''Limehouse Blues'' (also known as ''East End Chant'') is a 1934 American

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

, directed by Alexander Hall. The film is set in the Limehouse district in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

and its

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

. Among the stars of the film were

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

and Anna May Wong. The film is named after the song " Limehouse Blues". It is also known as East End Chant.

Plot

The film starts in a riverfront

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...

in Limehouse. ''The Lily Gardens'', a local club, is owned by Chinese-American immigrant Harry Young. Young uses the club as a center of operations for his lucrative

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

operation. Young is a recent arrival in London, but he has managed to take over crime operations in his area. Rival criminal Pug Talbot is increasingly driven out of business. Talbot is enraged over the situation, and his anger causes him to abuse his own daughter, Toni. The girl has been raised to be a pickpocket and is under her father's control. At one point, Toni is about to be arrested, and Young helps her out. She is grateful for his help and grows very fond of him. Talbot alerts the police about one of Young's operations, in hopes of hurting his rival's business. Toni overhears the plan and warns Young in time. Young manages to evade the police. Talbot is furious at his treacherous daughter and beats her. Young finds out about the abuse and vows revenge against Talbot. Young pretends that he wants to negotiate with Talbot, and invites him for a meeting at his apartment. Talbot accepts the offer, unaware that it is a trap. When Talbot arrives from the meeting, Young has him stabbed to death. The corpse is abandoned in the street. Young offers Toni a job at his organization as a "watchdog", in exchange for room and board. Toni takes the offer and gets hired. Young has a Chinese lover, Tu Tuan, who is suspicious over his relationship with Toni. She believes her lover has fallen in love with the "white girl" and warns him against fruitlessly pursuing her. Worried that a jealous Tu Tuan might hurt Toni, Young removes the pickpocket from his operations. He gives Toni an allowance for her living expenses, which she sees as charity. Away from her life of crime and with free time in her hands, Toni goes sight-seeing in London. She soon befriends pet-shop owner Eric Benton, and starts spending her afternoons with him. Toni and Benton fall in love. Toni starts thinking about getting a job to stop financially depending on Young. Young prevents her from doing so, in fear of losing her. Tu Tuan finds out about Toni's love life and warns Young about it. Tu Tuan derides Young for his unrequited love for a white woman, before ending her own relationship with him. Toni confesses to Benton about her criminal past. Benton visits ''The Lily Gardens'' and asks for an appointment with Young. In response, Young makes arrangements to have Benton killed, in a manner similar to Talbot. Young soon personally goes on a smuggling mission, and has Toni escort him. He is unaware the police are expecting him this time. A distraught Tu Tuan had betrayed him to the police, before committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. During the mission, Toni finds out about Young's plans to have Benton killed. She is terrified for the safety of her loved one. By her reaction, Young realizes that Toni really loves the other man. He decides to call off the murder plans, and tries to warn his hired assassins in time. He is pursued by the police while trying to reach them, and gets mortally wounded by gunfire. Young calls off the murder in time, and manages to clear Toni's name from any involvement in crime. He then dies because of his wounds. Due to Young's self-sacrifice, Toni and Benton are safe and free to further pursue their relationship.

Cast

as Harry Young * Jean Parker as Toni * Anna May Wong as Tu Tuan * Kent Taylor as Eric Benton * Montagu Love as Pug Talbot *

Billy Bevan Billy Bevan (born William Bevan Harris, 29 September 1887 – 26 November 1957) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 American films between 1916 and 1950. Career Bevan was bo ...

as Herb * John Rogers as Smokey * Robert Loraine as Inspector Sheridan *

E. Alyn Warren Edward Alyn Warren (June 2, 1874 – January 22, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1940. In some early silent films he was credited as Fred Warren or E. A. Warren. He was born in Richmond, Vir ...

as Ching Lee *

Wyndham Standing Charles Wyndham Standing''Silent Film Necrology'', 2nd Edition by Eugene Michael Vazzana, c. 2001 page 497 (23 August 1880 – 1 February 1963) was an English film actor. Early years Standing was born in London, England and died in Los An ...

as Assistant Commissioner Kenyon * Louis Vincenot as Rhama * Forrester Harvey as McDonald * Tempe Pigott as Maggie * Eric Blore as Slummer * Robert Adair as Policeman * Desmond Roberts as Constable * Eily Malyon as Woman Who Finds Pug * Colin Tapley as Man Fighting with Wife *

Otto Yamaoka Otto Yamaoka (April 25, 1904 – June 5, 1967) was an American actor and businessman who worked in Hollywood primarily during the 1930s. He was one of only a handful of Japanese-descended actors working in the industry at the time. His sister, Ir ...

as Chinese Waiter on Boat

Production

Development

The working title of the film was ''Limehouse Nights'', which was also the title of a book by Thomas Burke. The role of Toni went through casting changes before filming begun. The role was originally intended for

Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Aca ...

, but she turned down offers to play in the film. Heather Angel was tested for the role, without getting hired. The role was eventually offered to Jean Parker. Parker was under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at the time, and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

had to come to an agreement to get the actress "loaned" to them. Anna May Wong was brought out from England to play an important role. Wong told the press the real Limehouse wasn't "fully Chinese it was more Asiatic." George Raft wore

yellowface Portrayals of East Asians in American film and theatre has been a subject of controversy. These portrayals have frequently reflected an ethnocentric perception of East Asians rather than realistic and authentic depictions of East Asian cultures, c ...

Shooting

Filming took place in October 1934. According to news articles from the 1930s, some scenes of the film were filmed at the port of

San Pedro, Los Angeles San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

. The scenes were reportedly directed by William Shea, who is credited as the

second unit Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...

director. There are some contradictions in the credits of the film. The pressbook of the film mentions Grover Jones among the screenwriters, but not all sources agree. Idwal Jones also reportedly worked on the script. Most sources credit the art direction of the film to

Hans Dreier Hans Dreier (August 21, 1885 – October 24, 1966) was a German motion picture art director. He was Paramount Pictures' supervising art director from 1927 until his retirement in 1950, when he was succeeded by Hal Pereira. Hans Dreier was born i ...

and Robert Usher. However, another source does not mention Usher's involvement. It credits the art direction to Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson. The film reportedly includes genuine " oriental artwork" in its scenes. The pressbook reports that the artwork was provided by importer Tom Gubbins. An early version of the script is preserved at the library files of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It mention the role of "Ching Lee", which was intended for James Wing. During filming the title was changed to ''Limehouse Blues''.

Reception

The film was not a commercial success when first released.Everett Aaker, ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company, 2013 p 52

References

External links

* * * *
Review of film
at New York Times {{Alexander Hall 1934 films 1934 crime films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films about infidelity Films about interracial romance Films directed by Alexander Hall Films set in London Films shot in Los Angeles Limehouse Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Cyril Hume American crime films 1930s American films