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Modern viewers must be forgiven if they're confused over the genre of this Bela Lugosi film. It's crime pulp, something hardly seen today except in Quentin Tarantino films. The focus is on the villain, in this case Lugosi as a Chinese(!) gangster tracking down the twelve coins of Confucius. The only mystery is how he will be stopped and whether or not he will escape to cause trouble another day.

Wallace Ford is fun as the wry reporter (reminding me a bit of Chevy Chase). And Arline Judge is as cute as a button as the switchboard operator he's trying to romance. It all takes place in Chinatown, for some reason, with plenty of casual bigotry, altho its sometimes turned around on the bigot for comic comeuppance (as when Ford talks pidgin to a Chinese girl only to be answered in fluent English).

If you like the era, this is a fun film and a good example of the genre. It's got the menacing thugs, mysterious murders, and secret passageways you expect and a bit of sassy dialog to boot.

Bela Lugosi changes genres in 1934's "The Mysterious Mr. Wong"; a detective mystery set in LA's Chinatown. As Li See he is the low profile owner of a herb shop patronized for comic relief by a stereotypical Irish cop. But he is secretly the title character who will stop at nothing to gather all twelve of the Coins of Confucius. Once he has all twelve he will have special powers in Keelat (a Chinese province) from where he apparently can inflict his evil on a wider scale.

All these coins have found there way to 1930's LA for some reason and Wong's minions spend the first part of the movie murdering assorted Chinese characters to gain possession of each coin. You quickly learn which guys are his minions because they are the only ones in the movie who wear "Billy Jack" style flat brim hats.

Newspaper reporter Jason Barton (Wallace Ford) begins to investigate the murders, both alone and in the company of his paper's cute and plucky switchboard operator Peg (Arline Judge). Judge becomes one of the earliest scream queens as talking pictures had only been around a few years. The chemistry and banter between Ford and Judge is the best thing about "The Mysterious Mr. Wong". It is the equal of Gable and Colbert in "It Happened One Night" but unfortunately their scenes together are not the central focus of the story.

Wong has a beautiful niece (played by Lotus Long) who periodically appears in short scenes of no actual consequence to the plot. She is in a constant state of great distress about her uncle's evil activities and it is implied that Wong kills her after she leads Barton and Peg to him.

The movie never explains why Wong regards this as a bad thing because it appears to be exactly what he wanted her to do. But this is an illustration of many logic problems in the screenplay, which are best ignored. Just enjoy the great dialogue despite the flaws in storyline logic. Some stuff essential to the plot was probably trimmed to reduce the running time. Barton and Peg are given one of the coins by a disembodied hand while they are having dinner in a Chinese restaurant. Viewers have to fill in a lot of missing action to connect this improbable coincidence with earlier events.

The Hollywood racist and ethnic stereotypes abound, my favorite is a Chinese university professor who heads up the Department of Orientology.

Lugosi is sinister in a nice self-parodying way, with an accent that is more vaguely foreign than Chinese. His Mr. Wong is entirely unrelated to Boris Karloff's later detective series of the same name.

If you enjoy early cinema this one is highly recommended. The suspense won't keep you on the edge of your seat but the Ford and Judge interplay is timeless

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

1934's "The Mysterious Mr. Wong" casts Hungarian Bela Lugosi in something of a dual role: Fu Wong the titular character a 'Mad Manchurian' (a Poverty Row Fu Manchu) seeking 12 coins given out by Confucius on his death bed, which would enable the owner to command the Chinese province of Keelat, and his elderly masquerade as herb dealer Li See, whose shop is connected to Wong's inner sanctum through a secret panel. The picture begins with a series of murders that have authorities believing there's another Tong war, Wong's henchmen successfully delivering 11 coins, each corpse identified by a piece of Chinese writing. The downward spiral introduces Wallace Ford as roving reporter Jason Barton, wisecracking with Irish cop McGillicuddy (Robert Emmet O'Connor), various comings and goings repeated endlessly as the elusive final coin is passed from person to person. Arline Judge gets in a few shots as Barton's sweetheart, but the comic relief overwhelms the rest of the film, leaving Lugosi in a vacuum to carry the burden on his own, as he so often did in low budget productions (not enough screen time at 18 minutes). Ford also opposed Bela in "Night of Terror" and "The Ape Man," but this nauseating newshound is his worst yet, on par with Lee Tracy's unfunny antics opposite Lionel Atwill in "Doctor X." This was Lugosi's only film for the original Monogram company, soon to be absorbed into Herbert J. Yates' Republic Pictures, a new Monogram emerging from the ashes to kick off Sam Katzman's infamous 9 picture deal in 1941. An entirely new Mr. Wong inspired by Charlie Chan would later allow Boris Karloff a crime solving respite during the horror blackout of the late 30s, a six film series concluding in 1940 with one shot Wong Keye Luke doing the honors in the closer "Phantom of Chinatown." Concluding a year playing heroes in "The Black Cat" and "The Return of Chandu," Lugosi returned to full time villainy back to back in both this and Columbia's forgotten programmer "The Best Man Wins," before well remembered roles in MGM's "Mark of the Vampire," and Universals "The Raven" and "The Invisible Ray."

It has some good sequences, but overall "The Mysterious Mr. Wong" doesn't really live up to its promise. With Bela Lugosi starring as a shadowy villain, a decent plot idea that involves artifacts from ancient history, and a couple of interesting-looking settings, it had the makings of a good B-feature, at least as long as you are willing to overlook some stereotypes and the like for the sake of entertainment.

Lugosi's character is interesting, as is his hideout, and Lugosi also gets the chance to play two different sides of his character. The script seems to miss a lot of opportunities, though, because the character really never comes to life as well as it could have. Wallace Ford actually gets the best opportunities, as the reporter who, along with Arline Judge, tries to contend with Wong's plots. Ford does pretty well in the role, and he has plenty of energy.

The story likewise holds some possibilities that are never realized. There are some fairly good sequences with the characters inside Wong's secret lair, but at other times the story doesn't always make a lot of sense, and the interesting ideas involved in Wong's quest for the coins are mostly mentioned only in passing. It's all right as light entertainment, but it could have been more.

That bottom of the barrel movie mill, Monogram, gives its all in this ridiculous but fun film about mysterious happenings in a pseudo Chinatown. Bela Lugosi is the power-hungry overlord searching for the 12 Coins of Confucius which will allow him to become the Boss of Bosses. True to the era and for no particular reason except to add to the running time, all Chinese, good or bad, are murdered, tortured and generally abused.

Throw in Wallace Ford and Arline Judge as the newspaper reporter and his girlfriend for some unfunny comic relief and E. Alyn Warren (who???) as Lugosi's arch enemy and you are off and running. The dialogue will remind you of the Charlie Chan films with those "Confucious say......." aphorisms.

Two of the most humorous things in this mish-mash (and there are many) are: (1) Lugosi playing an Oriental with that heavy Hungarian accent; and (2) after trying every type of torture to make his arch enemy crack under pressure, Lugosi kicks him in the shins. Priceless!!! It's foolish, tacky, poverty row at its finest..........what fun!!!!

This is one of the strangest I have watched in a good while. Of course an hour is not too long to devote to one of your horror film favorites. Disappointment sets in when you realize this is not horror, just odd. Bela Lugosi plays a ruthless Chinese villain that is not short in ordering murder in order to collect the fabled 'twelve coins of Confucius' for himself. Conveniently the coins are concentrated in New York City's Chinatown. Adding to the mystery and oddity of Lugosi's character...his thick Hungarian accent is not disguised.

Note:Lugosi's arch rival Boris Karloff had a series of Mr. Wong Chinese detective flicks also directed by William Nigh.

I can't believe the relatively good ratings this one is getting - I find it unwatchable. I'm a big Charlie Chan fan, and i'll defend the series against all charges of racism, but this stinker is beyond defending. The only redeeming factor is that it insults the Irish cop as much as the Chinese characters. This is a film that consists entirely of stereotypes - the wisecracking reporter, the pretty love interest who puts off the 'hero,' the half-wit Irish cop, the nefarious orientals - all that's missing is the cowboy in the white hat.

Don't confuse this with the Boris Karloff Wong series - the difference is like night and day.

"The Mysterious Mr. Wong" is a mystery to me. Star Bela Lugosi made some questionable career choices following his success in "Dracula" (1931). This was certainly one of them. He accepted many parts from so-called poverty row studios probably because he needed the money. At this time he was about to embark on a trilogy of films with Boris Karloff (The Black Cat, The Raven , The Invisible Ray) that should have solidified his career. Unfortunately it did not.

This mess of a movie casts Lugosi as a Chinese (Chinese?) lord, Fu Wong, who is seeking the 12 coins of Chinese Philosopher, Confuscious. The coins it seems were given by Confuscious on his death bed to 12 of his closest friends. They have been passed down to their descendants. The 12 coins when gathered together are supposed to confer untold power to their owner.

The story opens promisingly with three murders by unseen assassins. Each of the victims has one of the fabled coins in his possession. It's all downhill from here. The murderers report back to their boss, Fu Wong (Lugosi, complete with drooping mustache and thick Hungarian accent). He now has 11 of the twelve coins in his possession. He sends his men out in search of the twelfth. Now how in heaven's name did these rare coins all wind up in the same city in the USA?

The murders of the Chinese are assigned to fast talking reporter Jay Barton (Wallace Ford) who with bumbling Police Officer McGillicuddy (Robert Emmett O' Connor) investigate the deaths. In between Barton manages to romance the comely young Peg (Arline Judge). A note left by one of the victims leads Barton to Wong. He seeks the aid of good Chinese philosopher Philip Tsang (E. Alyn Warren) to translate the note. The note leads to the 12th coin and.............................

Lugosi is laughable as the "Hungarian Chinese" villain. He may have seen Karloff have success with "The Mask of Fu Manchu" and wanted to emulate him, who knows? Wallace Ford was about to escape "B" movies with a memorable role in John Ford's "The Informer" (1935).

A dreadful movie.

Remember, Confuscious say:

Actor with thick Hungarian accent Cast in part of Chinese villain Wind up in "wong" role

If you like only big budget 'A' movies that provide the director, set designers, technicians and actors all the advantages that money can buy to make a decent flick, you shouldn't watch B programmers. And the Mysterious Mr. Wong is a B pic without apologies from Monogram. The small Poverty Row studios whose budgets permitted then to make only B movies, rented everything from actors to sound stages so they had to make their movies cheaply and quickly. Anyone can made a $60 million dollar film--even a 30 million dollar flick in today's dollars, and if it turns out to be anything less than a good film, the people responsible haven't talent. On the other hand, it took solid craftspeople to turn out an entertaining 6-reel B movie in a week or two for chump change. (If you ever need a hint to distinguish between A budget and B budget movies, look for ceilings in the settings. Eliminating ceilings saved construction money and made lighting easier.) If I compare The Mysterious Mr. Wong with the better A movies, I give it a 6. If I compare it to the best of the B flicks, such as the Thin Man series (which earns a 9 from me), I'd award Mysterious Mr Wong an 8. Nina Howett banged out a script peppered with amusing dialogue, and the seemingly spontaneous Wallace Ford and Arline Judge do it up proud. Robert Emmett O'Connor always scores as the pudding-faced Irish cop with little in his noggin. Bela Lugosi, regardless of how ineptly he handled his career, remains one of the most striking and interesting performers ever on the screen---able to excel in operatic horror, comedy and drama roles. Versatile as he was, however, his acting talent didn't include a facility with accents. His Hungarian accent could only adapt to Central or Eastern Europeans characters. Still, his exotic quality triumphed over that sole limitation. William Nigh, one of the most competent B directors, keeps the pace crackling for all of the film's 65 minutes. Even the camera work is smart. Yes, the script is racist: the film's Chinese are inscrutable, untrustworthy and murderous (except the roles of Lotus Lee and her mother (?)) and Irish are thick-headed. But, as another reviewer noted, two young Chinese women turn their own back from Wallace Ford's character by replying in cultivated English to his condescending pidgin talk. The picture quality of the Alpha release is fine, but the sound is muddy.

Woof this was dullsville, a bunch of things happen in this movie and none of them are interesting or memorable. Even Bela Lugosi can't save this cheap B movie. Bela always gives his all and he is the only highlight of this movie that feels more like a cheapie serial. Only for Lugosi fans like me who want to own every Bela movie,good or bad. If you don't love Bela Lugosi skip it and avoid a hour of yawning.

Ages ago, so the story goes, Confucius gave 12 coins to his disciples and vowed that anyone who came into possession of all 12 would rule the province of Keelat (wherever THAT is!). Many centuries later 10 of the 12 coins have fallen into the possession of Mr. Wong (Bela Lugosi) who will stop at nothing, including murder, to get the other 2. Therein, my dear readers, lies our plot.

Local newspaper reporter Jason Barton (Wallace Ford) hears about the killings in San Francisco's Chinatown and decides to investigate; or rather he is TOLD to investigate by his editor. Barton tracks the killer to the seemingly innocent shop of Ly See the herb dealer (also Bela) who tries to put him on the wrong trail but after several attempts on his life, Barton realises all roads lead back to the humble Ly See. Could he be more than what he seems? Perhaps!

It would be easy to dismiss this film as anti-Asian and racist but let us consider when it was made. In 1935 many Americans feared what came to be known as The Yellow Peril. They feared that China would take over the USA by sheer force of numbers since China's population well outnumbered that of the US. Furthermore the movie reflects the attitudes of Americans AT THAT TIME toward the Chinese. You need only watch a few minutes of SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932) or THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (also 1932) to be convinced that Hollywood believed all Asians to be inferior. The dialog in this movie is no exception. When first informed of a killing in Chainatown Ford's character remarks "What do I care about a dead laundryman?". Even MacGillicuddy the friendly cop on the beat down in Chinatown (J. Farrell MacDonald) says things like "Them Chinamen is jabberin' like a room full o' monkeys." and when informed of another death says "Better dead ones than live ones." Sadly this was the attitude of many Americans at the time and this movie, like several others, merely reflects that attitude.

Meanwhile it is a rather good mystery with lots of plots that would do a 12 chapter cliffhanger good with believable villains, good heroes and a plot which never strays too far from believability. Of course Bela's accent is no more Chinese than it was Mexican, Greek, French, German or any other role he had to play in those days but it does lead a touch of exotic authenticity to his role. Obviously turning down the role in FRANKENSTEIN was already beginning to haunt him since Universal loaned him out for this low budget film.

Wallace Ford is quite good as the wisecracking reporter. He fills in the spot left vacant by Lee Tracy after his . . . er . . . "incident" on a Hollywood street and Ford had a niche which he would return to many times in his career.

So is MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG bad? No! Is it a fun film? Yes. Is it worth seeing? Yes! It is 65 minutes well invested in your education into film history and you will not regret it.

Oh, and does Bela's character ever get all 12 coins of Confucius? Now come on, you don't really think I was going to say, did you? Find out for yourself!

This pulp crime fiction, based on a story by Harry Stephen Keeler, is zippy enough and atmospheric enough to make it an okay view. Modern viewers may wince at the level of political incorrectness on display, but sometimes the ignorant characters are properly made to feel embarrassed. Front and centre is horror star Bela Lugosi in the dual role of nefarious Fu Manchu style Chinese villain Fu Wong, and kindly shopkeeper Li See. He wants to obtain the "twelve coins of Confucius" in order to have ultimate power. Following a trail of dead bodies is obnoxious reporter Jay Barton (Wallace Ford), whose investigation leads him to the mysterious Mr. Wong.

Old time movies like this clearly were never meant to be great cinema, but just simple, straightforward, amusing programmers that typically clocked in at barely over an hour. And it IS pretty amusing, provided you know what to expect. Elements of intrigue and suspense are heavily contrasted against a lot of wise ass comedy. Ford, certainly, had put the patent on the sort of character that he plays here, and guys like Barton popped up time and again in such tales. The script is actually pretty funny at times, and with the amount of quips that he utters, it's true that a role like Barton would be a natural for a comedy actor like Chevy Chase.

Lugosi is great fun as always, no matter if his accent rarely sounds like anything other than Hungarian. Ford is a hoot, as is the pretty and tough talking Arline Judge. She plays Peg, his leading lady. E. Alyn Warren is good as a Chinese secret agent, Lotus Long is lovely as Wongs' niece "Moonflower", and Robert Emmett O'Connor is spot on in a deliberately stereotypical portrait of an old Irish beat cop.

Although ultimately forgettable, this offers enough laughs and irreverence to make it pretty easy to take.

Five out of 10.

This film is based on Harry Stephen Keeler's novel Sing Sing Nights. If you think the film is weird, read the book! It also inspired the movie "Sing Sing Nights." For more information on both films, see CULT MOVIES No. 26.

A series of murders happen in Chinatown. Newspaperman Wallace Ford isn't interested in covering a tong war, but he's assigned to the case, which cuts into his dating of switchboard operator Arline Judge. Bela Lugosi, who's playing Wong, is looking for the Twelfth Golden Coin of Confucius which, like all maguffins will let him rule the Chinese province of Keelat and kill tigers in the Scottish highlands.

It's pure pulp, with striking gongs, hordes of futile assassins, mazes and sliding passages beneath Chinatown, and Lugosi smiling jovially as he contemplates sticking bamboo splinters into Miss Judge's fingernails and setting them alight. Ford and Miss Judge banter poorly, and those who play ethnic Chinese like to talk in pidgin English. In fact, the only thing this movie seems to get right is the utter indifference the Caucasians exhibit towards half a dozen deaths in Chinatown.

I think it's possible that director William Nigh thought he was making a burlesque rather than ineptly directing a serious movie. However, if so, he directed the burlesque ineptly.

A few years before Boris Karloff did a series of films for Monogram as a Chinese detective named Mr. Wong, his rival Bela Lugosi starred in this anemically financed film where he was a bad guy with the same name. The Mysterious Mr. Wong has Bela cast as an apparently peaceful Chinese antique dealer, who is causing a whole lot of murders in Chinatown in a quest for some rare coins said to belong to none other than Kung Fu Tze or Confucius as we westerners know him. Possession of these items will give him some kind of legitimacy to rule in the part of China that Confucius called his home town.

Now why in the wide wide world are these coins not in China proper but in America and why these people are being murdered this script leaves out. This is a film that relies on the talents of Bela Lugosi to look and act sinister which Lugosi could do in some of the most ridiculous films ever done.

Wallace Ford as a reporter and girlfriend Arline Judge are the two that bring Lugosi down while on the trail of the story behind the Chinatown murders. Probably the best performance in the film is by character actor Robert Emmett O'Connor who plays the local beat cop in Chinatown who is absolutely clueless about what is going on. His knowledge of the Chinese culture doesn't go beyond ordering take out and he freely admits it.

If Confucius could give us his review of this film he would say stay away and not bother to construct a fortune cookie aphorism to deliver the message.

Not to be Confused with the Boris Karloff "Wong" Detective Monogram Series.

This is a Tuff-Going bit of Yellow-Peril with an Overload of Dated Date-Humor,

Very Limited Sets and Surroundings, with the "Chinese" Players all around 6' Tall.

Bela Lugosi's Hungarian Accent is on Full-Throated Display, and about 1-10 Words Reach the Ear with Clarity or Understanding.

It'a a Typical Talkie Low-Budget Affair with a Dull Display of Chinatown, or for that Matter, most Scenes are Droll and Unremarkable.

The Movie Tries to Up its "Pulp-Magazine" Sensibilities and Reason for Being in the Last Act.

With a Claustrophobic Torture Chamber and "Women in Peril" Lurid Sensationalism.

But it's Too Little Too Late.

Lugosi Fans will be Disappointed, but will Watch Anyway.

Below Average even for Monogram.

Speaking of Monogram...

A High-Light is the Really-Cool Monogram Title Opening.

It's Art-Deco Snazzy.

Like others who have reviewed this film, i must comment on the improbability and sheer weirdness of Bela Lugosi playing a Chinese master criminal / herb shop dealer with his thick Rumanian accent. That being said, i'd like to give a credit to the underrated Lotus Long. She had a beautiful screen presence and is seen to better advantage in "Phantom of Chinatown" with Keye Luke playing the "other" Mr. Wong, but even her small role here is memorable.

Both Long and Lugosi are given fantastically embroidered Chiense Opera costumes to wear (the real thing, not simple silk robes) and the sets are of interest as well, filled with then-contemporary (now "vintage") Asian art, plus a few high-grade antiques.

The true shortcoming of this film is not Lugosi's bizarre turn as a Chinese man, nor the casual racism in the script -- it is the sheer lack of human interest that the other actors display in the deaths of the Chinese carriers of the mysterious ancient coins, a "so-what?" attitude that diminishes the dramatic tension of the plot.

The kind of film Monogram Pictures was famous for. Cheap and fun. Harry Stephen Keeler, popular writer of detective novels in the 20s and 30s, wrote this adventure for Bela Lugosi. Keeler likely was inspired by Boris Karloff's performance in THE MASK OF FU MANCHU a few years earlier, though with a much higher budget at Fox.

Nevertheless, this mini thriller has its moments --and Lugosi -- playing diabolical Mr. Wong, searching for twelve rare oriental coins that will bring him amazing powers. The coins are reportedly secreted in various places in New York's Chinatown, and his league of assasins are on the hunt.

Crusading reporter Wallace Ford senses a hot story and gets caught up in the killings, getting trapped himself by Wong. His companion and assistant is switchboard operator Arline Judge, in a very good role. Judge actually brings a bit of humor to the story amid guns, knives and torture chambers.

Not bad for a low budget entry, and the acting from the three leads is above average. No matter what part he plays, Bela Lugosi makes a terrific villain, this time dressed in oriental robes, sporting a long black moustache. The banter between Ford and Judge is fun stuff, they make a sporty team up against Lugosi's brooding, scene stealing character.

Bela Lugosi's very first film for Monogram, many years before his series of low budget chillers for them and producer Sam Katzman. What sets this apart from the rest is a bit more class, and a few higher grade sets, much in the style of WHITE ZOMBIE. Not to be confused with the MR. WONG detective series (also produced by Monogram) starring Boris Karloff.

One goof; Wong ties up Ford and Judge in a room that happens to have a telephone? The ending with Wong's fingers clutching the door handle, likely suggested or improvised by Lugosi himself from his silent film days. Lugosi followed this with MGM's elaborate MARK OF THE VAMPIRE.

Roan Group has issued a very good remastered print of the film, and in a cool box set. Thanks to RETRO TV for rerunning this oldie lately.

I'm not sure whom of five people to hate: the director? one or more of the people given the writing credits? In any event, this is one of those movies that fairly actively insults the viewer by having the ostensible hero repeatedly be implausibly foolish -- as if drunk through-out the entire story. On top of this, the movie is awash with offensive ethnic stereotypes, and with obviously Caucasian actors pretending to be Chinese by looking filthy and acting sub-human. The Chinatown is made to seem as if it were literally over-run with villains, so that Wong's henchmen are to be found on every balcony and in most doorways. The banter between the hero and his love interest is not so much a volley of witticisms as it is an inept logomachy.

I paused the movie repeatedly, wanting to recover from sequences of stupidity before slogging onward.