Mr. Moto's Gamble

Last updated
Mr. Moto's Gamble
Mr. Moto's Gamble FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by James Tinling
Written by Charles Belden
Jerry Cady
Based oncharacters created by John P. Marquand
Produced by John Stone
Sol M. Wurtzel (uncredited)
Starring Peter Lorre
Keye Luke
Lynn Bari
Cinematography Lucien Andriot
Edited byNick DeMaggio
Production
company
20th Century Fox
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • April 7, 1938 (1938-04-07)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Mr. Moto's Gamble is the third film in the Mr. Moto series starring Peter Lorre as the title character. It is best remembered for originating as a movie in the Charlie Chan series and being changed to a Mr. Moto entry at the last minute.

Contents

Plot

In San Francisco, policeman Lieutenant Riggs (Harold Huber) takes Mr. Moto, a detective and Lee Chan (Keye Luke), a student, to a prizefight between Bill Steele (Dick Baldwin) and Frank Stanton (Russ Clark), where the winner will take on the champion, Biff Moran (Ward Bond). However, the fight is fixed and gangster Nick Crowder (Douglas Fowley) bets big money that Stanton won't make it to the fifth round. He goes down in the fourth and dies shortly afterward.

Bookie Clipper McCoy (Bernard Nedell) loses a fortune. Moto proves that it was murder and it is revealed that $100,000 was won in bets around the country against Stanton. Moto works with Lt. Riggs to solve the murder as the championship fight looms.

Comedy is provided by Horace Wellington (Maxie Rosenbloom), a kleptomaniac, and Lee Chan. Moto promised to reveal the murderer's identity on the night of the big fight, but the murderer has plans, too, with a concealed gun, to kill Moto.

Cast

Production

In June 1937, Fox said the first three movies in the Mr Moto series would be Think Fast, Mr Moto, Thank You Mr Moto and Mr Moto's Gamble. At the same time, the studio announced three Charlie Chan movies starring Warner Oland, Charlie Chan on Broadway, Charlie Chan at College and Charlie Chan in Radio City. [1]

In July, Fox said Rochelle Hudson would be in Mr Moto's Gamble. This became Look Out Mr Moto which became Mr. Moto Takes a Chance. [2]

Charlie Chan at Ringside

Fox were going do make a Charlie Chan film called Charlie Chan at Ringside starring Warner Oland as Chan and Keye Luke as Number One Son. Jayne Regan was cast on the strength of her performance in Thank You, Mr Moto . The cast would also include Lynn Bari and be directed by Norman Tinling. [3]

Filming started in January 1938, but Oland left the film due to illness that month and the production was suspended. In March 1938, Fox announced Oland would return to the role and appear in Charlie Chan on the Clipper Ship. [4] However he never recovered from his illness and died in August 1938. Sidney Toler took over the role of Charlie Chan in the ongoing film series. [5]

Fox had spent an estimated $100,000 on the film already when shooting had to be called off. Wanting to salvage something of the situation and reluctant to cast a different actor as Charlie Chan, Sol Wurtzel, head of Fox's B movie unit, had the script rewritten as a Mr. Moto movie. [6]

Two Charlie Chan regulars appeared in the film – Keye Luke, who plays Charlie Chan's son Lee, and Harold Huber, who plays Lt Riggs. [7] Lee Chan is Moto's student in his criminology class at San Francisco University. Moto mentions that he has heard from Charlie Chan in Honolulu. Moto says he and the head of the homicide squad are mere amateurs compared to Charlie Chan. [8]

Filming recommenced in January 1938. [9] Lon Chaney Jr. had a small role. [10] Filming finished late March 1938, the fourth movie shot in the Moto series. [11]

Release

The film was released relatively quickly in April 1938. [12]

The New York Times liked the fight sequences but called it "an otherwise unexciting film". [13]

The next film shot in the series would be Mysterious Mr. Moto .

Home media

This film, along with Mr. Moto in Danger Island , Mr. Moto's Last Warning , Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation and (as a DVD extra) The Return of Mr. Moto , was released on DVD in 2007 by 20th Century Fox as part of The Mr. Moto Collection, Volume Two.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Chan</span> Fictional detective

Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes and villains like Fu Manchu. Many stories feature Chan traveling the world beyond Hawaii as he investigates mysteries and solves crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keye Luke</span> American actor (1904–1991)

Keye Luke was a Chinese-American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Oland</span> Swedish-American actor (1879–1938)

Warner Oland was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American characters: Dr. Fu Manchu, Henry Chang in Shanghai Express, and, most notably, Honolulu Police detective Lieutenant Charlie Chan in 16 films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Sen Yung</span> American actor (1915–1980)

Victor Sen Young was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the western series Bonanza. He was born in San Francisco, California to Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, both immigrants from China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Toler</span> American actor, playwright, and theatre director (1874–1947)

Sidney Toler was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his portrayal of the Chinese-American detective in 22 films made between 1938 and 1946. Before becoming Chan, Toler played supporting roles in 50 motion pictures, and was a highly regarded comic actor on the Broadway stage.

<i>Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo</i> 1937 film by Eugene Forde

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Warner Oland, Keye Luke and Virginia Field. The main character is Charlie Chan, a Chinese-Hawaiian detective. This was the sixteenth and final Charlie Chan film with Oland portraying Chan. The film features Keye Luke as Charlie's son Lee and character actor Harold Huber as a French police inspector. It was produced and distributed by 20th Century-Fox.

<i>Charlie Chan in Paris</i> 1935 film by Lewis Seiler

Charlie Chan in Paris is the seventh film produced by Fox with Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. Long thought lost, it is available on DVD as part of Twentieth Century Fox Home Video's Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1. Hamilton MacFadden directed some early scenes before Lewis Seiler took over. It is the first entry in the series to feature actor Keye Luke, who would become a mainstay in his role as Chan's "Number One Son" Lee.

<i>Charlie Chan at the Circus</i> 1936 film by Harry Lachman

Charlie Chan at the Circus is the 11th film produced by Fox starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. A seemingly harmless family outing drags a vacationing Chan into a murder investigation.

<i>Charlie Chan at the Race Track</i> 1936 film by H. Bruce Humberstone

Charlie Chan at the Race Track is the 12th film in the 20th Century Fox-produced Charlie Chan series starring Warner Oland in the title role.

<i>Charlie Chan at the Opera</i> 1936 film by H. Bruce Humberstone

Charlie Chan at the Opera is considered by many to be the best Warner Oland Charlie Chan film, probably due to the presence of Boris Karloff as the principal suspect, as well as faux operatic music composed by Oscar Levant. This is the 13th film starring Oland as Chan; it was directed by H. Bruce Humberstone for 20th Century-Fox in 1936.

<i>Think Fast, Mr. Moto</i> 1937 film by Norman Foster

Think Fast, Mr. Moto is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Norman Foster and featuring a mysterious Japanese detective named Mr. Moto. It is the first of eight films in the Mr. Moto series, all based on the character Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand. The film stars Peter Lorre as the title character, Virginia Field, Thomas Beck and Sig Ruman. Mr. Moto works to stop a secret smuggling operation.

<i>Mysterious Mr. Moto</i> 1938 film by Norman Foster

Mysterious Mr. Moto, produced in 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox, is the fifth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto.

Mr. Moto's Last Warning is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto.

<i>The Feathered Serpent</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by William Beaudine

The Feathered Serpent is a 1948 mystery film, the fifth of six in which Roland Winters portrayed Charlie Chan. It is the only Chan film which featured both Keye Luke and Victor Sen Yung together. Luke had been cast in the later Warner Oland Chan films while Yung appeared primarily in the Sidney Toler Chan movies. This was Yung's last Chan movie. Luke appeared in one more with Roland Winters, the last of the Chan films, Sky Dragon (1949).

Mr Moto Takes A Vacation (1939) is a Norman Foster-directed entry in the Mr. Moto film series, with Lionel Atwill and Joseph Schildkraut and George P. Huntley, Jr, as Archie Featherstone, in supporting roles.

<i>Charlie Chan at the Olympics</i> 1937 film by H. Bruce Humberstone

Charlie Chan at the Olympics is a 1937 American mystery film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Warner Oland, Katherine DeMille and Pauline Moore. It is possibly the most topical Charlie Chan film, as it features actual footage from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There is also a scene where Charlie crosses the Atlantic in the Hindenburg. This is the 14th film starring Warner Oland as Chan and produced by Fox.

<i>Charlie Chan on Broadway</i> 1937 film by Eugene Forde

Charlie Chan on Broadway is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Warner Oland, Keye Luke and Joan Marsh. This is the 15th film starring Oland as Charlie Chan and produced by 20th Century Fox.

<i>Sky Dragon</i> 1949 film by Lesley Selander

Sky Dragon is a 1949 American mystery film, the sixth in which Roland Winters portrayed Charlie Chan. Directed by Lesley Selander, it is the last Chan film in the long-running series that originated in 1930 with Fox Film Corporation production of Charlie Chan Carries On, starring Warner Oland.

<i>Keye Luke</i> (film) 2012 American film

Keye Luke is a 2012 American short film directed by Timothy Tau, written by Timothy Tau, Ed Moy and Feodor Chin, and produced by Timothy Tau.

<i>Mr. Moto in Danger Island</i> 1939 film by Herbert I. Leeds

Mr. Moto in Danger Island is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Peter Lorre, Jean Hersholt and Amanda Duff. It is part of the Mr. Moto series of films.

References

  1. ↑ "FOX LISTS FILMS FOR NEXT SEASON: 66 Features Are Included in Company's Most Ambitious Production Schedule 204 SHORTS TO BE MADE Zanuck Will Supervise 52 Long Pictures at 20th Century Studios in Beverly Hills". New York Times. June 2, 1937. p. 20.
  2. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (July 9, 1937). "CHAPLIN SETS OCTOBER DEAD LINE FOR START OF GODDARD PRODUCTION: T. C.-Fox Lists Screen Plays for Annabella". Los Angeles Times. p. A17.
  3. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (Dec 29, 1937). "PARAMOUNT PLANS ICE SKATING TEAM WITH JACK DUNN AND BETTY GRABLE: Rosemary Lane Wins Lead With Rudy Vallée". Los Angeles Times. p. 13.
  4. ↑ NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Metro to Film 'Northwest Passage' in Color-Dick Powell Cast for Remake of 'The Hottentot' Heavier Role for Dick Powell Of Local Origin New York Times March 7, 1938, p. 13.
  5. ↑ When East Met North Dewey, DonaldView Profile. Scandinavian Review 97.3 (Autumn 2010), pp. 70-79.
  6. ↑ Scheuer, Philip K. (Jan 21, 1938). "Town Called Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. p. 15.
  7. ↑ The De Marcos, Dancers, Want To Be Actors: Ballroom Specialists Decline Film Offer That Re- fuse Them Lines to Speak. By Frederick C. Othman.. The Washington Post February 9, 1938, p. X16.
  8. ↑ SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES WILL BE SCOURED FOR SCREEN SUBJECTS: Jack Oakie to Appear With Astaire, Rogers Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times January 28, 1938, p. 10.
  9. ↑ "NEWS OF THE SCREEN". New York Times. January 21, 1938. p. 15.
  10. ↑ illier, Arthur (March 6, 1938). "BRUSH STROKES". Los Angeles Times. p. C4.
  11. ↑ "Six to Start New Spring Film Drive". The Washington Post. Apr 6, 1938. p. X10.
  12. ↑ "NEWS OF THE SCREEN". New York Times. Apr 7, 1938. p. 19.
  13. ↑ FRANK S. NUGENT (April 8, 1938). ""'The Adventures of Marco Polo' on Music Hall Screen--'Judge Hardy's Children' and 'Mr. Moto's Gamble' At the Capitol Owen to Attend Meeting"". New York Times. p. 17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.