Phantom of Chinatown (1940) User Reviews

Entertaining

[hengir · 7/10 · 16 October 2006]

Apart from the whodunit element of the film which drives the narrative in an entertaining way there are other interesting things in the film. Several James Lee Wong films had been made previously with Boris Karloff in the title role, who as the elderly 'Chinese cop' solved several mysteries and although he was made up to look oriental (skin colour etc.) there was always that beautiful English voice spoiling the effect. The films were nevertheless good mystery stories, filmed in Monogram's low budget efficient way.

In 'Phantom of Chinatown' James Lee Wong is played by Keye Luke, a rare leading role then for an Asian actor. He is not a detective but a student and younger. (Confusingly Grant Withers who plays Inspector Street was in the earlier Karloff films and this one but treats Wong like he had never met him before. Perhaps this is a prequel!) Keye Luke is excellent and it is a shame he didn't make any more Mr Wong films as he is definitely shines in this. Charming and bright and capable. He has a nice line in humour too. The other members of the cast are OK. Grant Withers as Street is his usual grouchy self. Lotus Long as the Chinese secret agent is particularly delicious. A series with her and Luke would have been great. Oh well.

It also has a very sympathetic view of the Chinese people. Wong is definitely the most able character in the film. Furthermore at the beginning as the professor shows film of the expedition and what appears to be ungainly dancing to which the academics in the audience laugh patronisingly, until they are reminded sharply that the Chinese were civilised long before the west. In another scene at the murdered man's house when people are questioned about their movements Captain Street assumes that all Lotus Long would eat for lunch would be "chop suey" and is surprised to learn she had coffee and apple pie. A nice inversion of a cliché. The best gag in the film is when Keye Luke compares the acquisition of Chinese treasures to digging up Washington's bones in the USA. As a positive picture of Asian Americans the film stands out for its time.

Keye Luke is Wonderful!

[CatherineYronwode · 7/10 · 10 October 2006]

No offense to Boris Karloff, who had previously played Mr. Wong, but this film shows how an "oriental" action-thriller can be improved by casting a gifted Chinese actor in the role. Keye Luke is handsome, charming, dashing, brave, clever, and just downright sexy as James Lee Wong, and he meets his perfect match in Lotus Long, the mysterious Chinese secretary of a famous Anglo-American archaeologist. The ending, which would have featured some romance between Luke and Long had they both been Caucasians, is still satisfying, as Luke shows his feelings for Long with his eyes and smile. Lee Tung Foo also deserves mention in a fun turn as Wong's servant. Of the many oriental-exploitation films of the era, this is perhaps the best, featuring some fine Asian art objects, superb set decoration, social commentary about Westerm archaeological appropriation of cultural treasures, unusual documentary footage of an expedition to Mongolia, and real Chinese people playing Chinese people. It's by no means an "A" picture, and seeing the star-god Shou depicted as a "god of vengeance" is silly, but "Phantom of Chinatown" deserves a better reputation than others of its ilk.

Worthwhile Poverty Row mystery

[JohnSeal · 5/10 · 26 October 2002]

Smilin' Leonard Maltin rates this one a bomb, but he couldn't be more wrong. It's a real forgotten gem and the best of the Mr. Wong detective series. Why? For whatever reason, the producers decided to cast Keye Luke--an Asian actor--in the role of the cinematic sleuth. Many similar films were made throughout the 30s and 40s, with Warner Oland and Sidney Toler cast as Charlie Chan and Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. Luke was preceded by Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff as Wong. This seems to be the only example of an Asian detective being played by an Asian actor, and I'd love to know how Luke's casting came about. He's merely adequate as an actor, but his work gives the film an appealing realism (albeit as much as a film about an eternal flame and a lost scroll can be realistic). There are also reasonably good supporting roles for Asian actors, including Lotus Long as the leading lady, Lee Tung Foo in a comic role, and other uncredited actors. Series regular Grant Withers is on hand, wearing a rather unattractive and ill-fitting hat, as the bumbling police detective who needs Wong's help to crack the case. The film actually seems to take place in a somewhat realistic world, San Francisco's Chinatown, where Asian-Americans miraculously man and operate the telephone exchange! At 61 minutes the film is brisk entertainment that will keep your attention. It also manages to feel fresher than better acted and better budgeted genre films of the same period. Strongly recommended to sleuthing fans.

highly enjoyable

[film-guy · 18 May 2005]

Asian detectives were usually played by Caucasian actors at the time this movie was made, but Phantom of Chinatown is an exception and features Keye Luke in the role of Mr. Wong. Luke makes a likable and younger version of Wong and it's great fun to see how Wong and Captain Street first met. Grant Withers as Captain Street is one of my favorites elements of the Mr Wong movies. Withers is exceptionally good in this one. Some have said that Withers should have been replaced with a younger actor for this "prequel", but I don't agree. Luke and Withers make a fun pair. I enjoy all of the Mr Wong series, but Phantom of Chinatown is one of my absolute favorites.

"I'm sick of scrolls, translations, eternal fires; I'm gonna have just a slight dash of murder mystery."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 20 July 2005]

Filmed in 1940, "Phantom of Chinatown" is the last of the Mr. Wong series of films, but it's chronologically set as the earliest, featuring Asian actor Keye Luke as a young detective James Lee Wong, a role that British actor Boris Karloff parlayed into five films between 1938 and 1940. It's refreshing to see Luke in a mature role, contrasted with his mostly comic relief effort as Number #1 Son Lee to "Pop" Charlie Chan in the Fox Studio films of the late 1930's. However fans of the Chan films will recognize one lapse into the Lee Chan persona when Mr. Wong exclaims "That's it, I've got it" as he reviews photos of a crime scene. Also, in a later tribute to the Charlie Chan character, Wong uses the phrase "Thank you so much", but with a different inflection than his venerable "Pop".

The story itself involves a murder investigation of archeology professor John Benton, poisoned via a glass of water as he lectures about an expedition into the Mongolian Desert that produced a scroll holding the secret to the "Temple of Eternal Fire". The secret, it turns out, is a potentially huge oil deposit that may prove vital to the defense of China. With regard to the similar recurring story ideas used in both the Chan and Mr. Wong series, this is one theme that had not been used before, so score another one to "Phantom" for originality.

Joining Keye Luke in this flashback adventure is Grant Withers, a veteran of all the Karloff Wong movies, in his role as Captain Street of the San Francisco Police Homicide Department. Curiously, Street's first name is never revealed throughout the film; in the first two Mr. Wong movies he was Sam, while he finished the series as Bill. Characterwise, he's the same gruff, impatient detective, though with enough street smarts to allow Mr. Wong to join the case. In turn, they are aided by pretty Lotus Long as Benton's secretary Win Lee, who it turns out is also employed by the Chinese government. Her mission, even before Wong and Street get involved, is to determine the whereabouts and contents of the missing scroll that Benton returned to the States with.

For a real chuckle, (or groan as the case may be), pay attention as Mr. Wong tries to outmaneuver Captain Street in an early scene by turning a quick corner and pulling into a filling station. His price for a gas fill - $2.00!! For real die-hard fans of the Chan and Wong movies, there's a scene in which a stairway passage from a shop down to a harbor boat is used by some henchmen for a quick getaway. For now, I want to say that the same set was used in the film "Charlie Chan in Shanghai", but will have to research it to be sure.

All in all, I rather enjoyed "Phantom of Chinatown", particularly for it's casting of Keye Luke in the starring role, and it's play it straight story line, even allowing for the comic relief of Wong's cook Foo. Granted, there is the occasional racial epithet common for genre films of the era, such as the gratuitous "chop suey" remark regarding Win Lee's lunch preference. It's offset by the engaging mystery, and the intriguing Mongolian expedition reels shown during Professor Benton's lecture, another treat for those expecting a run of the mill Oriental Detective story.

Luke vs. Karloff

[robcat2075 · 6/10 · 1 December 2006]

Not a major film, but interesting for it's unique elements. Boris Karloff made some "Wong" films and was criticised for not affecting a Chinese accent. But here we have a real Chinese actor playing the Chinese detective role and he didn't go for the Chinese accent either. Neither does the Chinese leading lady. Maybe that's why they didn't make another "Wong" with this cast; audiences probably didn't want to be challenged by the notion of foreigners who could speak English as well as anyone else.

the George Washington bit was a surprise. I had to rewind just to see if I had actually heard what I thought I heard.

surprising relevance today

[goblinhairedguy · 4/10 · 6 August 2004]

Poverty Row programmers like this may now seem incredibly hokey, but at the same time they're fascinating time capsules of American mores of those bygone (and maybe not so bygone) days. This one is routinely scripted and handled with little inspiration (though lots of pace), yet it's quite idiosyncratic for its time. Most obviously, a real Asian (Keye Luke, better known as Charlie Chan's Number One Son) is finally given the opportunity to play an Asian detective. The screenwriters certainly take advantage of the unique casting, turning a lot of the expected racially-insensitive material on end -- Luke gets in a real zinger when he brashly compares the looting of a Mongolian sarcophagus to having a Chinese adventurer dig up and purloin George Washington's corpse from its tomb. Also relevant to the 21st century is the fact that the tomb raiders are not so much seeking the legendary Eternal Flame for cultural or historic reasons, but due to the conjecture that it is produced by a hidden treasure trove of priceless oil. Quite refreshing attitudes for a 40s B-movie, with some vivid scenes of Chinatown life and interesting travelogue footage of a seemingly authentic excursion to Northern China.

Danger! Water!

[Spuzzlightyear · 6/10 · 16 April 2006]

Pretty good who-dunnit thriller about the death of an archaeologist. After he returns from the Orient. The archaeologist presents a lecture about his findings, a hidden tomb. Funny thing, is that he points out certain people in the room that went with him during the expedition, so right then and there you know that the archaeologist is toast and the people he just introduced are suspects ha ha. Mr Wong, smoothly played by Keye Luke, gets to the bottom of things. I really like how he solved this, using calm logical ways instead of having obvious clues thrown at us. I also liked the clueless homicide detective who sort of played a foil to Wong's character who essentially just followed Wong while he went on his crime-solving ways. Nifty little movie here.

Unheard Of

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 30 October 2008]

As Boris Karloff moved on to bigger and better things in the horror film genre, the Mr. Wong series from Monogram got a final run with an actual person of Oriental heritage in the title role. Fascinating the mind set of Hollywood in those days.

And who would it have to be for, but a poverty row outfit like Monogram in one of their series films. Keye Luke who moviegoers knew better as the number one son of that other Chinese detective Charlie Chan, gets to play a younger version of that noted scholar and criminologist James Lee Wong. Luke plays him just as Boris Karloff did as a man who went to both Oxford and Heidelburg and did not speak in fortune cookie aphorisms.

But I'm sure it must have confused the living daylights out of the Mr. Wong audiences when the relationship between Wong and homicide police captain Street of the SFPD was so different. Grant Withers played Street in all the Wong films and he was not at all resentful about deferring to the older man's knowledge. The same way Captain Stottlemeyer defers to Adrian Monk on that show.

But with Luke, Withers is at first downright hostile, in fact this film of necessity is set back to when they first meet and Withers most reluctantly bows to Luke's skill for investigation.

The leader of an expedition to China where an ancient scroll was taken from a Ming Emperor's tomb is murdered while giving a lecture. And the scroll goes missing as well. There are a whole host of suspects, including a pilot that had been lost in the desert, but he turns up rather early in the film.

It might have been nice if Keye Luke had inaugurated the series instead of an Occidental like Karloff, good as he was. History could have been made.

Even without Karloff, Phantom of Chinatown is still one of the better films of the Mr Wong series

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 2 March 2014]

The 6 Mr Wong films(five of which with Boris Karloff in the title role) are not great films, however they are all far from bad either. Phantom of Chinatown may not have Karloff but it is for whatever foibles it has one of the better films in the series. The photography can lack finesse in places while the film is scripted competently if routinely though with a fair few bright spots. And Grant Withers still doesn't do much for me, going for shouting his lines and frozen facial expressions, though not quite as badly as in Mr Wong in Chinatown, rather than subtlety. The sets are very nicely done though, and the music score is jaunty and eerie as to expect. There is some humour here and it manages to be of the funny and witty kind, the Chinese treasures and Washington Bones comparison agreed is the most inspired. The story is not exceptional but it is diverting and has a good deal of mystery and suspense. It also doesn't try to do too much so it is not as convoluted as a couple of Karloff's entries were, especially Mr Wong in Chinatown(you may have guessed already that that it is my least favourite of the 6, though it's still not a bad film). Luckily too, despite there being the risk of being there Chinese are portrayed sympathetically and any stereotyping(if any at all) is equally tastefully done, nothing at all to be offended at. Phantom of Chinatown moves along at a brisk pace, so the film was never a dull watch. Keye Luke may not be as enigmatic as Karloff but he for obvious reasons is still much more convincing as a Chineseman. He had big shoes to fill and fills them admirably, giving a very charming and sometimes amusing performance. Lotus Long is also wonderfully mysterious, and while not of the outstanding kind the supporting cast are competent at the least. To conclude, a decent film and one of the better Mr Wong films, even without Karloff. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Run of the mill mystery is of interest mainly because Keye Luke has a rare lead role

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 1 October 2006]

Final film in the Mr Wong series loses Boris Karloff and in its place has Keye Luke as James Wong detective. Luke best known as Charlie Chan's number one son was forever in support so its nice to see him in a lead role. It also gives mystery, and especially Charlie Chan fans a glimpse at how Luke might have played the classic detective.

The mystery here is rather bland. During a lecture about an expedition to China the professor giving the talk is killed right in front of everyone. The question is how was it done and by who. You'll have to see the film to find out the why and who, I will tell you why, and thats because of the information that is contained on a scroll that was found in a tomb that will lead to great riches. Its a been there done that sort of affair that reminded me of one of the Mr Moto movies. Its not bad, certainly the cast is game, however the script just doesn't have any real life in it. It just doesn't have any life in it.

Still, I have to say that bland or no its an okay time passer best left for a late night or rainy day movie marathon when these kind of movies seem oh so much better.

At last, Keye Luke becomes a detective in his own right...

[binapiraeus · 8/10 · 4 April 2014]

Theoretically, "Phantom of Chinatown" is the last one of the "Mr. Wong" detective series that had been starring Boris Karloff, where Monogram had tried in a rather mediocre way to 'copy' 20th Century-Fox' hugely successful 'Charlie Chan' series. But, even in story, directing and acting this movie is way above the 'British Chinese detective' films - and what's much more, it stars not only a REAL Chinese as the detective, but someone known VERY well to fans of the genre in general and to fans of the 'Charlie Chan' movies in particular: Keye Luke, who had played Charlie's 'number one son' Lee in the Warner Oland Charlie Chans...

And now he becomes a detective 'in his own right' at last - and a very clever one, too! He does some nice teamwork with the typically American 'flatfoot' Captain Street (Grant Withers), but there's no doubt that the Chinese is smarter - which was a pretty unusual thing at the time: an Asian as protagonist, and being more intelligent than the average US policeman; and on top of it all, 'Jimmy Wong' even makes QUITE a daring remark about all the archaeological excavations being done in China by Americans, suggesting that maybe Chinese archaeologists might dig up George Washington's grave for a change!!

Generally, this is a very neat and unusual little 'flag waver': Chinese and Americans work hand in hand for a HUGELY important purpose - the 'Eternal Fire' that the leader of the archaeological expedition had discovered in Mongolia is of such vital importance that it must not under ANY circumstances fall into the hands of both countries' enemy...

But it's also a VERY entertaining, suspenseful mystery thriller, where nothing's missing, neither a creepy atmosphere nor some REAL good jokes nor a beautiful romantic element; it can surely compete with almost any of the best crime movies of its time (and especially taking into account that it was made on a budget incomparably smaller than that of the big studios' productions) - and it owes the biggest part of its liveliness and freshness that remains until this day to its wonderful cast; with first and best Keye Luke.

Daggers, fingerprints, an ancient scroll...

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 26 May 2012]

An archaeologist, Dr. Benton(Charles Miller)returns from a camel caravan across Mongolia returning with a valuable ancient scroll. During his fact-finding lecture at Southern University, Benton collapses...he's dead. Key Luke(better known as Charlie Chan's number-one son)steps in for his predecessor Boris Karloff; Detective James Lee 'Jimmy' Wong at your service. He calls himself a researcher when San Francisco Police Captain Street(Grant Withers)at first considers him a suspect. The investigation has several people of interest like Win Len(Lotus Long),Benton's secretary;Dr. Wilkes(Huntley Gordon),Benton's partner and Charles Frasier(John Dilson),the expedition's photographer. The plot is very simple and very inexpensive to film; after all its a Monogram Pictures 62 minute mystery. A few twists and turns keeps the story moving at a nice pace. This is the sixth and final film based on stories by Hugh Wiley. Take note that out of all the Asian detective films(Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto and Mr. Wong), Key Luke is the first actual Asian to play the lead role. Also in the cast:Virginia Carpenter, John Holland and Lee Tung Foo.

Not bad but not particularly inspired either

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 20 July 2007]

The biggest novelty of this rather dull little mystery is that for once during this era, a person of Chinese ancestry actually plays a Chinese-American amateur detective!! That's right, unlike Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto and the previous Mr. Wong films, this one does not feature some Western guy with his eyes taped so that he looks Chinese-ish. And, also interesting is that this actor is none other than Keye Luke--the guy who played Number One Son in the Chan films. In some ways, this was very culturally sensitive and forward-thinking and Luke's character was bright and articulate--using definite articles in conversation and seeming less like a walking stereotype. At the same time, the writers were still in the 1940s mindset, as some of the remarks of the incredibly imbecilic chief of detectives are awfully crude stereotypes. An example of this was when he asked all the people what they had for dinner. When he came to the Chinese lady, he said "I assume you just had Chop Suey". Uggh!!!

Now as for the film itself, it seems like a lower than usual quality B-movie--with most of the usual clichés but with none of the energy or excitement of films from the Boston Blackie, Charlie Chan, Falcon or Sherlock Holmes series. While there were some interesting story elements (such as the whole oil angle), the film was so low energy and dull that it rarely engages the viewer. I think most of this is due to the painfully low budget--making productions by second-rate poverty row studios (like rival Monogram Films) seem vastly superior to this one. It is obvious in this film that the end of the Wong series was in sight and there wasn't much more when it comes to innovation other than the casting of the ever-capable Luke in the lead.

Asians playing Asians..great.

[oscar-35 · 26 February 2009]

The 1940 film is quite good in it's mood and theme. It is a detective film that keeps you engaged and moves in a fast pace. The film stars an Asian actor, Keye Luke and Mr Luke does a very fine job playing an alert intelligent detective that could be set in today's times. This was produced in the WW2 years and it is interesting to see that this film was made with many Asian actors. Sadly that would not continue with the anti-Asian hysteria of the war years. Mr Luke survived on with a long and memorable movie & TV career with his major role as the High Lama/teacher in TV's 'Kung-Fu'. IN this film a murder strikes during a lecture on the discovery of a lost Mongolian tomb. A scroll with a valuable secret is missing. It's up to Jimmy Wong and the Homicide Squad to find the killer and learn the tomb's secret. This was the last of the Mr Wong serials. Enjoy it.

When Keye Luke was a leading man

[jakob13 · 6/10 · 17 February 2017]

'Phantom of Chinatown, released in 1940 by Monogram Pictures, known for low budget films, it is remarkable in that it momentarily reversed a trend in the detective genre.

Keye Luke had the starring role in this predictable murder mystery, as James Lee Wong detective.

Better known as Charlie Chan's number one son, Kato in the Green Hornet and the blind master Po in the Kung Fu, Phantom of Chinatown offered him the chance to defy the stereotyping of Asians in cinema.

Although there were capable Asians to play the role, the role was given to a European or white American actors, extravagantly disguised as a creation of social and cultural mores of the time.

As Sax Rohmer's idea of a Yellow Peril, British-born Boris Karloff became Dr. Fu Man Chu; the Georgian Akim Tamiroff the wily warlord in Frank Capra's The General Dies at Dawn or the Swede Warner Oland the deceitful war lord in Josef Sternberg's Shanghai Express.

On the other hand, a more comic buffoon character Charlie Chan amused Americans for almost 20 years with his fortune cookie philosophy, oddly cadenced English and exaggerated gestures bordering on the obsequious, as he solved crimes the world over.

A creature from the pen of Earl Derr Bigger, Chan reinforced the stereotype of Chinese. As a stock sidekick, he had his number one son, American born, educated and speaking a colloquial English to heighten the ridiculous among second generation born Chinese, who although born in the US remained 'foreign'. John Marquand's Mr. Moto, played by the Hungarian Peter Lorre had all the features of the Japanese that became more exaggerated and racist during world war two. Wily, clever and speaking correct English resonated through his nasal cavity, he too was mysteriously different as a solver of murder and mayhem. (Imperial Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor ended the Moto series.) And then there was Hugh Wiley's creation in The Saturday Evening Post, James Lee Wong detective. Played in five films by Treasury agent Boris Karloff, who played him in a scholar gown, with a self- effacing and -deprecating manner.

Karloff's English, correct as it is, distanced his Chinese detective by a lisp and a clipped to stress his foreignness.

And the in 1940, Keye Luke plays Wong, the first Asian actor in a title role and a sound film as detective.

Oh, what a difference: Luke's Wong is a Yale graduate; he speaks an impeccable American English; dress in a well-cut suit; he wears a dashing, raffish, pencil-like mustache, which makes him not only handsome, but shows that he is the leading man.

Luke plays Wong with style, energy and youth enthusiasm, a good chip from the American Plymouth Rock.

In consequent, the wisecracks and stereotyping are held to a bare minimum, a welcome relief.

He's bright, no nonsense and lends an invaluable hand to the police captain who treats on an equal foot.

The story line is formulaic, and tersely hold in a little over 60 minutes. The narrative holds our attention without taxing it.

Of course what would a murder mystery picture with Asians be without exotic elements.. And Phantom of China doesn't let us down.

Well we have scenes of the Gobi desert, search for a lost Ming Temple, an eternal sacred fire and a mysterious scroll to stitch the intrigue together.

The murder is quick, by poison. The foot work quick without much fanfare to catch the killer.

And there is the dead archaeologist assistant, played in a down-to-earth fashion by the Lotus Lang as Wen Lin, who keeps her counsel to herself.

Wen Lin is written as a serious, supporting character whose manners and intelligence enhances the strength of Luke's Wong.

Moreover, the film is peopled with many, nameless Chinese American actors and actresses who speak a standard English, are professional in demeanor and dignified in their roles. But for that one moment of stereotypical relief—Keye Luke's cook who speaks in a broken singsong cadence. And yet, he, too, is not made out to be a pumpkin nor a fool, the minor white detective assumes that role.

Phantom of Chinatown directly shies away any allusions to the bloody Sino-Japanese war. Remember we are in an America with a strong isolationist streak, and substantial popular of America First, meaning keep out foreign wars.

Suddenly the denouement is disconcerting: not in who the murder is nor his motive greed, but in the explanation of the scroll and the sacred fire that never stops burning.

The scroll is the key to the secret of the Ming Tomb. It explains why the flame is eternal; it is fed by an unquenchable pool of petroleum that would be of great value to the forces of Chan Kai Check's troops fighting the Imperial Japanese invaders. (And by extension, after the war the fuel for China's growth and economic health.) Wen Lin is Chang's agent and as the film rushes to its conclusion, Wong and Lin will bring the news to China to bolster the war effort.

Alas, the bombing of Peal Harbor put the kibosh on the Wong series, but not on the silliness of the Charlie Chan films.

And no more did Hollywood until much later feature an Chinese or Asian actor as a leading man. And Luke went back to playing second banana and supporting roles.

And it is this relatively obscure film that is worth reviewing for its brief breakthrough the walls of cultural racism in Hollywood and in America.

an okay whodunnit

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 16 June 2020]

Keye Luke is Jimmy Wong. When archaeologist John Benton is murdered, Wong is brought in to figure out what happened. Benton had just returned from China, and had found an ancient scroll. co-stars Grant Withers and Lotus Long. Withers is Captain Street, who comes in to officially investigate. the acting is a bit cardboard. kind of sounds like they are reading the lines off a card. we have tea, we go driving around town. not much happens. it's pretty okay. directed by Phil Rosen. didn't win any oscars, but he directed a wide variety of films. Sadly Withers died young at 54 of an overdose. he had eloped with a young Loretta Young in 1930, which was later annulled. and having made nine films with John Wayne, he was good buddies with Wayne as well.

Get us some tea Foo

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 8 October 2014]

****SPOILERS**** Narrating a film he made on his expedition in the Mongolian Desert archaeologist Dr. John Benton, Charles Miller, just when he's about to reveal his findings suddenly drops dead, in fact he was officially declared dead a few hours later, in front of the shocked audience in attendance! With Dr. Genton's death declared a homicide, someone slipped poison in his drink, San Francisco police Captain Street, Grant Winters, is put on the case with Chinese history professor Jimmy Lee Wong, played by Charlie Chan #1 Son Keye Luke, doing the important leg work or investigating for him.

It soon comes out that Dr. Benton had uncovered the tomb of the Emperor Ming, no not the guy in the Flash Gordon serial, of China in the 10th Century that had information in it about a secret map that leads to a massive oil reserves in the Mongolian Desert. It was one of the persons on Dr. Benton's expedition who's suspected in doing him in to get the map and sell it, for millions if not billions, to an either friendly or unfriendly country as well as oil conglomerate as long as it can some up with the cash!

****SPOILERS**** Jimmy knowing his way around Chinatown and speaking the local lingo, Mandarin Chinese, slowly uncovers a plot to get the map but at the same time eliminate all those, except him or herself, involved so he wouldn't have to split the money, from the oil companies, with them. Setting a trap for Dr.Benton's, and later butler Mason's-John Holland-killer, Jimmy Leee Wong floats this made up story that the pilot on the expedition Jonas, William Costello, who was reported lost in the Mongolian Desert has shown up alive and is , after recovering from heat stroke, about to talk in who's responsible in Dr. Benton's murder not disappearance! How he could have known that in being some 7,000 miles away from the murder scene, is never explained? With him impersonating the at first dead now fully alive Jonas Jimmy Lee Wong has Dr. Benton's killer come out of the shadows and into the, in a well lit hospital room, light! Just as Captain Street and a half dozen members of the SFPD make the pinch on him as well as, this is the big surprise in the movie, his accomplice!

A more physical Detective Wong than Karloff

[greenbudgie · 6/10 · 16 March 2021]

In this sixth Detective Wong mystery (1938-1940) that Monogram made Keye Luke takes over from Boris Karloff. Charlie Chan fans will know Keye Luke from his portrayal of Charlie's son in the Warner Oland versions that Fox did.

Dr Benton is giving a lecture at Southern University when he dies of what at first seems to be a heart attack from overwork. It is later discovered that poison had been applied to the glass that Dr Benton drank from at the lecture. Police Captain Street joins forces with private detective Jimmy Wong to investigate the death. The case involves an ancient scroll that had been taken from a mummy's grasp in a sarcophagus on an expedition in Mongolia. Dr Benton had been on that expedition along with some other of the film's characters who become suspects in the murder investigation.

It is interesting to contrast the Jimmy Wong of this film with the mature Mr Wong as had been portrayed by Boris Karloff. Because of Jimmy's comparative youthfulness he is able to be more physical and to have a hint of romantic interest. Also there is a more equal footing between Wong and Captain Street in this whereas Karloff's Wong had always had the superior edge over Street. Jimmy lives in an apartment so we don't get to see the "humble house" that I like so much in the Karloff movies. Strangely Jimmy does retain the same manservant Foo who had appeared in the first three Karloff Wongs.

There were plans for Keye Luke to play in three more Detective Wong mysteries at Monogram but this is the only one that made it to the screen. I have to admit my preference for Boris Karloff as Detective Wong but at the same time I would have welcomed more with Keye Luke in the series too.

Race relations, 1940s-style

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 14 February 2019]

Part travelogue, part murder mystery, PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN is another B-movie instalment of the 'Mr Wong' detective series which sees Keye Luke taking a break from Charlie Chan to actually play a Chinese detective who is, well, Chinese, for once. A Mongolian explorer dies due to poisoning, and Wong is called in to discover which of the man's colleagues is responsible. As with most entries in this genre of film-making, this is low budget, no frills stuff, but still enjoyable to a degree, not least thanks to the snappy dialogue and race relations context.

Young Mr. Wong

[lugonian · 6/10 · 2 September 2020]

PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN (Monogram, 1940), directed by Phil Rosen, is not a horror tale as the title implies. There is no phantom and hardly any reference to Chinatown. The story is actually a murder mystery that was to become the sixth and final "Mr. Wong" installment. Keye Luke stars in the role originated by Boris Karloff starting with MR. WONG, DETECTIVE (1938). With one more "Mr. Wong" mystery to fulfill, the solution was a replacement. Keye Luke, best known for playing Number One Son Lee in the "Charlie Chan" mysteries for 20th Century-Fox (1935-1937), became the substitute, a rare Hollywood treat in casting of an oriental sleuth actually portrayed by an oriental actor. With series regular Marjorie Reynolds out of the story, Grant Withers resumes his retaining role as Captain Street of the San Francisco police department.

The initial ten minutes of the story is devoted to Doctor John Benton (Charles Miller) in Lecture Room 4 where he tells to his colleagues of his newsreel expedition to the Mongolian Desert where he and his archaeological team discovered an ancient tomb of an Emperor of the Ming dynasty. In the tomb is a scroll believed to be connected to some unknown oil reserve. Although Benton refuses to believe there is a curse connected to the scroll, as he is about to reveal the contents of the scroll, he takes his drinking water before keeling over and dying. The scroll then disappears disappears from Benton's safe, much to the surprise of Win Len (Lotus Long), Benton's secretary. Captain Street (Grant Withers) and his assistant, Grady (Paul McVey) are called to investigate, learning that the pitcher of water has been poisoned. James Lee Wong (Keye Luke), better known as Jimmy, one of Benton's students, arrives late to the lecture, and soon joins forces with Street and his investigation. During that time, Charlie Fraser (John Dilson), a cameraman, and another member of the expedition, are attacked, with Win Len found bopund and gagged inside a closet, leading to further mystery and unexplained circumstances. Others in the cast include Virginia Carpenter (Louise Benton), John Holland (Tommy Dean), Dick Terry (Jonas, the Butler); and Lee Tung Foo (Wong's Houseboy). Take note that Benton starts off addressed as John Benton, and later renamed Cyrus Benton in newspaper clippings later in the story.

Those familiar with the Mr, Wong series, Monogram's answer to oriental sleuths "Charlie Chan," and "Mr. Moto," will realize Boris Karloff's earlier portrayal was that of a middle-aged man. Though there is no real problem with Keye Luke assuming the leading role, the situation having the same Wong character enacted by an older man to a younger one in his twenties seems unreal. For this edition, Captain Street and young Mr. Wong are introduced as if they were meeting for the very first time. If this were a prequel, then it should have included Captain Street recalling how he met Mr. Wong some years ago, followed by flashback. Or what should have been done was have Luke appear as Mr. Wong's son or nephew, filling in for older Mr. Wong while on vacation. Either one of these solutions would have made better sense.

The "Mr. Wong" series ended here with no further installments, either by Karloff or Luke. What a pity since PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN should have been the movie to have paved the way for further Chinese actors in leading roles. The series didn't have to be Mr. Wong, but another character that suits Luke's persona. While a not bad 62 minute entry, this is the best Monogram can do for the final entry of the series.

The Last of Mr. Wong

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 19 March 2014]

The beginning of this movie has an archaeologist unearthing an ancient tomb and subsequently murdered for it. No, it isn't a mummy movie. It's a Mr. Wong murder mystery. The last Mr. Wong movie, actually. This is today what we would call a reboot. They replace Boris Karloff with the younger Keye Luke, thereby restarting the series with a young Mr. Wong. It's interesting to see an actual Asian playing the lead role in one of these Asian detective movies, where a white man always played the part because it was believed at the time audiences wouldn't go to see movies with a non-white leading man.

Keye Luke was an amazingly personable actor but this movie does not give him a chance to shine, forcing him to play Wong as a rather stuffy bore. Luke receives assistance from the lovely Lotus Long. They could have used this opportunity of a reboot to breathe some life into the Wong series, which was pretty stale. But instead this is quite possibly the dullest of the lot. Perhaps if given this shot at a better studio, it would have led to a long-lasting series with Keye Luke as the lead. But this is Monogram, king of the cheapies, so it's not surprising it didn't work out. Grant Withers was the only constant in all of the Wong films. While his character was a walking cliché, Withers played the part well.

On the whole, the series was watchable but forgettable, even with Boris Karloff as the star. If you haven't seen many (better) B detective series, you might enjoy the Wong films more. But I've seen pretty much all of the them, certainly all of the major ones, and Mr. Wong does not stand up well.

The sixth and last Mr. Wong film

[robert-temple-1 · 8/10 · 2 May 2023]

This is the last of the Mr. Wong films made by Monogram. This time Boris Karloff does not appear, and the role of 'James Lee Wong' is played by the 35 year-old Keye Luke, and he is called 'Jimmy' in the film. Keye Luke was a Chinese who was born in China but grew up in Seattle. He appeared in many Hollywood films, and was 'a natural' on screen. Frankly, he was very good at any role he was chosen to play. Naturally, it is a very different kind of Mr. Wong film with the Chinese detective being an energetic young man. Monogram had just about milked the Hugh Wiley Collier's series as dry as a bone by now, so that they were essentially left with only the name Mr. Wong. Even in the previous film DOOMED TO DIE (1940, see my review), which still had Boris Karloff, Ralph Bettison (spelled Bettinson in the credits) had written an original story for the film, and here he does so again. Both stories were very strong, and the films very good. Another genuine Oriental appears in this film, who almost looks Chinese, though in fact her father was Japanese and her mother was an ethnic Hawaiian. Her real name was Lotus Pearl Shibata, but her professional name was Lotus Long. Because everyone assumed she was Chinese, she used that to avoid American internment as a Japanese during World War II! In fact, Lotus Long appeared in two earlier Mr. Wong films, THE MYSTERY OF MR. WONG (1939), AND MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN (1940), but as her parts were supporting roles she was not a prominent cast member. Lotus Wong had a strange ability to look suspicious without any apparent effort, which is a good trait to have if you are appearing in mystery films when the viewers are not sure who the good guys are and who the bad guys are yet. Alas, the tedious Grant Withers remains as the Detective Inspector to the very end of this series, shouting and being irritating as usual. This film is probably the best and the most interesting of the series. It features newsreel footage of camel trains in Central Asia, and the story concerns an expedition to the far west of China to search for the tomb of a Ming emperor (nonsense, of course, since no Ming emperor was ever buried there, but then this is just a movie), and an ancient scroll buried with him in his coffin which reveals the location of 'The Temple of the Eternal Fire'. That is not as mystical as it sounds, because the vertical and eternally lit flame is said to be composed of 'oil' (for which read natural gas) and to betray the location of 'the largest oil field in the world' which will benefit China in defending itself against invaders. (In none of the Mr. Wong films are the invaders and occupiers of China called the Japanese, and they remain nameless, though of course the entire public knows.) So this story involves international spies and all sorts of villains, murders, and the usual complex mystery plots.

Not great, but a step forward

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 23 May 2020]

It was great to see Keye Luke replacing Boris Karloff in this 6th installment of the Mr. Wong series, and together with Lotus Long, challenging a few of the assumptions white filmgoers had (and continue to have) about Asian-Americans. When the police captain derisively asks her if she had chop suey for lunch, he's told she had apple pie and coffee, the same as every day (get it, she's as American as apple pie, and wow, great lunch!). When some of the archaeologists explain they've got the sarcophagus of a Ming emperor, Luke deadpans "They tell me that a Chinese archaeological expedition is digging up the body of George Washington in exchange," providing a fantastic perspective shift. He also points out his sympathies for China given his heritage, but that he's an American. The Asian characters in this film are intelligent and reasonable, and most (but not all) speak English perfectly well.

Unfortunately, the film has a rather bland and muddled plot which wasn't all that interesting, at least to me. On top of that Luke lacks screen presence, and while his character is the brain behind figuring out the mystery, his performance is so polite as to be nearly emasculated (though he does have a nice moment near the end). Meanwhile he's paired with an oafish police captain (Grant Withers), and Lotus Long doesn't get nearly enough screen time. It's too bad there wasn't more verve here, but at least the film only goes for 62 minutes. Watch it for the casting choice, the nice bits of dialogue, and the small step forward in progress it represented.

Only if you're DESPERATE for a mystery.

[gridoon · 2/10 · 14 June 2003]

I have now seem four films of the "Mr.Wong" series and it seems obvious to me that, although they were plagued by very low budgets, this wasn't the main cause of their rapid decline in quality. No - it's the fact that the mysteries themselves (except for the original one, which was very clever) weren't very good, or presented in a way that would engage the viewer and give him a reason to care about the outcome. This one in particular is so forgettable and uninteresting that I defy anyone to remember even the most basic details about it five minutes after the picture is over. As for Keye Luke's casting in the title role, sure, it's good for authenticity, but what's going on here? Why doesn't Inspector Street recognize him at first? If he's playing a younger version of the character Boris Karloff portrayed, why didn't they also get a younger actor to play Street? How can one of them be approximately 20 years younger and the other one the same age as before? Not that it's something to keep you up at night. 0.5 out of 4 stars.