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