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The Fatal Hour

  • 1940
  • Approved
  • 1h 8m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Boris Karloff, Lita Chevret, James C. Morton, Marjorie Reynolds, and Grant Withers in The Fatal Hour (1940)
CrimeMystery

When Captain Street's best friend Dan Grady is murdered, Street receives help from Chinese detective James Lee Wong and local newspaper reporter Bobbie Logan.When Captain Street's best friend Dan Grady is murdered, Street receives help from Chinese detective James Lee Wong and local newspaper reporter Bobbie Logan.When Captain Street's best friend Dan Grady is murdered, Street receives help from Chinese detective James Lee Wong and local newspaper reporter Bobbie Logan.

  • Director
    • William Nigh
  • Writers
    • Scott Darling
    • George Waggner
    • Hugh Wiley
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Marjorie Reynolds
    • Grant Withers
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • William Nigh
    • Writers
      • Scott Darling
      • George Waggner
      • Hugh Wiley
    • Stars
      • Boris Karloff
      • Marjorie Reynolds
      • Grant Withers
    • 39User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos32

    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)
    The Fatal Hour (1940)

    Top cast25

    Edit
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • James Lee Wong
    Marjorie Reynolds
    Marjorie Reynolds
    • Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan
    Grant Withers
    Grant Withers
    • Police Capt. Bill Street
    Charles Trowbridge
    Charles Trowbridge
    • John T. Forbes
    Frank Puglia
    Frank Puglia
    • Harry 'Hardway' Lockett
    Craig Reynolds
    Craig Reynolds
    • Frank Belden Jr.
    Lita Chevret
    Lita Chevret
    • Tanya Serova
    Harry Strang
    Harry Strang
    • Detective Ballard
    Hooper Atchley
    Hooper Atchley
    • Frank Belden Sr.
    Jason Robards Sr.
    Jason Robards Sr.
    • Griswold
    • (as Jason Robards)
    Richard Loo
    Richard Loo
    • Jeweler
    Jack Kennedy
    • Mike--Police Sergeant
    C.E. Anderson
    C.E. Anderson
    • Cap Anderson
    • (uncredited)
    Allan Cavan
    Allan Cavan
    • Radio Station Owner
    • (uncredited)
    Tristram Coffin
    Tristram Coffin
    • Hotel Desk Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Nick Copeland
    • Crank Informant
    • (uncredited)
    Pauline Drake
    • Bessie--Switchboard Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Harvey
    Harry Harvey
    • Radio Salesman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Nigh
    • Writers
      • Scott Darling
      • George Waggner
      • Hugh Wiley
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      William Nigh, who directed this and the other four films in Monogram Pictures' Mr. Wong series, was a prolific director of B movies, with more than 200 titles in his IMDb filmography. Before turning to directing, Nigh had been an actor, whose credits include being one of the original Keystone Kops in silent comedies for Mack Sennett.
    • Goofs
      The execution of the murderer's plot requires precise actions during the minutes between 10:00 and 10:15 p.m., to coordinate the radio, the telephone call to the switchboard girl, etc. If one puts together all the information about times and actions given in the four relevant scenes -- in Forbes's home office with Street and Wong, in Tanya's apartment with the switchboard girl explaining to Street what she heard and when, in Wong's discussion with the radio station owner about when the program started and stopped, and in the final confrontation of the murderer with Wong where he explains the timing of his actions -- one sees that the timing described in all these different scenes can't be harmonized. To give only one of many inconsistencies, when Street and Wong enter Forbes's office it is at most 1 or 2 minutes after 10:00 (based on the henchman's announcement of 10:00), and they are there for much less than 13 or 14 minutes of real-time conversation, yet during their time there they get a call from police headquarters about the murder which the switchboard girl didn't report to the police until after 10:15.
    • Quotes

      Capt. Bill Street: I'll see you later.

      Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan: Not me, flatfoot. Get one of the nurses out of the receiving hospital. They don't mind a pain in the neck.

    • Connections
      Edited into Muchachada nui: Episode #1.12 (2007)

    User reviews39

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    A Fun Detective Film
    This was a pretty fun Mr. Wong detective story. It has a few comical moments in it and the story was good. Mr. Wong is after a smuggling ring & unmasks a murderer.

    The Mr. Wong series is quite fun. If you like any of the Sherlock Holmes movies then it's possible you will like the Mr. Wong series starring Boris Karloff.

    What is interesting in this particular film, it features a wireless remote controlled radio. This radio was reality - it was not made up for the film. There is an article about the radio on CNet called "Back to the future: 1939 wireless remote control!" The article's subtitle reads: "Philco's Mystery Control (1939) was a battery-operated radio transmitter, so it didn't have to be in the same room as the radio it was controlling." Also, you can read more about this cool invention on Philco's website. That is a neat trivia fact I just learned about today.

    Yes this film is worth watching if you are a fan of detective stories or Boris Karloff.

    6/10
    helpful•2
    1
    • Rainey-Dawn
    • Jun 6, 2015

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 15, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mr. Wong at Headquarters
    • Filming locations
      • Monogram Studios - 4376 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Monogram Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Boris Karloff, Lita Chevret, James C. Morton, Marjorie Reynolds, and Grant Withers in The Fatal Hour (1940)
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