Book review - "Stopover Tokyko" by John P Marquand (warning: spoilers)

This last Moto novel got some good reviews but I found it dull. Like most of the others it's about an American guy and girl in a foreign country, with Moto running in and out of the story. Unlike the others the American isn't an innocent or a newbie spy he's a professional spy - a particularly dull chap, who has a dull romance with his girl, Ruth. There's far too much chat between these two (philosophical and dreary as opposed to sexy) and not enough action/suspense.

There's some good baddies, excellent description of Japan after the war, and a decent ending because Ruth is kidnapped and killed instead of being rescued.

It feels very different to the movie of the same name, which had no Moto.

Book review - "Last Laugh, Mr Moto" by John P Marquand (1942)

You think World War Two would make a Mr Moto automatically more interesting but this was a hard slog despite the interesting setting of the Caribbean. Though what a Japanese agent is doing there is confusing.

The hero is another drunken American. His boat is hired by a mysterious couple who want to take him to an island. The characters are uninteresting the action unsuspenseful.

Book review #4 - "Mr Moto is So Sorry" by John P Marquand

For me this was a return to form after Think Fast Mr Moto in part because of its interesting setting - Peiking, and an expedition to find buried treasure in the Mongolian desert (I wonder if this inspired the film of Thank You Mr Moto).

It's also got a more compelling American-male-aboard-who-gets-involved-with-Moto protagonist - a man who has embezzled money from his family. He romances the standard exotic woman and once more it's not that compelling - I wonder if its me, or Marquand. Again there is excellent action that you want more of. This has a long page count.

The support characters are very strong - a Japanese officer who is a rival for Moto (more militaristic but respect worthy), a local prince, a super smart Russian intelligence officer, and a Western officer who works for the Prince... who is an Australian! He keeps asking for a "lucifer" to light his cigarette!  Must have been based on a real person. Great to see an Aussie baddy.

There's massive stakes here - a possible war between Japan and Russia over Japanese expansion in Manchuria. The book is a bit sympathetic to Japanese expansion! Well the Japanese do win and the Americans are impotent. It's kind of a downer book with Moto triumphing. Overlong but a good entry.

Movie review - Moto#8 - "Mr Moto Takes a Vacation" (1938) ** (re-watching)

The last in the series - though actually filmed before Mr Moto on Danger Island. I found this hard going. It started very well, with an archeological site digging and raiding the tomb of the Queen of Sheba. But then the action shifts to San Francisco and really bogs down.

It's not exotic - the production values have trimmed right down. Moto goes to Chinatown but it's not as impressive as the Chinatown in the opening of Think Fast Mr Moto. The male and female leads are drippy though neither have much to play.  There is far, far, far too much of Moto's idiot British friend - I didn't mind this sort of character in Mr Moto Takes a Chance because he wasn't in the film too much and made things worse for Moto, but this bloke (different actor playing basically same role) is just annoying as hell.

Lionel Atwill adds some class to the support but his part isn't big enough. All the tough talking gangsters and scenes with flashing neon signs in the background make this feel more like a Charlie Chan picture.

The best thing about it is the finale - there's a terrific confrontation/reveal with the killer in a darkened museum followed by a terrific fight. But too little too late.

Movie review - Moto#7 - "Mr Moto in Danger Island" (1939) **1/2 (re-watching) (warning: spoilers)

The weakest Moto movies with Peter Lorre were the last two. This was actually filmed last but released before Mr Moto Takes a Vacation. Its based on a non-Moto novel, and has a serviceable plot but feels tired.

Its set on Puerto Rico, which would normally be a plus but its depiction here isn't very evocative - I get the feeling Fox were starting to trim the budgets, and production values were normally a big appeal. There is a pretty cool swamp and caves.

The support cast is strong - Amanda Duff is sweet (she married Philip Dunne), and there's Douglas Dumbrille, Leon Ames and Jean Herscholt.  The story is quite clever and I didn't mind the comic relief wrestler. The romantic male lead is particularly wet. I did like Herscholt being revealed as the baddy.

It was just all a bit undercooked for me. Maybe it was because it was directed by Herbert Leeds instead of Norman Foster.

Movie review - Moto#6 - "Mr Moto's Last Warning" (1938) ***1/2 (re-watching)

Very good Moto film, one of the best. It's got the strongest villains, and the highest stakes, and ties in with real world shenanigans. It's got the best death and Moto really has to work hard to triumph. There's also no wet "heroic" romantic male lead. Every role has some meat on it. There is a silly ass sidekick for comic relief but I didn't mind him because it's his idiocy that causes trouble for Moto.

The villains: Ricardo Cortez as a smart villainous ventriloquist; George Sanders is always worth watching, as a monocle wearer; Leyland Hogson.

The deaths in this have impact - John Carradine, as a fellow agent, is sent to the bottom of the ocean in a chilling sequence. Also there's a guy who impersonates Moto who is killed.

Virginia Field, irritating in the first Moto film, has a decent role here to play - of a woman who realises her lover is a spy - and does well.

The villain's plot is great - they want to blow up a French ship in Port Said, run by the British - to cause trouble between France and Britain (this actually happened in the war when British ships sunk French ones).

It's a very good Moto.

Movie review - Moto#4 - "Mr Moto Takes a Chance" (1938) ***

The second film shot in the series but for some reason the fourth released. Not sure why. It's an imperial adventure more than a detective mystery - Moto is running around Cambodia making sure the locals don't overthrow the French.

He teams up with a visiting British aviatrix who jumps out of a plane and works for British intelligence, two visiting American cameraman, a rajah. Moto pretends to be a guru and an archelogist and there's pits and executions and a finale where the goodies are under siege in a temple.

The extras budget is amusingly blown early on and at the end there's only a few cast members but the film's ambition is endearing and the sets are good.

I liked the cast - Chick Chandler's comic relief camera guy didn't grate, and Robert Kent and Rochelle Hudson were enjoyable juveniles, and the villains were strong.

Movie review - Moto#5 - "Mysterious Mr Moto" (1938) **1/2 (re-watching) (warning: spoilers)

This gets off to a great start with Moto escaping from Devil's Island but instead of keeping things in the third world he heads off to boring old studio London and hangs around. I go back and forth over what I think of this one. I mean there's some good stuff - the opening escape, the novelty of seeing Aussie Mary Maguire in a role (hearing her accent when her character gets upset), Henry Wilcoxon adding some name value to the support cast, the reveal the upper class twit is the baddie. Leon Ames adds some support cast class. There's a striking scene where Moto encounters racial prejudice at an English pub - the bar guy charges him more and the others mock him.

But it's stiff - a bit stagey. Wilcoxon's character is a dull idiot. Maguire doesn't have anything much to do other than love Wilcoxon. The film lacks a bit of verve. Energy. I mean it's okay. Just not great. Needed another twist or something.

Movie review - Moto#3 - "Mr Moto's Gamble" (1937) *** (warning: spoilers) (re-viewing)

The Mr Moto series took a detour with this one - its not very exotic, being set in San Francisco, and concerns a good old fashioned rigged boxing match/death in the ring with gangsters. It's completely fine, just more familiar - explained by the fact it was a Charlie Chan film, which was rewritten as a Moto when Warner Oland fell ill (he later died).

So we have some Chan-like comic relief in the form of Chan's son, played by Keye Luke, and a dumb boxed played by Maxie Rosembloom. Lynn Bari is on hand as a wisecracking press gal who loves a boxer Dick Baldwin suspected of murder; Jayne Regan is the classy girl. I enjoyed the finale with a rigged gun and Moto using a father's love to expose himself as the killer.

I wish Bari's part had been bigger and she could've carried more of the comic relief. Lon Chaney Jr is apparently in it. Ward Bond is easier to spot, as a boxer.

Entertaining, solid mystery - just not really "moto".

Movie review - Moto#2 - "Thank You, Mr Moto" (1937) ***1/2

Fantastic Moto film which benefits from very exotic locations - it starts in the Gobi desert with someone trying to kill Moto in a tent, then spends the rest of its running time in Peking. The storyline is strikingly non-American - there is a male American "hero", played by Thomas Beck (who performed that function in the first film, though he's a different character here) but he could be completely cut out of the film and it wouldn't affect the story! There is an American girl, played by Jayne Regan, who does perform some plot function because the main baddy falls for her, causing the main baddy's (Sidney Blackmer's) love interest (Nedda Harrington) to get jealous. Other characters in it are Russians or Chinese.

The emotional heart of the film is the Chinese family who own Genghis Khan scrolls and are tempted to sell them - Philip Anh and Pauline Frederick (yes Frederick is in yellow face like Lorre which is unfortunate). Anh is tempted, Frederick is angry, she gets shot, Anh kills himself in shame, Lorre vows to avenge them, and does so, destroying the scrolls -it's good meaty dramatic stuff and quite unexpected.

John Carradine has a small but juicy role as an antiques dealer who gets shot.

Movie review - Moto#1 - "Think Fast Mr Moto" (1937) *** (re-viewing)

Had a hankering to rewatch these again because I always have enjoyed them even though I absolutely acknowledge the dodginess of Peter Lorre in yellow face. Mind you is Moto the only Japanese hero from a Hollywood studio film? As in, the actual lead, first on the call sheet, all that stuff, not a support? I wouldn't be surprised if he was. And it feels slightly less dodgy because Moto dresses up in so many disguises (I completely acknowledge I'm a white man writing this and it may be far more offensive to other people).

I liked the fast pace of these films - Norman Foster directed - and the stories were pretty good. I loved the studio backlot exotica - Chinatown in San Francisco, on board a liner, Shanghai. The production values feel really strong - Fox didn't stint, there's lots of detailed sets (shops, night clubs) and extras and so on.

The cast is, on the whole, strong. Lorre has star power and Sig Rumann and Murray Kinnell offer strong support. There's a decent Asian support role - Lotus Long (a Japanese actress who often passed as Chinese) as a girl romanced by Moto who helps him out and is shot dead warning the police. You lady killer, Moto!

I've read the original novel - lots of changes made, but it uses some of the same names, and kind of follows the template of the books, which were normally about an American abroad who meets a girl and gets involved in adventures with Moto popping up along the way. Only this film is told from Moto's point of view whereas the books were told from the American man's point of view.

Thomas Beck is okay as the guy - he starts out as a drunk, like the hero of the first Moto novel, but gets sober and responsible disappointingly quick, once he meets mysterious Virginia Field, who is poor, even though she gets to sing a song. But it's a solid start to the series.

Book review - Moto#3 - "Think Fast, Mr Moto" by John P Marquand

The third published but the first filmed - and it did use some of the novel, not a lot but some, notably a few character names. I wasnt wild about this book - it's about a quite dull hero, another American abroad but in this case someone who works for his family's company, who travels from China to the less interesting Hawaii to shut down a plantation. It's managed by a girl who shares his surname but they're not closely related which is confusing. Far too many pages are devoted to their dull relationship as they chat. There's some intrigue - it turns out the plantation is being used to funnel money in the Japanese-China fight in Manchuria. Moto is on hand and he triumphs so really the "hero" is being used to help Japanese occupation in Manchuria. Nice! (not). There's some okay action at the end but this book lost me by then.

Book review - Moto#2 - "Thank You Mr Moto" by John P Marquand (1936)

A very solid Moto - some say its the best in the series in part because of some evocative writing describing Peking in the mid 30s. This is very good, and there's some very well done action scenes too  - you wish there was more of these instead of the more philosophical chat stuff. (This seems to happen with thriller writers - they're good at action but can't resist characters waffling on.)

The hero is a new American, a guy living in Peking, who gets caught up in a racket of selling Chinese artefacts, run by a British major who is killed. Structurally it follows the first book in the series - American caught up in conspiracy, mystery girl, an early murder, Mr Moto popping in an out, support cast of orientals. The lead character is less interesting here because he starts out good and is always basically good. Moto is more sympathetic, working for the dove faction in Japanese politics, against an agent who works for the hawk faction. Still a good book.

Book review - Moto#1 - "No Exit" by John P Marquand (1936)

The first Mr Moto novel, not very long. Written by Marquand, who once had a strong reputation but seems to be little read these days. He's a good writer - a relaxed, skilled style, a little like Maugham. Very easy to read, and I like the more internationalist aspect of it.

The story is about an American pilot, a one time war hero turned drunk (so an actual decent role for a hero) who goes to Japan for a job which falls through. Secret agent Mr Moto offers him a gig basically spying on America for Japan - this book is a fascinating historical document because it's all about the rivalry between the US and Japan in the Pacific and their growing empires.

There's a mystery girl, a Russian (who I expected to die but lives), a dead body on a ship, a crisis of confidence for the hero who decides to be good, a rival force in the from of a smooth Chinese gangster who is an enemy of Moto, a hidden formula for oil as the macguffin.

Marquand has a gift for action and suspense, like the scenes on the boat - the book could have done with more of them. The drunken hero gives extra meat. Moto pops in at various intervals - it's not his story but he is a memorable character.

Book review - "Foxy Lady: The Authorised Biography of Lynn Bari" by Jeff Gordon (2010)

A biography of Lynn Bari - why? But, when you think about it, why not? Bari was a very likeable, capable performer who did sterling work over a number of years, and is still remembered by buffs today for some excellent "other woman" parts in Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives.

There was more to her career than that of course - a long apprenticeship in Fox's B unit, becoming known as Queen of the Bs: few of these films gathered any sort of serious critical renown (though she popped up in Charlie Chans, Mr Motos and Michael Shaynes). She never quite became a star - Gordon argues she was kind of was one around the time of The Magnificent Dope, Moon Over Her Shoulder and Tampico. But she never really headlined a big hit and crashed through to the next level the way, say, Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Gene Tierney and Anne Baxter did.

Why that didn't happen is one of the things tackled by Gordon in his excellent, comprehensive biography, which benefits from extensive interviews with Bari. She was a co operative, hard working, highly professional actress who seemed to get along with most people. But her mother was a drunk who had a habit of calling the studio and complaining about her. She also had shocking taste in men, marrying agent Walter Kane who ripped her off and gave her bad advice, then Sidney Luft, who did exactly the same. Part of her appeal for producers was her placid nature but then she started complaining about roles and money at a time when (post WW2) the studios were reducing their contract lists.

Her decline as a film star/name was perhaps inevitable, even if she'd had that hit or two - but it's a shame she never got a great "second act" like a hit play or TV series. She tried a few series and did a lot of theatre and guest roles but never crashed through. Her protracted and vicious divorce/custody dispute with Luft may have had something to do with that, but it was also age and circumstance. Still she was rarely out of work.

The latter part of her life is depressing. After two dud marriages with agent types she hooked up with a shrink, who didn't like her to work, cheated on her, wasn't generous during the divorce settlement. She became an alcoholic, had a lot of health problems (an intense cigarette habit didn't help), stopped working... On the bright side, she had a lot of friends, had a good relationship with her son, kept her marbles to the end. And she became friends with Gordon, who interviewed her for what became this book, so that must have made her feel good.

This is a loving, affectionate look at Bari, with solid scholarship behind it. It presents a favourable interpretation of Bari's flaws (appalling taste in men, poor financial nous, etc) but doesn't obscure them. I particularly enjoyed the stuff about Fox's B movie unit, about which I knew little (apart from the Chans and Motos). It's a sad to read at times, but I'm glad she got a book.

Movie review - "Stopover Tokyo" (1957) **

Robert Wagner was lucky to be a film star, really - he had boy next door looks and was under contract to a studio, 20th Century Fox, who needed a juvenile they could groom as the next Tyrone Power, so they gave him a lot of chances, but he could never carry a film, as proved by this thriller.

You can say "the material is crap" but a real star can carry a crap thriller - like Alan Ladd, or William Holden or John Wayne or Burt Lancaster. Wagner's too lightweight, too young, and child looking - for all the cigarettes he smokes and cynical dialogue he spits out. (It's a different matter on TV where Wagner is a star.)

This was based on a novel by John Marquand which was originally a Mr Moto novel. There's no Moto in the film, which is a shame as it would've given the movie some kick. It does have location shooting in Japan - something very common in the 50s (eg House of Bamboo, Sayonara).

Wagner is never convincing as a US agent investigating an attempt to assassinate the US High Commissioner (who, conveniently, really really doesn't seem to care someone is after him). There's a pointless set up where Wagner's ID is held off, a bunch of mediocre investigation scenes, an unconvincing rivalry with fellow agent Ken Scott (even more beige than Wagner), a whimpy romance with receptionist Joan Collins (torn between two men and not really essential for story).

The most effective bit is a plot where a Japanese agent is killed and Wagner discovers he has a ten year old daughter and can't bring himself to tell her that dad's dead. Hokey, sure, but actually moving (because the girl doesn't have anyone).

I also quite liked the end where Wagner has to pretend to be a photographer to get to the flame in time to stop the assassination - then chucks the explosive away. It is pretty to look at, and there is some novelty in watching Wagner so miscast.

Movie review – “Journey into Fear” (1943) ***1/2

Made by Orson Welles’ Mercury Productions at the same time as Magnificent Ambersons; it’s not as highly regarded a film (the director – despite attempts to disprove this – was Norman Foster) but to be honest it is more fun to watch. This was cut about too but lacks the romance of Amberson’s “if only” post-production story

There is still plenty of imagination and avante garde stuff – an intriguing opening sequence, with a pre-credit scene of an assassin getting ready (Jack Moss who doesn’t talk; brilliant), odd credits (Joseph Cotten’s screenplay credit up the front, Welles billed down on the cast list), strange soft-spoken narration (apparently put in at RKO’s request and not really needed - it adds some atmosphere at first but soon becomes irritating). It has plenty of Welles touches, including a magic show and Dolores del Rio (in a leopard outfit some of the time), plus a terrific fight at the end in the rain on a ledge.

Cotten plays an American arms dealer in Turkey to make a sale who finds people are trying to kill him. I think Cotten is meant to be an innocent abroad – that’s how the role is played – but he is an arms dealer, even if he’s out of his element, so you don’t feel too sorry for him. There are lots of shady types running around, just like in a Mr Moto film (of which Foster directed a number). Indeed, this plays like a Moto film done with some A list talent, with Welles’s Turkish police chief being like Moto.

Welles has a lot of presence as always but his performance is pretty dreadful (as he himself admitted). He is compensated by good work from Cotten and the support cast, including Agnes Moorehead and Moss. The film starts very well but does get bogged down on the boat with Cotten spending too much time walking around going “someone’s trying to kill me” without anything else happening (it feels like it needed another plot or something)

Radio review - Suspense – “A Moment of Darkness” (1943) ** (warning: spoilers)

Peter Lorre takes a while to appear in this but once he does he makes up for lost time with an entertaining performance as a clairvoyant who is probably shonky and trying to rip off a woman in Monte Carlo. Before then, George Zucco also on hand to add some smooth villainy (or is it smooth heroism) in an entertaining mystery. Lorre’s revelation at the end that he’s undercover is reminiscent of the Mr Moto films.

Movie review – Moto #8 – “Mr Moto Takes a Vacation” (1939) **1/2

The last of the Peter Lorre Moto’s, although actually made before Danger Island (and Henry Silva played the character in The Return of Mr Moto). This film ticks a lot of boxes: the plot revolves around jewel theft and ancient archaeological discoveries, Moto has a silly ass friend (a staple of 30s B picture detective movies... indeed the silly ass refers to their London adventure together but it's not a character who was in Mysterious Mr Moto), Lionel Atwill and Virginia Field are in the support cast, there’s a scene where Moto arranges to meet someone in a restaurant and they have a knife in their back.

It’s a pretty good entry in the series – some atmospheric use of rain, a satisfactory revelation of the killer (who proves as deft with the make up as Moto). It is a bit city bound, stuck in dull Chicago, with most of the exotic stuff (in the desrt(. However the final segment which takes place all over the one rainy night has a lot of suspense and the fight in the museum – with Moto and his adversary knocking over tombs and what-not – is very effective. Norman Foster was a good director.

There is some novelty in the fact that there are three different groups of antagonists, and this movie introduces a Moriarty type nemesis for Moto. The problem is he wears make up so obvious it's no surprise as to who he is. A particularly dull pair of juveniles too - who cares about the explorer or his girlfriend? In hindsight you can see energy running out of the film so maybe it was a good thing it would up.

Movie review - Moto #7 - "Danger Island" (1938) **1/2

I'm not sure what the title of this is meant to be - plain old Danger Island or Mr Moto in Danger Island. It was the second last in the series and the second not directed by Norman Foster; like the other one, Mr Moto's Gamble, you can tell - also set in Puerto Rico, there is hardly any exotic feel (were they trying to save money? Or just slack). Most of the cast seem plain old American and it feels as though it could have just as easily been set on Catalina Island.

Also Moto has a comic sidekick most of the time, a "loveable lunk" wrestler who wants Moto to teach him jiu jitsu. This feels very like a reworked Charlie Chan script, with the wrestler standing in for Number One Son: Moto is very much a straight up detective (they throw in a little mystery at the end with Moto pretending to pretend to be an imposter) but its resolved very quickly, and there's a Charlie Chan style finale with the main suspects gathered for cross examination.

Douglas Dumbrille is in the cast and so too is Leon Ames - did two actors ever look so alike (doesn't help they both wear white suits). Jean Hersholt adds some class as a suspect and the fights with Peter Lorre's unconvincing double doing ju jujitsu are fun as always. Amanda Duff is the female lead - she's pretty and likeable and went on to marry Philip Dunne in real life.

The story isn't that much - boring old smugglers - and feels anti climactic after previous films involving blowing up French fleets and Genghis Khan's treasure. Also it felt particularly easy to figure out the identity of the big baddie. It's minor Moto.

On the good side though the action does pump along well enough, the acting is pretty strong, and I particularly enjoyed the scene in the swamp.