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....
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Title: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
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Mr. Wong, Detective
(1938)
Certificate: Passed
Adventure
|
Crime
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Drama
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William Nigh
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Grant Withers,
Maxine Jennings
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Boris Karloff | ... | James Lee Wong | |
| Marjorie Reynolds | ... | Bobby Logan | |
| Grant Withers | ... | Inspector Bill Street | |
| Huntley Gordon | ... | Mr. Davidson | |
| George Lynn | ... | Captain Guy Jackson (as Peter George Lynn) | |
| William Royle | ... | Captain Jaime | |
| James Flavin | ... | Sergeant Jerry | |
| Lotus Long | ... | Princess Lin Hwa | |
 |
Lee Tung Foo | ... | Willie (as Lee Tong Foo) |
|
|
Bessie Loo | ... | Lilly May |
| Richard Loo | ... | Tong Chief | |
|
|
Ernie Stanton | ... | Burton |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
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, on a secret military mission for Chinese forces fighting the Japanese invasion. Mr. Wong finds two captains with the intial J in the case, neither being quite what he seems; there's fog on the waterfront and someone still has that poison-dart gun... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
princess | asian detective | chinatown san francisco | tong secret societies | sea captain |Genres:
MysteryParents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 August 1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Mr. Wong no Bairro Chinês See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Inspector Bill Street: Nobody know anything around here!
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Did You Know?
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). See more »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. See more »Quotes
Lilly May: I know nothing!Inspector Bill Street: Nobody know anything around here!
See more »
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Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
I've seen a number of these Boris Karloff movies where he plays the Chinese detective Mr. Wong, and I can never quite get used to the idea that they cast Karloff in that role. Oddly, he's the best part of the series (he was a great actor, really, going far beyond being a great Monster.
There was the potential at first for some pre-WWII intrigue, because the key element behind the murders with the poison darts is a shipment of airplanes (which seem a bit tricky to smuggle, but whatever). Nothing really comes of it, however. Strickly low budget.
For a full intro to the series, check out this very nice site: cheddarbay.com/0000celebrityfiles/films/wong/wong.html
This one is a routine affair, with the chipper female reporter to spice up the dialog. I'm not sure I'd recommend it in particular!