Michael_Elliott The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939) ** 1/2 (out of 4)An antique dealer comes into possession of a rare Chinese artifact and before long he is dead. At first it appears to have been a stunt gone wrong but soon Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff) realizes that it was murder but was it connected to the artifact?THE MYSTERY OF MR. WONG was the second of six films that Monogram did in the series. If you're a fan of the first then you'll probably enjoy this one, although there's no question that it's not quite as good. Still, for a "B" movie from this era there are enough entertaining moments to make it worth watching and especially if you're a fan of Karloff.As you'd expect, Karloff is the main reason to watch the picture as he turns in another good performance as Mr. Wong. He's certainly not believable as an Asian but I guess this was to be expected. With that said, he doesn't even appear to be trying to come across as Asian but I still enjoyed his performance for the laid-back approach that he took with the character. Grant Withers returns as Captain Street but the screenplay doesn't offer him as good as a role. The supporting cast is mostly good with the exception of Dorothy Tree who plays the victim's wife.The biggest issue with this film is the fact that the story itself isn't quite as interesting as that of the first film. There's really not as many interesting supporting characters and this here takes away from the whole film. With that said, it's a "B" movie and on that level it's entertaining enough for what it is.

utgard14 Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff) attends a party where the host is murdered right in front of him. The host was kind of a d-bag and a thief who had stolen Chinese antiques in his possession. But still, Mr. Wong investigates to find out who killed him. As with any Wong movie, Karloff is the main reason to see it. Valerie Tree plays to the balcony. Ham city, kids. Craig Reynolds isn't much better, at least when he's with her. Every scene the two share is played like Romeo & Juliet. Grant Withers once again plays the police detective. He's less grumpy here than in his first Wong film. Lotus Long and Chester Gan are good in supporting roles. Decent time-killer. The Wong series was never on par with Charlie Chan but it was generally entertaining.

MartinHafer The Mr. Wong series by Monogram Studios was an attempt by this tiny poverty row studio to cash in on the success of Twentieth-Century Fox's Charlie Chan. In many ways, the two series were very similar, though Wong (played by Boris Karloff) was played less like a stereotypical Asian and the scripts, unfortunately, were generally not as good as the Chan scripts.Here, in a completely average film, Wong is investigating the death of a rich jerk who is proud that he owns a stolen treasure from China. Considering how arrogant and unlikable he is, it isn't at all surprising that he's soon murdered--and in a rather clever way. The actual mystery is only moderately suspenseful by B-mystery film standards, but the film's lack of comic relief may appeal to those who dislike this aspect of the Chan films.As for the acting, this film is unusual in that all the actors were good except for one whose performance really stood out from the rest--it was THAT bad. Dorothy Tree, who played the wife of the murdered man, was simply horrible. Every time she opened her mouth, she over-emoted and enunciated like she was in a diction class. When I checked her biography on IMDb I discovered two things--that she was a reasonably prolific actress AND that she was a singing and diction coach. That really helps to explain her performance as did a quote from Ms. Tree concerning the role of proper diction in advancing feminism--"more resonance, clear speech and a better vocabulary." Well, sometimes more isn't better! A decent time-passer--provided you don't mind wading through Ms. Tree's impassioned acting.By the way, the copy I watched clocked in at 70 minutes--2 minutes longer than the time listed on IMDb.

tedg What's interesting about 30's mysteries is their variety. The business in partnership with viewers were working out the few modes that would survive. Today we are stuck with only a few of the possibilities; everything else feels wrong because of the expectations we bring to them.Its not important that this detective is yet another well known white actor in Chinese makeup. What's important is how complex is the mystery, how much we learn as viewers before the detective does (nothing), and how the solution is unrolled at the end.The notable thing here is how complex the plot is. It is every bit as complex as the Perry Mason things that would come only a little later. But it is ever so much more difficult for us because they've experimented with hiding critical details. If you watch this with modern sensibilities, you'll be baffled.The setup is a great one, folded of course: the murder happens during a game of charades where the actors are acting out a mystery, and the audience is guessing but has no clue.Sweet, that. But otherwise, watch this only if you are a student.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.