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Mr. Wong in Chinatown

  • 19391939
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 11m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
820
YOUR RATING
Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, and Grant Withers in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
  • Adventure
  • Crime
  • Drama
A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to scrawl "Captain J" on a sheet of paper. ... Read allA pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to scrawl "Captain J" on a sheet of paper. She proves to be Princess Lin Hwa.A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to scrawl "Captain J" on a sheet of paper. She proves to be Princess Lin Hwa.
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
820
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • William Nigh
  • Writers
    • Scott Darling(screenplay)
    • Hugh Wiley(characters: series in Collier's Magazine)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Marjorie Reynolds
    • Grant Withers
Top credits
  • Director
    • William Nigh
  • Writers
    • Scott Darling(screenplay)
    • Hugh Wiley(characters: series in Collier's Magazine)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Marjorie Reynolds
    • Grant Withers
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    Boris Karloff in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
    Boris Karloff and George Lynn in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
    Boris Karloff and Marjorie Reynolds in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
    Boris Karloff and Lee Tong Foo in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
    Boris Karloff in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
    Boris Karloff and Lotus Long in Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • James Lee Wongas James Lee Wong
    Marjorie Reynolds
    Marjorie Reynolds
    • Bobbie Loganas Bobbie Logan
    Grant Withers
    Grant Withers
    • Inspector Bill Streetas Inspector Bill Street
    Huntley Gordon
    Huntley Gordon
    • Mr. Davidsonas Mr. Davidson
    George Lynn
    George Lynn
    • Captain Guy Jacksonas Captain Guy Jackson
    • (as Peter George Lynn)
    William Royle
    William Royle
    • Captain Jaimeas Captain Jaime
    James Flavin
    James Flavin
    • Sergeant Jerryas Sergeant Jerry
    Lotus Long
    Lotus Long
    • Princess Lin Hwaas Princess Lin Hwa
    Lee Tong Foo
    Lee Tong Foo
    • Willieas Willie
    Bessie Loo
    • Lilly Mayas Lilly May
    Richard Loo
    Richard Loo
    • Tong Chiefas Tong Chief
    Ernie Stanton
    • Burtonas Burton
    I. Stanford Jolley
    I. Stanford Jolley
    • Palisser Hotel Clerkas Palisser Hotel Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Kennedy
    • Sgt. Bradyas Sgt. Brady
    • (uncredited)
    Donald Kerr
    • Taxi Driveras Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Wilbur Mack
    Wilbur Mack
    • The Coroneras The Coroner
    • (uncredited)
    Moy Ming
    • Aged Tong Memberas Aged Tong Member
    • (uncredited)
    Bruce Mitchell
    • Police Officer at Explosionas Police Officer at Explosion
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Nigh
    • Writers
      • Scott Darling(screenplay)
      • Hugh Wiley(characters: series in Collier's Magazine)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The third of the 5-film series, and the first to feature Marjorie Reynolds as Captain Street's reporter girlfriend. Later remade as a Charlie Chan feature, The Chinese Ring (1947).
    • Goofs
      When Mr. Wong removes the dart from the neck of Princess Lin Hwa, it can be seen that there is a residue that covers approximately 1/3 of the tip of the dart. In the next scene, upon examining the same dart under a magnifying glass, no trace of the residue is seen.
    • Quotes

      Lilly May: I know nothing!

      Inspector Bill Street: Nobody know anything around here!

    • Connections
      Edited into Who Dunit Theater: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (2015)

    User reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    Routine and Bland Entry
    Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)

    ** (out of 4)

    Princess Lin Hwa frantically rushes to Detective Wong (Boris Karloff) but before he can see her she is dead. It turns out that she was shot with a poisonous dart so Wong investigates and finds that the Chinese woman was in America trying to buy warplanes. Pretty soon more bodies are found so Wong and Captain Street (Grant Withers) must try and figure out what's going on.

    MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN was the third film in the series and it was certainly a step down from the previous two entries. The first two films were obviously cheap "B" pictures but they at least featured decent stories and benefited from having someone like Karloff in the lead. This film has a fairly bland story and there's just not much life to it.

    The biggest problem with the film is that the screenplay just doesn't offer us anything we haven't seen countless times before. This time out we have a female reporter thrown in who of course is the girlfriend to Captain Streets, which leads to a bunch of arguing between the two. None of the dialogue is overly clever or charming so the fighting just comes across as annoying.

    Karloff is once again good in his role, although, as with the first two films, he doesn't even bother trying to act or loo Asian. He at least keeps the film mildly amusing and I'd also say that Withers gives the film a little entertainment as well. Marjorie Reynolds does what she can as the reporter and come off mildy charming at times.

    MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN isn't a horrible movie but at the same time it's just too routine and bland to make much of an impression.
    helpful•1
    5
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Mar 28, 2017

    FAQ1

    • Is this available on DVD?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 1, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Terror i kinesstaden
    • Production company
      • Monogram Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 11 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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