Customer Reviews

The Fatal Hour

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, I make the acquaintance of "Chinese copper" Mr. Wong. I'm a big Boris Karloff fan, but the thought of him playing a Chinese investigator has always struck me as a bit weird. Every so often, the makeup actually makes him look a tiny bit Chinese, but his accent is thoroughly English. No matter, though, because Karloff is a great enough actor to make the part his own, anyway. The film itself is vintage stuff, with all of the 1940s detective movie clichés showing up in spades. You've got the obvious suspect playing it really cool with the cops, the disgruntled policeman determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, and of course the nosy femme fatale journalist always getting in the way but ultimately playing an important part in the end. I had a great time watching Police Captain Street bark orders left and right - he yells at everybody at least once, except for Mr. Wong.

Captain Bill Street (Grant Withers) calls in the help of James Lee Wong (Karloff) when a fellow cop washes up on the beach dead one morning. The dead cop had been investigating a jewelry smuggling ring down on the San Francisco docks, and since there was an Oriental link to that investigation, Wong is happy to step in and provide whatever assistance he can. A tip links the dead cop with the Neptune Club, and that makes the club's sleazy owner, "Hardway" Harry Locket (Frank Puglia), an obvious suspect. Captain Street also finds a mysterious connection to a costume jewelry store owned by Frank Belden, whose son is mixed up with a dame connected to Locket. Things get more complicated as a series of additional murders take place, and Captain Street gets grouchier as the bodies begin to pile up. He's particularly annoyed by Bobbie Logan (Marjorie Reynolds), a newspaper reporter who is always getting in his way and interfering with the investigation. Street is fortunate to have Wong on his side, as his own "yell at him until he confesses" interrogation techniques fail to crack the case wide open. In the same vein, though, Wong is fortunate to have Street backing him up when he succeeds in putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together. That dame reporter proves pretty handy as well, in the end.

This isn't up there with Sherlock Holmes or anything, but Fatal Hour offers up a pretty good whodunit that plays out somewhat unpredictably. The characters are pretty stereotypical, but that's what you expect from a film of this era. Personally, I want my 1940s flat-foots gruff and moody. Karloff's good, but Mr. Wong is too subtle and methodical a character to carry the movie on his own - that's why Grant Withers pretty much makes the movie for me.

Another great Wong mystery. This was always an enjoyable series with an enjoyable character. Karloff and Keye Luke both played Wong and did a fine job. Good to see these on DVD.

This is a terrific DVD for the atmosphere, the clever Mr. Wong, Detective and a very lovely and talented "pre-Danny Thomas TV Show" Majorie Lord. This is a B picture, to be sure, shot on a budget, but its great fun as Mr. Wong solves a crime in San Francisco's Chinatown. The transfer is very good considering there is no restoration. The sound is very good as well. I love this series and Boris is the man to play the character.

This is more about style than substance. I enjoyed all of the classic mystery elements, from the detective's incessant yelling to the lady journalist's relentless pursuit of "the scoop." Visual quality is pretty good--except for Boris Karloff's makeup. That's just laughable. Overall, this is an entertaining flick, but it doesn't hold a lot of surprises.

Based on Hugh Wiley's inscrutable Oriental detective Mr. Wong, Boris Karloff is called upon by his detective friend to solve the murder of undercover detective Dan O'Grady that includes smuggling. James Lee Wong informs Capt. Bill Street (Grant Withers) that he can only help if it has something to do with the Orient. He is assured that it does have something to do with Chinatown in San Francisco and that is as close as you need to get to the Orient. They are both assisted by the feisty beautiful newspaper reporter Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan (Marjorie Reynolds.) So once again, Mr. Wong puts his life on the line.

I'm a big Karloff fan but when I first saw one of these Wong movies featuring him as a Chinese detective, it also struck me funny but from what I've learned back in the time this film was made they weren't too fond of using Oriental actors for lead roles which is also why the two fellows who played Charlie Chan also weren't Oriental.
But if you can look past all of this which I'll admit isn't always easy to do as Boris' English accent is very much in play throughout the movie it's still a fun mystery to watch. A bit corny but hey, sometimes even today's movies are corny and yet fun to watch so if you like the classic mystery films with a bit of over-acting involved I suggest giving this film a try; I think you'll like it too.

The Fatal Hour is part of a six series serial made by Monogram Pictures some time in 1939. It was tough keeping up since I was jumping in mid-series, but the story was interesting and some parts were unintentionally funny.

The plucky female reporter, the grouchy Police Captain Street, and the suave and smooth detective Wong (Karloff, with a striking Oriental look thanks to some Hollywood magic make-up).

The characters were somewhat stereotyped and Karloff played his part well. I loved the fact that the events occur in San Francisco, apparently part of a jade smuggling ring! A jeweler down on his luck involves himself secretly in smuggling jade stones, worth several thousand a piece (quite a lot in 1939 money!).

The jeweler's son wants the business but is naive and knows nothing of his dad's nefarious smuggling to keep the business afloat. To complicate matters, the son is in love with the woman who is also part of the smuggler's ring!

The way Detective Wong figures it all out and comes to his conclusions and faces the murderer is quite well done, though not as smooth as Philo Vance or The Thin Man, still an entertaining bit of pre-war mystery.

Best Line:

Jeweler's son, accused of murder, being yelled at by the police captain.
Mr. Forbes, a friend of the now-dead jeweler says to give the boy his constitutional rights.

Captain: "Yeah, I'll give him his constitutional rights! This is a murder investigation!"

This film was well before the Miranda decision ("you have the right to remain silent...etc."), and so was quite funny.

I can't wait to watch more of this series. I'm especially interested in how the Asian ("Oriental" in the film) actors are treated. Fatal Hour did pretty well for itself. Interesting seeing Jason Robards, Sr., father of the more famous Jason Robards, Jr. in a bit part.

Cast

Boris Karloff ... James Lee Wong
Marjorie Reynolds Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan
Grant Withers Capt. Bill Street
Charles Trowbridge John T. Forbes
Frank Puglia Harry 'Hardway' Lockett
Craig Reynolds Frank Belden, Jr.
Lita Chevret Tanya Serova
Harry Strang Det. Ballard
Griswold (as Jason Robards)

Recommend:

Mr. Wong Detective - Complete Collection (Mr. Wong Detective / The Mystery of Mr. Wong / Mr. Wong in Chinatown / The Fatal Hour / Doomed to Die / Phantom of Chinatown) (6-DVD)

Movies based on Hugh Wiley novels:

The Room of Death (Detective James Lee Wong)

Based on Hugh Wiley's inscrutable Oriental detective Mr. Wong, Boris Karloff is called upon by his detective friend to solve the murder of undercover detective Dan O'Grady that includes smuggling. James Lee Wong informs Capt. Bill Street (Grant Withers) that he can only help if it has something to do with the Orient. He is assured that it does have something to do with Chinatown in San Francisco and that is as close as you need to get to the Orient. They are both assisted by the feisty beautiful newspaper reporter Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan (Marjorie Reynolds.) So once again, Mr. Wong puts his life on the line.

Based on Hugh Wiley's inscrutable Oriental detective Mr. Wong, Boris Karloff is called upon by his detective friend to solve the murder of undercover detective Dan O'Grady that includes smuggling. James Lee Wong informs Capt. Bill Street (Grant Withers) that he can only help if it has something to do with the Orient. He is assured that it does have something to do with Chinatown in San Francisco and that is as close as you need to get to the Orient. They are both assisted by the feisty beautiful newspaper reporter Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan (Marjorie Reynolds.) So once again, Mr. Wong puts his life on the line.

Based on Hugh Wiley's inscrutable Oriental detective Mr. Wong, Boris Karloff is called upon by his detective friend to solve the murder of undercover detective Dan O'Grady that includes smuggling. James Lee Wong informs Capt. Bill Street (Grant Withers) that he can only help if it has something to do with the Orient. He is assured that it does have something to do with Chinatown in San Francisco and that is as close as you need to get to the Orient. They are both assisted by the feisty beautiful newspaper reporter Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan (Marjorie Reynolds.) So once again, Mr. Wong puts his life on the line.