Mr Wong in Chinatown

Starring:Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers, Huntley Gordon, George Lynn, William Royle, James Flavin, Lotus Long, Lee Tung Foo, Bessie Loo, Richard Loo, Ernie Stanton, Guy Usher, Donald Kerr, Moy Ming, Bruce Mitchell, I. Stanford Jolley, Wilbur Mack, Angelo Rossitto
Director: William Nigh
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

YOU CAN'T GO WONG WITH THIS SET
Fairly Enjoyable
OVERPRICED
Mr Wong returns
Exciting

Mr. Wong Collection (Mr. Wong, Detective / Mystery Of Mr. Wong / Mr. Wong In Chinatown / The Fatal Hour / Doomed To Die / Phantom Of Chinatown) (2DVD)
Starring: Boris Karloff
Manufacturer: ROAN
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mr. Moto Collection, Vol. 1 (Mr. Moto Takes A Chance / Mysterious Mr. Moto / Thank You Mr. Moto / Think Fast Mr. Moto) (4DVD)
Mr. Moto Collection - Vol. 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)
Mr Moto's Last Warning (B&W)

ASIN: 6305436436
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Customer Reviews:

YOU CAN'T GO WONG WITH THIS SET.......2007-04-28

The great Boris Karloff stars in five late 30's as the well educated oriental sleuth Mr. Wong. Unlike many of the stereotypes (Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto), this movie is basically devoid of pidgeon English with a minimal of racial slurs. Karloff's Wong is smart and elegant. Grant Withers co-stars as the detective who always asks Wong for assistance with his cases. The series became more lively in the last three outings beginning with "Mr. Wong In Chinatown" with the edition of Marjorie Reynolds, as a nosy reporter and sometimes girlfriend of of Withers. Their bickering and snappy one liners are terrific and add a lightness and humor to this dark genre.

The transfer and qualty are very good but too expensive. None of these flicks run longer than 70 minutes and the 6th movie does not star Boris Karloff. Key Luke plays Mr. Wong in "Phantom Over Chinatown" with Grant Withers reprising his role. It is hard to determine if this is a relative of the original Mr. Wong or a "younger" Mr. Wong. Further explanation is needed as this becomes a bit confusing and convolutes the sometimes weak plot.

The Karloff series is the best entry in oriental sleuth genre. It is a shame he became bored with it and left in 1940. Don't confuse this with the poor Bela Lugosi "The Mysterious Mr. Wong". This film has nothing to do with the famous detective series and is filled with insulting ethnic stereotypes and slurs.

If you can afford the set, it is recommended. It's a winner.

Fairly Enjoyable.......2004-12-29

Monogram's 'Mr. Wong' series was apparently done as a rip-off of Fox's Charlie Chan series. Like those films, Mr. Wong featured a wise Oriental detective. Oh...and they also both starred non-Asians. Boris Karloff, I think we can all agree, was just about the least Chinese person in the entire known Universe, but his gentlemanly performance gave the Mr. Wong series a bit of dignity and class. The films on their own are mildly enjoyable potboilers, instantly forgettable but entertaining while playing. This two-disc DVD set gathers the six Mr. Wong films: "Mr. Wong, Detective," "The Mysterious Mr. Wong," "Mr. Wong in Chinatown," "The Fatal Hour," "Doomed to Die," and "The Phantom of Chinatown" (starring Charlie Chan's 'number one son,' Keye Luke, as a young Mr. Wong). "Mr. Wong Detective" is the best. "Phantom of Chinatown" is easily the worst - its jaw dropping political incorectness is hard to take.
The DVD from Roan Group has the films in just about the best condition you'll probably find them in. There are still scratches and plenty of grain, but overall the image is quite sharp and as clear as you could expect. Sound isn't great, but that probably has to do with the sub-par and neglected source materials. The biggest disappointment of the set is that there are no extras whatsoever - some liner notes, production notes, or a photo gallery are all I ask for.

OVERPRICED.......2004-07-13

This set is good, but not worth what Amazon is charging. At the Big O I paid a quarter of this price. In fact, all the Roan titles the Big O carries are at a significant discount from Amazon.

Mr Wong returns.......2004-06-29

Get this set if you are a fan of Mr Wong! IMHO the series got better as it went on. Mr Wong Detective is the first entry in the series and it's enjoyable, but I thought things got even better after that one. I enjoyed each entry. Karloff is fantastic in the first five films. The sixth entry in the series stars Keye Luke who plays a younger version of the character. I loved that idea! Luke is wonderful. Some claim that Luke's entry doesn't fit the series, but that's not so. It's flashback to the first case Wong and Street ever worked on. That idea really made for great viewing. Grant Withers may not look younger as Street, but he is the perfect man for that role. The younger Wong really brings out the best in him. This is a great set for Wong fans. All six Mr Wong movies are a delight.

Exciting.......2003-06-26

It's exciting to have the entire Mr. Wong series on one DVD. They're all very good movies.

Boris Karloff, although not convincing as a Chinese detective, is a graceful performer as always. The real star of 3 of the movies is Marjorie Reynolds as reporter Roberta Logan. She shows style and great wit. She was known later as the wife in the television series The Life of Riley. Keye Luke in the 6th and last film as Mr. Wong is a great treat, as well.

Customer Reviews:

Boris Karloff at his humble best!.......2007-01-04

Boris Karloff must have been one of the nicest gentlemen in Hollywood during these early crazy days. It's so wonderful to see him in less makeup and not having to speak in a fractured Chinese accent. His character is very kind and very intelligent. I would like to find some of the old "Collier's" magazine stories that the movies were based on to see how they adapted the character to film. The movies were also made with well-spoken Chinese actors, only a few of the men servants spoke with a fratured English, but I work with many heavy accented folks who have lived in the US for over 40 years. The characters weren't too drippy and the plot line was plausible. The times didn't call for lots of gore, so you won't see blood oozing all over as in todays films. I intend to complete the "Mr. Wong" series as soon as I can.

A Haunting Mr. Wong!.......2004-07-02

This is a terrific DVD for the atmosphere, the clever Mr. Wong and the great transfer. This is a B picture, to be sure, shot on a budget, but its great fun as Mr. Wong solves his case. 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.

loved it.......2004-06-29

I have found these Mr Wong movies very addictive! I'm glad Alpha has made these available! Mr Wong In Chinatown isn't the best mystery in the series, but it is still one of my favorites of the series. This one is a little stranger that other entries. Very unusual!

Mr. Wong searches for the murderer of Princess Lin Hwa.......2001-08-02

This film is third of Boris Karloff's turns as the Chinese detective James Lee Wong. Princess Lin Hwa (Lotus Long) visits Mr. Wong for help and is killed by a poisoned arrow. This time Mr. Wong is joined not only by Captain Street (Grant Withers) but the policeman's fiance, reporter Bobby Logan (Marjorie Reynolds). When the trio check out the apartment of the princess they find her maid murdered and the only witness a mute dwarf (Angelo Rosita) who suddenly disappears. This is a below average mystery which gives Karloff very little to do besides maintain his unruffled demeanor. The last reel picks up a bit as Mr. Wong falls into the hands of the murderer and has to be rescued by his companions. Like the other films in this series, this 1939 film was directed by William Nigh and based on the stories of Hugh Wiley.

Average customer rating:

Mr. Wong In Chinatown
Starring: Boris Karloff; Marjorie Reynolds; Grant Withers; Huntley Gordon; George Lynn;
Director: William Nigh
Manufacturer: Reel Enterprises
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000KJTC64
Release Date: 2006-11-13

Description

A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to scrawl "Captain J" on a sheet of paper. She proves to be Princess Lin Hwa, on a secret military mission for Chinese forces fighting the Japanese invasion. Mr. Wong finds two captains with the intial J in the case, neither being quite what he seems. In the fog on the waterfront, someone still has that poison-dart gun and wants to use it on the detective.

[7 DVD Mystery Set "in a collector's wooden box"] Doomed to Die (1940) / the Fatal Hour (1940) / Mystery of Mr. Wong (1938) / Phantom of Chinatown (1940) "Plus" Over 12 Hours / 10 Sherlock Holmes Features (See Product Details)

Average customer rating:

[7 DVD Mystery Set "in a collector's wooden box"] Doomed to Die (1940) / the Fatal Hour (1940) / Mystery of Mr. Wong (1938) / Phantom of Chinatown (1940) "Plus" Over 12 Hours / 10 Sherlock Holmes Features (See Product Details)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Digitally Remastered For Superior Picture Quality
Dolby Digital Sound
Chapter Stops
Interactive Menus
Scene Selections

ASIN: B000HK7DFS

Product Description

Sherlock Holmes Features are: DRESSED TO KILL / SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE SECRET WEAPON / TERROR BY NIGHT / THE WOMAN IN GREEN / THE SIGN OF FOUR / MURDER AT THE BASKERVILLES / THE TRIUMPH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES / THE SPECKELED BAND / A STUDY IN SCARLET / SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE

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