Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939)

Director:

Norman Foster

Writers:

John P. Marquand (character)
Philip MacDonald (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 January 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Moto thwarts a ruthless band of international agents who try to foment an international incident by mining the entrance to the Suez Canal and blaming the British.

Plot Keywords:

Mr. Moto | Egypt | Fleet | Ship | Suez Canal

Cast

Peter Lorre	...	Mr. Kentaro Moto
Ricardo Cortez	...	Fabian the Great
Virginia Field	...	Connie Porter
John Carradine	...	Danforth / Richard Burke
George Sanders	...	Eric Norvel
Joan Carroll	...	Mary 'Marie' 'Delacour (as Joan Carol)
Robert Coote	...	Rollo Venables
Margaret Irving	...	Madame Delacour
Leyland Hodgson	...	Captain Bert Hawkins
John Davidson	...	Hakim

Also Known As:

Mr. Moto No. 6 (USA) (working title)
Mr. Moto in Egypt (USA) (working title)
Winter Garden (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4445) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The program outside the Sultana Theatre includes Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938), with a "Last Day" notice pasted over it - a tribute by the cast and crew of this film to "Chan" star (and fellow 20th Century Fox player) Warner Oland, who passed away in his native Sweden while this film was in production in August, 1938.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Fabian first suspects that Danforth is not what he seems, he uses a pen to scribble a beard on a photo of British Intelligence Agent Richard Burke in his notebook dossier. The beard he draws ends in a straight line under Burke's chin. In a later scene, when Fabian shows the photo to Norvel, the beard is thicker and descends with a point toward Burke's collar.

Quotes:

Admiral Lord Streetly: [First Lines] The two French squadrons are here now, Benthum, off Tunis. They plan to sail directly to Port Said and proceed through the canal and join our fleet for their maneuvers in the Red Sea.
Bentham: When exactly will they reach the canal?
Admiral Lord Streetly: We had a wire from the French Admiral this morning, says, "Fleet arrives Port Said, 23 o'clock, 16 instant, compliments, Delacour Admiral, Commanding."
Bentham: That's even less time than I thought. Isn't it possible to delay them somehow?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Five of a Kind (1938)

Soundtrack:

Rule Britannia

There's No one Quite Like Lorre

I've always enjoyed Peter Lorre. When you run the gamut of actors from the inception of the motion picture, I can think of no one to match him. Here he plays a Chinese detective. His credibility is in question because of that very fact. Nevertheless, there is a sort of acceptance due to the wisdom of Asians. I suppose this all came out of the Charlie Chan mythos. In this one there is a plot to blow up the French fleet. It would be a major act of war and a great defeat. Mr. Moto is forced to make his way among a bevy of bad guys. There's espionage, double dealing, but he makes his solitary way through this confusing mess. One of the bad guys is a ventriloquist who seems to have a sick fascination with his dummy. Of course, this all works into the plot. Mr. Moto manages to engage the help of several other characters and finds a way to save the day.