Mr. Wong

[Drunk Monk]

Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1938) 
A Chinese detective based on an old book series was made into 6 movies, each short, a little over an hour. Set in SF Chinatown, it was all on studio sets that look nothing like Chinatown. Boris Karloff stars and Jimmy Lee Wong, and it’s absurd. He’s got slant eye makeup, but he’s Boris, a British gentleman, whose pre-Frankenstein look is somehow Asian? I love Boris but this is such an awkward watch. It has not aged well at all.

[Drunk Monk]

Phantom of Chinatown (1940)

This is the sixth and final film of the series. Keye Luke takes over the role who you might remember as a blind Shaolin master Po from the original Kung Fu series. It also stars Lotus Long, who was in the previously watched film, a storied Japanese actress who adopted the Chinese stage name that kept her out of internment in WWII.

This film is astoundingly woke for the times. Luke plays Wong with dignity, portraying him as an American unjustly discriminated against with accusations of collusion and a bridge between the cops and the Tongs. It’s fascinating to see Luke as a young man. Again, it’s a soundstage take on SF Chinatown. And the Eternal Flame treasure SPOILER ALERT is an oil field in China END SPOILER which is more a sign of the times. But it’s amazing to see Luke, a Chinese male, in a Hollywood lead role that early. My respect for Luke has leveled up.