invest in his expedition to discover Ananka's tomb. This upsets his daughter Marta (Peggy Moran) who had planned to go back to the US with Dad. Since Ab had visited her earlier to warn her of con-men she naturally suspects Steve and Babe. In the desert they find "The tomb of the seven jackals". They open up a sarcophagus but only find a male mummy. Ab brings the mummy (Tom Tyler) to life and the first victim is Dr. Petrie (Charles Trowbridge). Ab plans on killing everyone except Marta who Kharis kidnaps. Ab plans on making her his immortal high priestess. Babe puts a crimp in Ab's plans by shooting him. Steve finds Marta and sets Kharis on fire before he can drink his tana leaves. 

This sequel to THE MUMMY with Boris Karloff is the best and most entertaining of the sequels that followed. 

Journeyman director Christy Cabanne got his start in 1914 and was also a screenwriter and occasional actor. A few years later he directed SCARED TO DEATH (1947), Bela Lugosi's only color film.

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Ford and Pepper

THE ROGUES TAVERN-1936-An engaged couple Jimmy (Wallace Ford) & Marjorie (Barbara Pepper) stay at a place called The Red Rock Tavern with a bunch of mysterious and shady characters. It’s run by Mr. and Mrs. Jameson. Almost immediately a guy named Harrison (Ivo Henderson) is killed and has strange animal marks on his neck. Earlier a semi-psychic Gloria (Joan Woodbury) who also reads cards foretold his death. Two other guests Mason (Ed Cassidy) and Hughes (John Cowen) seem to have a deal going on which is connected to Gloria and they are waiting for someone named Wentworth. But then Hughes is killed and has the same weird marks on his neck. 

When Wentworth (Arthur Loft) shows up it becomes obvious he and his cohorts were brought together for an unknown reason. There seems to be a fake wolf head floating around too. Later after another death it seems Mr. Jameson (John Elliot) is the killer even though he’s in a wheelchair but Jimmy (who’s a detective) believes he’s covering up for someone. A revenge seeking guy named Morgan (Earl Dwire) shows up bent on killing Wentworth but he’s not responsible for the murders. A cackling maniacally twisted Mrs. Jameson (Clara Kimball Young) is the one who set everything in motion to get vengeance on Wentworth and his pals who drove her sister to suicide. Jimmy saves the day, wrong doers are arrested and the Justice of Peace arrives in time to marry the couple. 

Ford and Pepper make a good team with a lot of snappy dialogue. Second leads aren't that great though. Still, not a bad forgotten low budget murder mystery from the obscure Mercury Pictures directed by Bob Hall (FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS). Remade in 1943 as THE BLACK RAVEN.

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Bela's Ape

THE APE MAN-1943-Crazy Monogram nonsense has Bela Lugosi (in another demeaning post-Dracula role) as Dr. James Brewster, who through unexplained experiments has become half man/half ape. He even sleeps in a cage with a real (man in a gorilla suit) ape! A fellow scientist (Henry Hall, also in THE APE with Karloff) brings Brewster's sister Agatha (Minerva Urecal), a famous "ghost hunter" home to help him out. Unfortunately Brewster needs human spinal fluid to cure himself. His friend won't help so he and the ape go out on nightly jaunts and kill to secure the vital liquid. This is easily done as Brewster can speak ape!

Wallace Ford (from FREAKS and THE MUMMY'S HAND) is a wisecracking reporter who suspects monkey business. Louise Currie (later in VOODOO MAN with Bela and still among the living at the time of this writing) is his photographer who doesn't have much to do until the climax. Jack Mulhall hangs around as a local yokel who's identity is revealed in the dumb comic ending. Emil Van Horn is the gorilla.

THE APE MAN is funny little horror film that doesn't go on too long (64 mins.) and doesn't drag thanks to William "One Shot" Beaudine's brisk direction. The story is by Karl Brown who supplied the story for THE APE! It would have been a lot better without Mulhall's character popping up all the time. Lugosi portrayed the monster in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN the same year. In 1943 he starred in a kind of sequel RETURN OF THE APE MAN.

THE APE MAN was one of seven movies Beaudine directed in 1943. He also made GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE where Bela met The Eastside Kids!

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