The Fatal Hour is a 1940 murder mystery film in which Captain Street’s best friend Dan Grady is killed. Street seeks help from Chinese detective James Lee Wong and local newspaper reporter Bobbie Logan. This was the fourth installation of the Boris Karloff/Doctor Wong series and was released as Mr. Wong at Headquarters in the UK.
The movie was directed by William Nigh (The Strange Case of Doctor Rx; Black Dragons; The Ape; Doomed to Die; Mr. Wong in Chinatown; The Mystery of Mr. Wong; Mr. Wong, Detective) from a screenplay by Scott Darling and George Waggner [as Joseph West] based on the James Lee Wong series in Collier’s Magazine written by Hugh Wiley.
The Monogram Pictures production stars Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, Marjorie Reynolds, Charles Trowbridge, Frank Puglia, Craig Reynolds, Lita Chevret, Harry Strang, Hooper Atchley and Jason Robards Sr.
Plot [contains spoilers]:
The body of policeman Dan Grady is recovered in the San Francisco bay and with clear indications of an execution. His good friend Captain Street, very touched by the tragedy, asks for the help of Mr. Wong and the journalist Bobbie Logan to solve the mystery.
Dan was carrying out an investigation into gemstone smuggling, and the investigation leads to suspicion of jeweler Frank Belden’s shop. A witness appears who saw Dan at 8.30 pm the night before at the Neptune club, a disreputable place run by Harry Lockett, a well-known cheater, con man and smuggler.
The investigations leads to the discovery of a ring of precious stone trafficking that revolved around the Neptune, in which both the owner and Frank Belden himself, and the vamp Tanya Serova were involved. Slowly, however, all the members of the gang end up killed, and the blame seems to fall on the young Frank Belden Jr., son of the jeweler, and boyfriend of Serova.
Wong himself discovers the cunning ploy devised by the real culprit to frame the young man, so the head of the gang, lawyer John T. Forbes, is arrested by Captain Street thanks to the decisive collaboration of Miss Logan.
Cast and characters:
Boris Karloff as James Lee Wong
Grant Withers as Captain Bill Street
Marjorie Reynolds as Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Logan
Charles Trowbridge as John T. Forbes
Frank Puglia as Harry ‘Hardway’ Lockett
Craig Reynolds as Frank Belden, Jr.
Lita Chevret as Tanya Serova
Harry Strang as Det. Ballard
Hooper Atchley as Frank Belden Sr.
Jason Robards Sr. as Griswold
Richard Loo as Jeweller
Jack Kennedy as Mike, Police Sergeant
Allan Cavan as Radio Station Owner
Harry Harvey as Radio Salesman
Filming locations:
Monogram Studios – 4376 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California
Tech specs:
1h 8m (68 min)
Black and white
Aspect ratio: 1.37: 1
Free online on YouTube [4K UHD]:
Related:
MR. WONG, DETECTIVE Boris Karloff! Crime mystery – free online [4K]
THE MYSTERY OF MR. WONG Boris Karloff! Crime mystery – free online
MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN Boris Karloff! Murder mystery – free on YouTube
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