Phantom of Chinatown (1940)

Director:

Phil Rosen

Writers:

Hugh Wiley (characters from "James Lee Wong" series in Collier's Magazine)
Ralph Gilbert Bettison (story)

Release Date:

18 November 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

A thousand suspects... 20 fingerprints... a Chinese temple... Mr. Wong solves a murder!

Plot:

Detective James Lee Wong is on the scene as archeologist Dr. John Benton, recently returned from an...

Plot Keywords:

Lecture | Expedition | Detective | Scroll | Desert

Cast

Keye Luke	...	James Lee 'Jimmy' Wong
Grant Withers	...	Police Captain Street
Lotus Long	...	Win Lee, Benton's Secretary
Charles F. Miller	...	Dr. John Benton / Cyrus Benton in Newspaper (as Charles Miller)
Huntley Gordon	...	Dr. Norman Wilkes
Virginia Carpenter	...	Louise Benton
John Dilson	...	Charles 'Charlie' Fraser (as John H. Dilson)
Paul McVey	...	Detective Grady
John Holland	...	Co-Pilot Mason
Richard Terry	...	Toreno (as Dick Terry)
Robert Kellard	...	Pilot Tommy Dean
Willy Castello	...	Jonas, Benton's Butler (as William Castello)
Lee Tung Foo	...	Foo, Jimmy's Cook

Runtime:

62 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 #6779)

Company:

Monogram Pictures

Trivia:

This was the only Hollywood film of the period in which an Asian detective was played by, and top billing was given to, an actor (Keye Luke) who was actually Asian.

Quotes:

James Lee Wong: Greetings. Only the eyebrows of youth would have the temerity to call the beard of age at such an hour.

Movie Connections:

Follows Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)

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

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.