The Fatal Hour

1940's "The Fatal Hour" began shooting Nov. 28, 1939 for release in January (original title "Mr. Wong at Headquarters"), Boris Karloff's 4th Monogram entry as Oriental detective James Lee Wong, again teamed with Grant Withers as Capt. Bill Street and Marjorie Reynolds as reporter Bobbie Logan. As a whodunit it might very well be the best of the entire series, with its culprit guilty of four murders during the course of the film while using a remote controlled radio for an alibi, the brand new Philco Mystery Control. A somber note is struck at the beginning when Street learns of the murder of one of his colleagues, whom he has known since childhood, found dead in the bay while on smuggling detail at the waterfront. Wong's investigation involves a number of suspects: a shady jeweler (Hooper Atchley), his dense but innocent son (Craig Reynolds), the son's fiancee (Lita Chevret), and her association with a nightclub owner (Frank Puglia) directly involved with the smuggling ring. Even a radio actor (Jason Robards) isn't safe from danger, Karloff himself oddly more of a background figure in many scenes, essentially silent as Grant Withers does all the tiresome bullying (not once is Wong seen in his home). Once again, Bobbie Logan is capable of far more than her police captain boyfriend lets on, and even delivers the payoff for the climax by preventing two more killings. Richard Loo puts in another performance in aged makeup, Frank Puglia fresh from the set of "Charlie Chan in Panama," where he played an Egyptian building his own tomb! Karloff's final outing as the Asian sleuth is preceded by mad scientist roles in Universal's "Black Friday" and Columbia's "The Man with Nine Lives."

An old, creaky Monogram mystery with Karloff as Mr. Wong, the celebrated Chinese detective. Grant Withers as policeman Street gets news his partner has been killed, and soon he and Wong begin to unravel the truth. Helping is spunky newswoman Marjorie Reynolds. This is not a great mystery by any means, but it is highly watchable as Karloff ably plays Wong - though not in a very Oriental fashion. Karloff of course is good and surprisingly so is the rest of the cast. Everyone seems adept at being mediocre, which for a film like this, directed by the very mediocre director William Nigh, works. The 68 minutes of running time just zip by and the ending, while very inventive and highly implausible, pays off as being clever.

Although not as legendary or eloquent as his contemporary British colleague Sherlock Holmes, Oriental detective Mr. Wong successfully solved quite a lot of difficult cases as well, with his splendid observation talents and marvelous deduction skills. "The Fatal Hour" is the fourth film in a series of six, all but one starring the unequaled master-actor Boris Karloff in the role James Lee Wong. Police Captain Bill Street always calls him upon for help whenever there's a complex murder case with connections to the oriental community of San Francisco. In "The Fatal Hour", Street's colleague and long time friend Dan O'Grady has been murdered during his investigation of an extended oriental jewelry smuggling network. The owner of the dubious Neptune bar near the harbor – where all the smuggling import and export takes place - is the obvious suspect, but there are a lot more people involved. This isn't a very sensational film in terms of violent bloodshed or wild car chases, but the plot is quite compelling and the dialogues are fluently written. There are a couple of ingenious red herrings and I liked the realistic aspect that Wong isn't a superhero who prevents further murders from happening and thus has to face several more dead bodies during his investigation. Even though pretty much performing on automatic pilot, Karloff is terrific and he receives good feedback from the supportive cast. Particularly Marjorie Reynolds is likable as the obtrusive yet helpful gossip reporter Bobby Logan. Recommended in case you have 70 minutes to spare.

Karloff tops a first class cast supported by the beautiful Marg Reynolds, who was at the beginning of her climb up the ladder after years of bit parts. (She was the fem lead in the best of all Abbott and Costello films, Time of Their Lives (A must see)). Grant Withers as the top cop works with the oriental Karloff character to solve a couple of murders. Others who shine are Frank Puglia as a shifty crime boss and Lita Chavret as the second fem banana. Script by Scott Darling and George Waggner holds well. This is a typical 1940's classic that is fun to watch. Directed by the very professional William Nigh who has more than 100 notches on his directorial gun. Made by Monogram studio. This is one of 50 films in the Horror Movie DVD pack that's well worth investigating. This film is well worth the time.

Let me start by saying that I love these good ol' mystery flicks from the 40's. They're usually nice a short, filled with decent acting and predictable plot lines. While this did only run a mere 68 minutes, and the actors were as good as usual, I must say I was rather surprised at the outcome. Great twist in what I had pegged as a predictable film. The characters were all great, though I can't quite buy Karloff as a Chinaman. Grant Withers was great as the typical hard-boiled cop, though I must say this particular cop was more flustered than most, providing some fun comic relief. The trademark female reporter was pretty good here as well, played by the beautiful Marjorie Reynolds. If you're a fan of this kind of movie, I highly recommend it. Better than most!

8/10