Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (1949)

Blackie is seen leaving a Chinese laundry where the proprietor has been murdered, and must track down the real killer in Chinatown.

Director:

Seymour Friedman

Writers:

Jack Boyle (characters), Maurice Tombragel (story)

Stars:

Chester Morris, Maylia, Richard Lane

Cast

Cast overview:
Chester Morris	...	Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Maylia	...	Mei Ling
Richard Lane	...	Inspector William R. Farraday
Don McGuire	...	Les, the Bus Guide
Joan Woodbury	...	Red, the Bar-Girl
Sid Tomack	...	The Runt
Frank Sully	...	Detective Sergeant Matthews
Charles Arnt	...	Pop Gerard
Luis Van Rooten	...	Bill Craddock (as Louis Van Rooten)
Philip Ahn	...	Wong Chung Shee

Storyline

Blackie is seen leaving a Chinese laundry where the proprietor has been murdered, and must track down the real killer in Chinatown.

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Plot Keywords:

chinese laundry | chinese | laundry | killer | b movie | 

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Taglines:

Blackie Saves A China Doll From A Red-Headed Moll!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boston Blackie no Bairro Chinês

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The bus driver of China town tour charges $2.00 for the tour, but as he gets on the bus and drives away there is a sign sitting on the sidewalk that states that the charge for the tour is $2.30 including tax.

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Connections

References The Prince of Thieves (1948)

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Soundtracks

"New Trick"
(uncredited)
Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff

User Reviews

the last Boston Blackie

"Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture" is the last in the Boston Blackie series, filmed in 1949. Thanks to Blackie, Chester Morris had to return to the theater, as he was quoted as saying, "After ... these films, a producer wouldn't put me in an 'A' movie even if I paid for the privilege." Without the good-looking, amusing Morris as Blackie, the series would not have worked as well as it did. The stories were usually very formulaic, and you really had to love the Runt in order for him not to become annoying. (The Runt here is Sid Tomack and not George E. Stone.) This story is actually kind of interesting - Blackie gets involved with a diamond smuggling ring in Chinatown after the owner of a laundry is found dead right after Blackie dropped off his laundry! Of course, as usual, he has to clear his name or be arrested by Inspector Farraday.

The fun part about this film is the underground Chinese tours for tourists showing gambling, dancing slave girls, etc. - all fake, with the performers dropping their acts as soon as the tour guide moves on.

Sorry to see Blackie go, but it became a TV show in the '50s starring Kent Taylor, a very different type from the amiable Morris.