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Drums of Fu Manchu (1940)

Approved | | Action , Adventure , Crime | 15 March 1940 (USA)
Drums of Fu Manchu Poster
The nefarious Dr. Fu Manchu searches for the keys to the tomb of Genghis Khan, in order to fulfill a prophecy that will enable him to conquer the world. His nemesis, Dr. Nayland Smith, and ... See full summary »

Directors:

John English, William Witney

Writers:

Sax Rohmer (book), Franklin Adreon (original screenplay) | 5 more credits »

Stars:

Henry Brandon, William Royle, Robert Kellard | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Henry Brandon ... Dr. Fu Manchu
William Royle ... Sir Dennis Nayland Smith
Robert Kellard ... Allan Parker
Gloria Franklin ... Fah-Lo-Suee
Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten ... Dr. Flinders Petrie
Tom Chatterton ... Prof. Edward Randolph
Luana Walters ... Mary Randolph
Lal Chand Mehra Lal Chand Mehra ... Sirdar Prahni [Chs 9-10]
George Cleveland ... Dr. James Parker [Ch.1]
John Dilson ... Prof. Ezra Howard [Chs.5-6]
John Merton ... Loki
Dwight Frye ... Prof. Anderson [Ch.5]
Wheaton Chambers Wheaton Chambers ... Dr. Humphrey [Chs.2-3]
George Pembroke George Pembroke ... C.W. Crawford
Guy D'Ennery ... Ranah Sang [Chs.1,7; b.g.4]
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

The nefarious Dr. Fu Manchu searches for the keys to the tomb of Genghis Khan, in order to fulfill a prophecy that will enable him to conquer the world. His nemesis, Dr. Nayland Smith, and his associates fight to keep the evil doctor from getting his hands on the keys. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

b movie | cliffhanger | chapter play | damsel in distress | clutching claws | See All (146) »

Taglines:

CRUEL, INSIDIOUS IN HIS MAD SCHEME TO CONQUER ASIA! (original ad - all caps) See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1940 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Fu Manchu See more »

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$166,312 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures Corporation (I) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(15 chapters) | (recut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

One of only two Hollywood productions in which character actor Henry Brandon received top billing. The other was When the North Wind Blows (1974). See more »

Crazy Credits

Opening Credits: The Main Actors are depicted as coming from an incense burner. See more »

Connections

Follows The Call of Siva (1923) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Possibly best serial ever
7 November 2007 | by rljones-8 – See all my reviews

I still enjoy Zorro's Fighting Legion and Perils of Nyoka more, but the story, acting and international atmosphere( the scene on the China Clipper is straight out of James Bond) make this serial a class A production. The final scene suggests a sequel as does the mystery of whether Fu Manchu's daughter was actually killed. But WW2 changed our racial profiling, shifting from China to Japan. No more Chinese bad guys, but Pearl Buck movies. But, if a Fu Manchu seemed far fetched at the time, 911 changed that. The Islamic world has several.This may actually be an insult to Fu Manch whose determination and sincerity almost arouse our admiration. Or maybe it is Brandon's brilliant acting.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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