The Detectress (1919) User Reviews

Strange Doings In China Town

[DKosty123 · 4/10 · 1 December 2010]

Gale Henry is the main star of this, a rare happening in early films. She is the Detectress naturally. She is trying to track down a thief who has made off with the formula for glasses which can discern what is in chop suey.

The main thing that is strange in this film is most the Chinese don't really look Chinese. The story has one thing you have to catch so that it makes more sense, my spoiler. You have to be alert to realize that a lot of the action in the film is a dream sequence by Gale Henry's character. She goes into fantasy land when standing by a window & inhaling opium smoke.

After this comes all the fun house sequence with her & the cop falling through the same trap door at least 4 times. Once you understand this is all just a dream, the film makes more sense. They are not just beating a dead horse by going through the trap every time, but she is kind of waking up & then going back to sleep in an opium induced trance.

This movie could be a lot better, but considering how few films were starring women when this was made, it is amazing the lead wasn't a male & that the film got made & distributed with this story line. It would be years before the stereo type wife got out of the kitchen on television much less the movies very often.

A Bit Too Silly, But Has Some Good Material

[Snow Leopard · 13 July 2004]

The humor and the characters in "The Detectress" are a bit too over-the-top to work as well as they could have, but it does have some good moments, and its obviously good-natured style keeps it watchable. Gale Henry is a talented comedienne, although her style would be more effective with a little more subtlety.

Henry stars as an aspiring detective who suddenly gets involved in a real case. The scenario is far-fetched from the beginning, so the real focus is more on the slapstick than on the plot itself. In some respects, that's not so bad, and in particular, some of the characters might be somewhat grating or embarrassing if it weren't so evident that nothing is meant to be taken seriously. There are a few good gag ideas, but some of them do not come off as well as they could have, because they are played too broadly. Overall, it's probably of average quality.

not particularly funny and I doubt if Chinese people would enjoy it!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 7 July 2006]

Okay, I am warning you that this review may make it appear that I am obsessed with "political correctness". While that isn't true, I STILL think it should be pointed out that practically every negative stereotype about the Chinese in 1919 appears in this dreary film. Plus, even without all this Chinese stuff, the film just isn't particularly funny.

THE DETECTRESS is about a really stupid female detective looking for the professor's stolen plans (which were in the detectress' coat all along). She wanders into Chinatown and stumbles into an opium den that looks like it was morphed with a carnival fun house--complete with lots of trap doors and walls that move. This was PERHAPS funny the first couple of times, but this gag was beaten like a dead horse having the lady and her cop friend fall through these traps again and again and again.

Also, in addition to most of the Chinese who were opium fiends, the others portrayed in the movie operated a Chop Suey restaurant. We see the chef in the kitchen sweeping stuff off the floor and dumping it in a bowl and then accidentally dropping a puppy into the mess and then serving it to our heroine. Yeah, barrels of laughs here!(?) My advice is just try another short that features more laughs. This one is sadly lacking.

The Detectress may be a little amusing but not hilarious at all!

[tavm · 2/10 · 13 March 2021]

This is another silent comedy short I just discovered in a one-disc DVD set called Female Comediennes. It stars Gale Henry who dreams she's a detective who investigates some Chinese men who supposedly stole a formula even though she has it in her pocket which she doesn't know about! Whatever gags abound is mostly concerned with some trap doors. Oh, also Gale goes to a Chinese restaurant where she gets served chop suey but the ingredients were previously swept in a bowl with gasoline added! Oh, and there was a cat or puppy mixed in! To tell the truth, I didn't like those gags I just mentioned so on that note, The Detectress is only worth a look if you're curious about these obscure films.

Broad and enjoyable comedy

[boblipton · 7/10 · 1 May 2002]

Gale Henry directs and stars in this amusing tale of an incompetent female detective set in "Chinatown" in 1918; a member of the local Tong has stolen a formula for glasses that will enable people to see what's in chop suey, and she is charged with recovering the plans. What results is sequence of puns and chases that won't strain anyone's mind, but will keep you smiling throughout.