FATHER GEEK fired up the ol’ DVD player today, cranked up the sound, and plopped-in the new Roan Group Archival Entertainment 2 disc dual layer set of all six of the Mr. Wong series motion pictures made between 1938 and 1940. Now before some smart-ass writes in to talk-back to tell me that isn’t the complete set, I have to say “Yes” in 1935 there was a MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG starring none other than Bela Lugosi, but geeks even though it was directed by the same director as these it is not in any way connected to this Wong series. That Wong was more like the insidious Fu Manchu than the Detective of this series. Lugosi’s Wong was a corrupt genius, a criminal mastermind, like AICN’s own Prof. Moriarty an uncanny human monster bent on evil, and a pretty damn interesting bit of cinema to boot, but its not in this set and it doesn’t belong there.

Pulp fiction writer Hugh Wiley contrived a extraordinary, chivalrous, cool-headed Oriental investigator named Mr. James Lee Wong for a Collier's magazine story in 1935. Motivated by the accomplishments of the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto motion pictures, Monogram Pictures decided to bring Mr. Wong into existence on the silver screens of the world. In what was resolved to be a major casting coup d’état, the Poverty Row studio managed to sign ultra hot mega star Boris Karloff (Frankenstein series, The Mummy, The Raven, The Invisible Ray, The Mask Of Fu Manchu, The Black Cat, etc...) for the leading role, and it is his demeanor, his uber coolness that advances these films the prestige that they have. If Monogram could have signed their star for more than a 5 film contract this series could have given Moto & Chan a real run for the money, but Universal would only swap Boris out for five films at a time to any one studio, the same deal that they gave Columbia on Karloff for its mad scientist series in the 40’s.

The cordon of criminal enigmas themselves really aren't too shabby particularly in the inaugural entry of the group, 1938’s MR. WONG, DETECTIVE, (70 min.) the homicide is systematically carried out, and the assassin’s identity is a real shock. Karloff and Grant Withers set the tone for the entire series in this piece. John Hamilton co-stars, a regular extra for 5 decades in films like The Maltese Falcon, Meet John Doe, They Died With Their Boots On and Donovan’s Brain, he is most remembered as Clark Kent’s editor Perry White on television from 1952-57 and in 6 early Superman motion pictures. Grant Withers made 190 motion pictures in his 40 years out in Hollywood, mostly “B” stuff, lots of westerns, but he occasionally rose up to do big studio fare like My Darling Clementine and Wake of the Red Witch. In the 1950’s he did alot of television shows like Commando Cody, Perry Mason, and Gunsmoke. This flick was remade in 1948 as a near the end of the series Charlie Chan film titled The Docks of New Orleans.

The second feature, considered by many to be the best in the series, MYSTERY OF MR. WONG (67 min.) from 1939 is a strongly directed Wong Chinese puzzle by William Nigh, who directed the first 5 in the series. Nigh was a yoeman filmmaker for the small studios. He acted in 13 films, wrote 15, and directed 116. He even edited and produced, and has our Oriental sleuth becoming snarled in the mystification and intrigue surrounding a rare jewel and a incredulously altered will during this adventure.

Third up is another one from 39, MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN (70 min.) with the super-sleuth becoming immersed in the phenomenon of a Chinese princess' assassination. This one introduced another regular to the cast with Marjorie Reynolds playing the gung ho hot-shot newspaper reporter Bobbie Logan. Marjorie was a regular in “B” movies for 60 years, although there are some “A” list films like Gone With The Wind in her catalogue of over 60 big screen credits. She did alot of TV also, everything from the neighbor on Leave It To Beaver to the role of Peg on The Life Of Riley from 1953-58. The Chan series stole this plotline also, remaking it into The Chinese Ring in 1947 with Roland Winters.

In his fourth appearance, 1940’s THE FATAL HOUR (67 min.), the oriental criminologist becomes submerged in the investigation of a policeman’s death. A familiar face in this flick belongs to Jason Robards Sr. who appeared in hundreds of movies from the silent era to the 1960’s including such noir classics as Born to Kill, Bamboo Blonde, Isle of the Dead, and Bedlam. Tristram Coffin also co-stars in this one as well as the next. You may recognize him from The Creature With The Atomic Brain, or his dozens of old serial appearances in the likes of: Lost Planet Airmen, Capt. Video, King of the Rocketmen, and Spy Smasher. I once owned the Half-sheet (22”x28”) movie poster for this motion picture. A great head shot of Karloff surrounded by the garish colors typical of Monogram poster art.

The fifth of Wong’s who-done-its was DOOMED TO DIE, with the detective on the scent of a shipping magnate’s murderer, the possible slaughterer of 400+ passengers onboard a luxury liner, and the uncovering of the whereabouts of over a million dollars worth of missing unauthorized bonds smuggled out of China to keep the greedy Japanese invaders hands off of them. We owned the One-sheet (27”x41”) movie poster to this one a few years ago, it was really evil looking, striking, with lightning rays shooting across it from the upper right hand corner to the bottem left. Rays from the eyes of evil itself. A great old stone litho movie promo masterpiece. This episode also starred Henry Brandon (Chief Scar in The Searchers) who in 40’s serials would revive Karloff’s earlier character Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer’s infamous sinister minister of evil.

The running characters, like the abrupt and cynical Captain Street, played by Grant Withers, and the pushy Lois Lane-like reporter played by Marjorie Reynolds, are heavy-handed, to say the least in this series, but Street is no buffoon like the police in many simular “B” mysteries and our reporter is no simple fluff. These 1st five Wongs have no Mantan Morelands or Step-n-fetch-its creating havoc for our brilliant detective. There are no Keystone cops. There is no shiny penny to break the spell of mystery and unscrupulous schemes. There is only Karloff center stage, hypnotising us with his demeanor, his craftsmanship, his mastery of trickery. This evening I watched the eerie menacing shadows of the black and white photography unfold on the screen before me. Quite suddenly a tall slender figure crossed before me. I stifled a cry, before me there was an incredible vision, I stared and stared, the stark blacks and whites painted a strange world of mystery in my very own living room. This was the power, the presence of Karloff in his prime, the power of the mysterious Mr. James Lee Wong.

When Karloff left the series in 1940, Monogram probed the market by signing Charlie Chan's “Number One Son”, Keye Luke ( Gremlins 1 & 2), to play a younger version of Wong, in a prequel about a murdered archeologist and a missing Chinese scroll, titled PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN (61 min.). It was very interesting, not a bad little movie, but it just didn’t work. However, its One-Sheet Stone Litho poster which I had the pleasure of owning for a while 15 years ago is without a doubt one of the most beautiful movie posters ever made, absolutely stunning, it glows. Karloff went on in the decade of the 1940’s to give us Dr. Julian Blair in The Devil Commands, Dr. Leon Kravaal in The Man With Nine Lives, Dr. Gustav Niemann in The House Of Frankenstein, Gen. Nikolas Pherides in The Isle Of The Dead, and John Gray...The Body Snatcher, among numerous others. Yeah... Karloff is Mr. Wong, and this DVD set has all 5 of them with the prequel thrown in for good measure. A great little set of films, Father Geek sat down and watched them all straight through, munching out on some great Vietnamese stir-fry, rice noodles and spring rolls from Austin’s Kim Phung. Quite an enjoyable afternoon and evening, quite enjoyable!