Mr. Wong in Chinatown

Mr. James Lee Wong (Karloff) receives an unexpected visitor in his home.  Before the mysterious woman can reveal the purpose for her visit, she is killed by a poison dart.  His friend Police Captain Bill Street (Withers) arrives to investigate the death and asks for Mr. Wong's help.  They are joined by reporter Bobbie Logan (Reynolds), who will do anything to get a story.

The woman was Princess Lin Hwa (Lotus Long) and she has powerful relatives in China.  No one knows exactly why she is in the U.S. or why she was killed.  Captain Jaime (Royle), who brought her to the U.S., is hiding something.  Captain Guy Jackson (Lynn), who owns an aviation company, met with her.  She met with Mr. Davidson (Gordon) from the bank and now her accounts are empty.  Can Mr. Wong find the killer before more bodies pile up?


This is the 3rd film (of 6) films based on Hugh Wiley's "James Lee Wong" series.  Wiley wrote 12 short stories about Wong for Collier's Magazine from 1934 to 1938.  Monogram Pictures produced all 6 films about Mr. Wong: Mr. Wong, Detective in 1938, The Mystery of Mr. Wong in 1939, Mr. Wong in Chinatown in 1939, The Fatal Hour in 1940, Doomed to Die in 1940, and Phantom of Chinatown in 1940.

The Good:
Boris Karloff starred in 5 of the 6 Mr. Wong films.  He continues to be great as Mr. Wong.  He is intelligent and charismatic.  You understand why his name commands respect and his counsel is sought in difficult matters.  He also has a great relationship with Grant Withers as Captain Street.

The Bad:
I didn't love Marjorie Reynolds' character.  Bobbie Logan is an interesting character, but she comes off as annoying in this film.  Apparently she returns for the next 2 entries in the series and I can only hope she is less grating.

Other Comments:
-The mystery is good and keeps you guessing.
-It has a short running time and keeps moving, avoiding unnecessary fluff.
-Angelo Rossitto plays the silent little person, in an uncredited role.  Rossitto was a well-established actor and voice actor.  He is an interesting character and I wish the part was a little more developed.
-Another enjoyable entry in the Mr. Wong franchise.

Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939) 71 minutes
Director: William Nigh
Starring: Boris Karloff as James Lee Wong
Marjorie Reynolds as Bobbie Logan
Grant Withers as Police Captain Bill Street
Huntley Gordon as Mr. Davidson
George Lynn as Captain Guy Jackson
William Royle as Captain Jaime

The Thirteenth Guest (1932)

On her 21st birthday, Marie Morgan (Rogers) returns to her family estate.  She was gone for thirteen years, after the death of her father.  Thirteen years ago, her father called the family together to discuss his will.  The table was set for 13 guests, but the 13th guest did not appear.  By the end of the meal, her father was dead.  That evening, they shut up the house, leaving everything as it was.

Marie has not spoken to her family, other than her brother Harold "Bud" Morgan (Eagles), since that day.  The family hates each other and will do anything to be the only person to inherit the Morgan estate, but Mr. Morgan left the majority of his estate to the mysterious 13th guest.

Before Marie can dig into her father's secrets, another person is murdered in the house.  The murder draws the attention Police Captain Ryan (MacDonald) and Private Investigator Phil Winston (Talbot).  Can they find the culprit before the remaining guests are killed?


The film is based on the 1929 story "The Thirteenth Guest" written by Armitage Trail.

The Good:
I discovered this film by accident, but was intrigued by the cast (Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot).  Rogers is best known for her partnership with Fred Astaire, but she is also a talented comedic actress.  This is one of her earliest film roles, and shows her ability to do dramatic roles.  Talbot was also a well-known actor, and while Rogers' Marie is the main focus of the film, he gets to do the heavy lifting as the investigator.  His Winston is exceptionally good at his job, while also imbibing the story with some much needed levity.  The side characters, especially Captain Ryan and Detective Grump, are entertaining and add to the comedy.

The Bad:
The Morgan family, with the exception of Marie, are fairly one-note.  They are portrayed as petty and vindictive and all have a motive.  For that reason (and because there are so many suspects), it is hard to know is the obvious villain.

Other Comments:
-The film was remade in 1943 as The Mystery of the 13th Guest, directed by William Beaudine and starring Helen Parrish.
-I watched this film on Amazon Prime, and the print is not the best quality.  Sometimes the picture is too dark, so it's hard to really know what is going on (especially during the struggles in the house), but the sound quality is fine.
-I've never read Trail's book, so I don't know how it compares.
-I enjoyed the film and Rogers performance.  It keeps you guessing and the ending is satisfying.

The Thirteenth Guest (1932) 69 minutes
Director: Albert Ray
Starring: Ginger Rogers as Marie Morgan
Lyle Talbot as Phil Winston
J. Farrell MacDonald as Police Captain Ryan
Paul Hurst as Detective Grump
Erville Anderson as Uncle John Adams
Ethel Wales as Aunt Jane Thornton
James Eagles as Harold "Bud" Morgan
Eddie Phillips as Thor Jensen
Frances Rich as Margorie Thornton
Phillips Smalley as Uncle Dick Thorton
Robert Klein as John Barksdale