Boris Karloff is Mr. Wong (for the last time) in "Doomed to Die," a 1940 B movie. I find these films much less successful than Charlie Chan or his Japanese counterpart, Mr. Moto.
Taping someone's eyes to give them a slight Oriental slant does not a Chinese make, and Boris Karloff is decidedly not Chinese. He's as English as Big Ben. If the makeup were better, his British accent would have worked well, as Chan's speech especially was always stereotypical Of course, the best thing would have been to hire someone Chinese for the role, which they did later on when Keye Luke was cast in "Phantom of Chinatown." Karloff's Wong has a nice laugh and a good sense of humor. He's called in by reporter Bobbie Logan (Marjorie Reynolds) to help out when her friend Catherine Wentworth's fiancé is accused of murdering his future father-in-law, shipping magnate Cyrus Wentworth. One of Wentworth's ships has just suffered a fire, killing many people. Also distressing Wentworth is his daughter's romance with the son of a rival.
While Catherine's fiancé, Dick Fleming, is arguing with Wentworth in his office, a shot rings out. When people respond, they find Fleming is gone and Wentworth is dead. Ultimately, Fleming is accused of the crime, and it's up to Mr. Wong and Captain Street (Dick Withers) to figure out what happened.
"Doomed to Die" was made during the Chinese-Japanese war, pre-World War II. It turns out that Kuomintang bonds had been smuggled out of China on the doomed ship to keep them safe. This suggests arson on the ship. With the murder of a Tong leader later on, there is more to this case than an unhappy fiancé.
Pretty good story with Captain Street and Bobbie Logan continuing their hatred for one another, which really peps up this film as it did "The Fatal Hour." They are really funny and the best thing about these films. Karloff is very good and gives an intelligent performance.
Entertaining, if not the greatest.
Taping someone's eyes to give them a slight Oriental slant does not a Chinese make, and Boris Karloff is decidedly not Chinese. He's as English as Big Ben. If the makeup were better, his British accent would have worked well, as Chan's speech especially was always stereotypical Of course, the best thing would have been to hire someone Chinese for the role, which they did later on when Keye Luke was cast in "Phantom of Chinatown." Karloff's Wong has a nice laugh and a good sense of humor. He's called in by reporter Bobbie Logan (Marjorie Reynolds) to help out when her friend Catherine Wentworth's fiancé is accused of murdering his future father-in-law, shipping magnate Cyrus Wentworth. One of Wentworth's ships has just suffered a fire, killing many people. Also distressing Wentworth is his daughter's romance with the son of a rival.
While Catherine's fiancé, Dick Fleming, is arguing with Wentworth in his office, a shot rings out. When people respond, they find Fleming is gone and Wentworth is dead. Ultimately, Fleming is accused of the crime, and it's up to Mr. Wong and Captain Street (Dick Withers) to figure out what happened.
"Doomed to Die" was made during the Chinese-Japanese war, pre-World War II. It turns out that Kuomintang bonds had been smuggled out of China on the doomed ship to keep them safe. This suggests arson on the ship. With the murder of a Tong leader later on, there is more to this case than an unhappy fiancé.
Pretty good story with Captain Street and Bobbie Logan continuing their hatred for one another, which really peps up this film as it did "The Fatal Hour." They are really funny and the best thing about these films. Karloff is very good and gives an intelligent performance.
Entertaining, if not the greatest.