The Mysterious Mr. Wong (1934)

Investigating a series of murders in Chinatown, wise-guy reporter Jason Barton is captured by the megalomaniacal Mr. Wong, desperately trying to complete his collection of the twelve gold ... See full summary »

Director:

William Nigh

Writers:

Harry Stephen Keeler (suggested by the story: "The Twelve Coins of Confucius"), Lew Levenson (adaptation),

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Arline Judge

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bela Lugosi	...	Mr. Fu Wong aka Li See (as Béla Lugosi)
Wallace Ford	...	Jason H. 'Jay' Barton
Arline Judge	...	Peg
E. Alyn Warren	...	Tsi Tung (as Fred Warren)
Lotus Long	...	Moonflower - Wong's Niece
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Officer 'Mac' McGillicuddy (as Robert Emmet O'Connor)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Jen Yu - Wong Henchman (as Edward Peil)
Luke Chan	...	Professor Chan Fu
Lee Shumway	...	Editor Steve Brandon
Etta Lee	...	Lusan - Moonflower's Attendant
Ernest F. Young	...	Reporter Chuck Roberts

Storyline

Investigating a series of murders in Chinatown, wise-guy reporter Jason Barton is captured by the megalomaniacal Mr. Wong, desperately trying to complete his collection of the twelve gold coins of Confucius, with which he will be able to acquire the power to become ruler of a large province in China.

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Plot Keywords:

gold coin | china | murder | mr wong | chinatown | 

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Taglines:

A fight for an empire behind the curtained mysteries of San Francisco's Chinatown!

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Genres:

Mystery | Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

O kitrinos tyhodioktis

Filming Locations:

RKO-Pathé Studios - 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed mid October-November 1934, released January 25 1935 (copyright 1935).

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Quotes

Mr. Wong: Did the ancient and honorable name of Wong fall from the lips of his gracious and loyal niece?
Moonflower, Wong's Niece: Doors must have keyholes. There will always be those to listen at them.
Mr. Wong: It would be unfortunate to have to shut so beautiful a personage in the dungeon of the faithless.
Moonflower, Wong's Niece: You wouldn't dare!
Mr. Wong: Wong has dared many things. He will continue to dare. And one day when he is acclaimed by all of Keylat.
Moonflower, Wong's Niece: You are wrong! You were never intended by fate to rule Keylat!

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Connections

Featured in Bring Back... Star Trek (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Wyoming Melody"
(uncredited)
Music by Norman Spencer

User Reviews

Monogram Pictures Strikes Again!!!

That bottom of the barrel movie mill, Monogram, gives its all in this ridiculous but fun film about mysterious happenings in a pseudo Chinatown. Bela Lugosi is the power-hungry overlord searching for the 12 Coins of Confucius which will allow him to become the Boss of Bosses. True to the era and for no particular reason except to add to the running time, all Chinese, good or bad, are murdered, tortured and generally abused.

Throw in Wallace Ford and Arline Judge as the newspaper reporter and his girlfriend for some unfunny comic relief and E. Alyn Warren (who???) as Lugosi's arch enemy and you are off and running. The dialogue will remind you of the Charlie Chan films with those "Confucious say......." aphorisms.

Two of the most humorous things in this mish-mash (and there are many) are: (1) Lugosi playing an Oriental with that heavy Hungarian accent; and (2) after trying every type of torture to make his arch enemy crack under pressure, Lugosi kicks him in the shins. Priceless!!! It's foolish, tacky, poverty row at its finest..........what fun!!!!