Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author
John P. Marquand
John Phillips Marquand (November 10, 1893 – July 16, 1960) was an American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for '' ...
. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the ''
Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'', which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death of
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...
's creator
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers (August 26, 1884 – April 5, 1933) was an American novelist and playwright. His novels featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China.
Biogra ...
.
In various other media, Mr. Moto has been portrayed as an international detective. These include eight motion pictures starring
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...
between 1937 and 1939, 23 radio shows starring
James Monks
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
broadcast in 1951, a 1965 film starring
Henry Silva
Henry Silva (September 23, 1926 – September 14, 2022) was an American actor. A prolific character actor, Silva was a regular staple of international genre cinema, usually playing criminals or gangsters. His notable film appearances includ ...
, and a 2003 comic book produced by
Moonstone Books
Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales.
The company began publishing creator-owned com ...
, later reprinted as ''Welcome Back, Mr. Moto''.
Character in the novels
In Marquand's novels, the character calls himself I.A. Moto, and some other characters believe this to be a fairly obvious alias, since "moto" is usually the second part of a Japanese surname, as in Hashimoto. Though Mr. Moto is shrewd, tough and ruthless against his enemies, to most people in most situations he appears to be a harmless eccentric who sometimes calls himself stupid. The main characters in the novels are Westerners who encounter Mr. Moto in the course of their adventures in exotic lands and gradually come to realize what a formidable character he is.
In the first five novels, set in the era of expansionist Imperial Japan, Mr. Moto is an agent of the empire. In the final novel, set in the 1950s inside Japan, he is a senior intelligence official in the pro-Western Japanese government.
Physical description
He is physically described in ''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'':
Mr. Moto was a small man, delicate, almost fragile. … He was dressed formally in a morning coat and striped trousers. His black hair was carefully brushed in the Prussian style. He was smiling, showing a row of shiny gold-filled teeth, and as he smiled he drew in his breath with a polite, soft sibilant sound.
This basic description carries through most of the novels, with a slightly different description in ''Right You Are, Mr. Moto'', set 20 years later than the other novels. In this novel he is described as "middle aged", and his hair as being "grayish and close-clipped." In two novels, Marquand describes Mr. Moto's build as "chunky".
He is often described as wearing formal evening clothes that are impeccably tailored. On occasion his sartorial style is somewhat misguided such as in ''
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry'' when he appears in black-and-white checked sports clothes with green and red golf stockings. When his outfits are commented upon, Mr. Moto makes excuses. In ''Stopover: Tokyo'', he is said to have the imposing dignity of his
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
forebears when dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.
Speech
In the prewar novels, Moto speaks a faintly comic English, with elaborate 'Oriental'-style politeness, with misuse of the
definite and indefinite articles. In ''Stopover: Tokyo'', the final novel, he works directly with U.S. intelligence agents and speaks to them in perfect English, possibly suggesting his linguistic errors are simply a device to make people underestimate him.
Personal life
Mr. Moto rarely discusses his personal life but in ''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' he talks about his many talents.
Yes, I can do many, many things. I can mix drinks and wait on table, and I am a very good valet. I can navigate and manage small boats. I have studied at two foreign universities. I also know carpentry and surveying and five Chinese dialects. So very many things come in useful.
In ''
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry'' he states that one of the foreign universities was in America where he studied
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
. It is noted in this novel that he has enough knowledge of America to distinguish regional accents.
The novels generally involve a romance between the main character (often a disenfranchised expatriate American) and a mysterious woman. While Mr. Moto often despairs of the hero's attempts at saving the girl, he notes in ''
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry'' that he himself is not immune to their charms.
"So often", he said, "I have seen such gracious ladies disrupt political combinations." He sighed and still stared at the ceiling seemingly lost in memory. "Such a lovely girl in Washington – I was so much younger then. She sold me the navy plans of a submarine. The price was thirty thousand yen. When the blueprints came, they were of a tugboat. Such a lovely lady. Such a lovely lady in Tokyo. She took me to see the goldfish in her garden, and there were the assassins behind the little trees. Not her fault, but theirs that I am still alive – they were such poor shots. I do not understand lovely ladies, but I still trust them sometimes."
Politics
While he is a devoted servant of the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
, he is often at odds with the Japanese military. He believes in the manifest destiny of the Japanese expansion into China, but unlike the military, wants to achieve this slowly and carefully. Millicent Bell in her biography of
John P. Marquand
John Phillips Marquand (November 10, 1893 – July 16, 1960) was an American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for '' ...
notes how this may have influenced the audience:
There is political significance, too, in the calculated appeal to American readers of the ever resourceful Mr. Moto, the representative of Eastern subtlety combined with Western efficiency, who emerges as a gentleman of wit and charm. This characterization had to survive some anti-Japanese sentiment that followed Japan's invasion of China in 1937. Up to 1939 it may have seemed possible, especially to those Americans unaware of or indifferent to the atrocities of the Japanese military in China, that Japan would be moderate and reasonable in its expansion in the Far East and that the Mr. Motos would defeat the Japanese military fanatics. Pearl Harbor ended American neutrality and American hopes for Japanese moderation, but not before Marquand's Moto series had become one of the most popular fictions ever to be run in an American magazine.
Novels
*''
Your Turn, Mr. Moto'' (aka ''No Hero'' and ''Mr. Moto Takes a Hand'' (British edition)) (1935) – Originally serialized in the ''
Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' in 1935 under the title ''No Hero''.
*''
Thank You, Mr. Moto'' (1936) – Originally serialized in the ''
Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' in 1936. An expatriate American gets involved in intrigue in Peking when he tries to save an American woman from unscrupulous art dealers. Moto tries to save them both from a military takeover of Peking.
*''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' (1937) – Originally serialized in the ''
Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' in 1936. The heir to an American banking firm is sent to
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
to clear up a family matter involving a gambling house. Moto is also drawn to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
to stop money being channeled into China to support revolutionaries.
*''
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry'' (1938) – Originally serialized in the ''
Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' in 1938. An American on the run from authorities encounters Moto on a train journey through China. Moto is on his way to a life-or-death showdown with Russian spies and draws the hapless American into the situation when a secret message accidentally falls into the possession of a beautiful woman.
*''Last Laugh, Mr. Moto'' (1942) – Originally serialized in ''
Collier's Weekly
''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...
'' in 1941 under the title ''Mercator Island''. After Pearl Harbor the character of Moto was "interned for the duration" by the author. This novel, set in the Caribbean, had already been written prior to Pearl Harbor and was published afterward.
*''Right You Are, Mr. Moto'' (aka ''Stopover: Tokyo'' and ''The Last of Mr. Moto'') (1957) – This Cold War tale, different in several ways from its predecessors, was originally serialized in the ''
Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' in 1956 and 1957 under the title ''Rendezvous in Tokyo''. The original book was called ''Stopover: Tokyo'' and subsequent editions were called ''The Last of Mr. Moto'' and finally ''Right You Are, Mr. Moto''.
[The Mr. Moto Novels of James P. Marquand](_blank)
Anthologies/"omnibus"
*''Mr. Moto's Three Aces'' (1939) reprints ''Thank You, Mr. Moto''; ''Think Fast, Mr. Moto''; and ''Mr. Moto Is So Sorry''.
*''Thank You, Mr. Moto'' and ''Mr. Moto Is So Sorry'' from ''The Saturday Evening Post'', published by The Curtis Publishing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1977
*''Mr. Moto: Four Complete Novels'' (1983) reprints ''Your Turn, Mr. Moto''; ''Think Fast, Mr. Moto''; ''Mr. Moto Is So Sorry''; and ''Right You Are, Mr. Moto''.
Character in the films
Between 1937 and 1939 eight motion pictures were produced by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
starring
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...
as Mr. Kentaro Moto.
Unlike in the novels, Moto is the central character, a detective with Interpol, wears glasses (and has no gold teeth), and is a devout Buddhist (and friendly with the Chinese monarchy). He is impeccably dressed in Western suits. The stories are action-oriented due to Moto's skill with
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
(only hinted at in the novels) and due to his tendency to wear disguises.
In early 1938, there was some press talk that Moto would be turned into a Korean due to controversy over Japanese foreign policy, but this did not happen. By April there was talk the series would soon wind up.
Abilities
In the film ''
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto.
The film is an original story featuring the character created by John P. Marquand.
Plot
The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval ...
'' a list is shown which describes him as:
*Age 35–40
*
Jiu-Jutsu and
Judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
expert
*Uses various disguises
*International police
*Adept at stage illusion/magic
*Usually works alone
*Able to walk silently
*Known to use doubles
Throughout the films other abilities have been noted:
*
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...
*Able to speak at least four languages (English,
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, German, and Japanese)
*Devout Buddhist who knows traditional chants and religious rites
*Composes
haiku
is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or se ...
*Draws caricatures
*Plays the
shamisen
The , also known as the or
(all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi.
The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...
*Knows how to cure a hangover
Occupation
The motion picture Mr. Moto is described as an agent for
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
.
In the first film, ''
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' is a 1937 film directed by Norman Foster and featuring a mysterious Japanese detective named Mr. Moto. It is the first of eight films in the Mr. Moto series, all based on the character Mr. Moto created by John P. Marqu ...
'', he reveals that he is the managing director of the Dai Nippon Trading Company and had decided to investigate the smuggling activities that were harming his business. He claims to be a detective "only as a hobby."
[Quote from '']Think Fast, Mr. Moto
''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' is a 1937 film directed by Norman Foster and featuring a mysterious Japanese detective named Mr. Moto. It is the first of eight films in the Mr. Moto series, all based on the character Mr. Moto created by John P. Marqu ...
''. In the second film, ''
Thank You, Mr. Moto'', the definition of his occupation/hobby begins to get murky. He tells a woman that he is an importer whose hobby is detective work, but only after showing her his identification which indicates he is a Confidential Agent for the International Association of Importers. However, in a climactic chase sequence he flashes a badge at a guard and says that he is from the International Police (understood as Interpol).
In subsequent films Mr. Moto works for private organizations such as the Diamond Syndicate (''Danger Island'') as well as for world governments (''
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto.
The film is an original story featuring the character created by John P. Marquand.
Plot
The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval ...
'' and ''Mr. Moto Takes a Chance'')-- but only when it is in Japan's interests.
As a member of the International Police, he garners respect from local police around the world. In London,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, and San Francisco he is given full cooperation for his investigations. In ''
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto.
The film is an original story featuring the character created by John P. Marquand.
Plot
The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval ...
'' he works side by side with
British Secret Service
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence ...
agents and in ''Mr. Moto Takes a Chance'' he is spying for an unknown government agency. He is known for his close relationship to the Chinese Royal Family.
Personal life
Mr. Moto's personal life is rarely touched upon. In ''
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' is a 1937 film directed by Norman Foster and featuring a mysterious Japanese detective named Mr. Moto. It is the first of eight films in the Mr. Moto series, all based on the character Mr. Moto created by John P. Marqu ...
'' he tells Bob Hitchings that he went to
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, graduating in 1921 as an honorary member. There, he set a pole vaulting record and was a member of the fraternity Alpha Omega.
In the movies, Mr. Moto travels a great deal and manages to have his cat, Chunkina, along for the journey. Besides his cat, the women in his life include Lela Liu (played by
Lotus Long
Lotus may refer to:
Plants
*Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly:
** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae
**Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...
in the film ''
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' is a 1937 film directed by Norman Foster and featuring a mysterious Japanese detective named Mr. Moto. It is the first of eight films in the Mr. Moto series, all based on the character Mr. Moto created by John P. Marqu ...
''), a hotel telephone operator whom he asks out on a date, and who proves to be an agent who helps him in his investigation. In ''Mysterious Mr. Moto'', an agent, Lotus Liu (also played by Lotus Long, credited as Karen Sorrell), pretends to fall for his charms so they can be alone to compare notes in their investigation. Like his literary counterpart, Kentaro Moto believes that a "Beautiful girl is only confusing to a man",
but has been known to use a woman's emotions to aid his cause. In ''
Thank You, Mr. Moto'', he tells the disillusioned Madame Tchernov, "I am so grateful for your suspicious nature. It is not the first time a woman's jealousy has been fatal to the man she loved."
Mr. Moto is charming and polite (even to rude or obnoxious people). He is respectful of other cultures, but sometimes makes wry comments. For instance, in ''
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
''Think Fast, Mr. Moto'' is a 1937 film directed by Norman Foster and featuring a mysterious Japanese detective named Mr. Moto. It is the first of eight films in the Mr. Moto series, all based on the character Mr. Moto created by John P. Marqu ...
'', he derails the drunken American's party tricks with a little judo. After putting the tipsy Bob Hitchings to bed, he sadly shakes his head and says, "Strange people these Americans."
Mr. Moto's religion is never stated; but in ''
Thank You, Mr. Moto'', when his friend Prince Chung (played by Phillip Ahn) dies, it becomes clear Mr. Moto is a devout Buddhist, as he chants expertly before the statue of the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
while holding the prince in his arms.
The family crest or
mon on Mr. Moto's
yukata
A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. Originally worn as bathrobes, their modern use is much broader, and are a common sight in Japan during summer. Though are tradition ...
, as seen in the films ''
Thank You, Mr. Moto'' and ''Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'', is three bars in a circle. This is similar to the Maruno uchini mitsuhikiryō (丸の内に三引両), the
mon of the
Sakuma clan Sakuma (written: 佐久間) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Akira Sakuma (born 1952), Japanese video game designer
*, Japanese ice hockey player
*Kumi Sakuma (born 1976), Japanese voice actress
*Rei Sakuma (born 196 ...
who served under
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
. This would imply that Moto is from a
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
family.
Other films
A film version of ''
Stopover Tokyo
''Stopover Tokyo'' is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by Richard L. Breen and starring Robert Wagner, Joan Collins, Edmond O'Brien and Ken Scott. Filmed in Japan in CinemaScope, the film is set in Tokyo and follows a US counterint ...
'', made in 1957, stars
Robert Wagner
Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and ''Hart to Hart'' (1979– ...
as an American spy. This film eliminated Moto's character altogether. It disregards the plot of Marquand's novel, and was not a commercial or critical success.
In 1965 Mr. Moto's character was revived in a low-budget
Robert Lippert
Robert Lenard Lippert (March 31, 1909 – November 16, 1976) was an American film producer and cinema chain owner. He was president and chief operating officer of Lippert Theatres, Affiliated Theatres and Transcontinental Theatres, all based in ...
production filmed in England starring
Henry Silva
Henry Silva (September 23, 1926 – September 14, 2022) was an American actor. A prolific character actor, Silva was a regular staple of international genre cinema, usually playing criminals or gangsters. His notable film appearances includ ...
. In ''Mr. Moto Returns'', a.k.a. ''
The Return of Mr. Moto
''The Return of Mr. Moto'' (also known as ''Mr Moto and the Persian Oil Case'') is a 1965 British crime film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Henry Silva, Terence Longdon, and Suzanne Lloyd.
Plot
Mr. Moto is brought in by British intelli ...
'', Mr. I.A. Moto is a member of
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
. The very tall Silva conveyed an almost
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
-like playboy character; in the fight scenes it is clearly obvious that he is not proficient in martial arts. He speaks in a lazy '
Beatnik
Beatniks were members of a social movement in the 1950s that subscribed to an anti-materialistic lifestyle.
History
In 1948, Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation", generalizing from his social circle to characterize the undergr ...
' manner. Nowhere in the film is it mentioned that Moto is Japanese. He is referred to as an "Oriental" and, oddly, in the trailer, Moto is referred to as a "swinging Chinese cat." It is only when disguised as a Japanese oil representative, Mr. Takura, that a stereotypical portrayal of a Japanese businessman is given.
In 1984 Mr. Moto's character was rudely referenced in ''
The Karate Kid
''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and W ...
'' by a drunken racist played by
Larry Drake
Larry Richard Drake (February 21, 1950 – March 17, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as Benny Stulwicz in '' L.A. Law'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. He also appeared as Robert G. Durant in both ''Dark ...
. After Miyagi trains Daniel to learn balance, Miyagi takes him to his truck he notices Drake's character and another drunk drinking beers and placing the empty bottles on the hood. Spouting racial slurs at Miyagi and referring to him as Daniel's "Pet
Nip
''Nip'' is an ethnic slur against people of Japanese descent and origin. The word ''Nip'' is an abbreviation from ''Nippon'' (日本), the Japanese name for Japan.
History
The earliest recorded occurrence of the slur seems to be in the ''Time' ...
." When Miyagi politely asks them to remove their bottles, Drake's character retorts "Kindry do it yourself, Mr. Moto." Which Miyagi retaliates by
chopping the necks off all the bottles, intimidating the two into cleaning up what's left and leaving.
Filmography
Character in the radio program
From May to October 1951, the
NBC Radio Network
The NBC, National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network it was ...
produced and aired 23 half-hour episodes starring James Monk as Mr. I.A. Moto, International Secret Agent. Mr. Moto is an American of Japanese descent born in San Francisco but retaining his international connections.
The show focused on Mr. Moto's fight against Communism although occasionally he solved more mundane mysteries such as murder and blackmail.
Radio program episode list
#A Force Called X07 – aired May 20, 1951
#Smoke Screen – aired May 27, 1951
#Blackmail – aired June 3, 1951
#The Dead Land – aired June 10, 1951
#The Kurlioff Papers (broadcast on the West Coast) – aired June 13, 1951 and The Brazaloff Papers (broadcast on the East Coast) – aired June 17, 1951
#The Victim – aired June 24, 1951
#Project 77 – aired July 1, 1951
#Sabotage – aired July 8, 1951
#Escape – aired July 15, 1951
#The Wheel of Life
#The Yellow Robe or the Lama's Amah
#The Voronzoff Necklace
#Waltzing Matilda
#The Beauty and the Avenger
#The Shen Tsung Fan
#The Three Numbers
#The Unhappy Firebug
#The Blue Cigarettes
#The Kants of Kailuaneohe
#The Schraum Method – aired Oct. 1, 1951
#The Crooked Log – aired Oct. 7, 1951
#The Strange Elopement of Professor Sloan – aired Oct. 13, 1951
#The Dry Martini – aired Oct. 20, 1951
Parodies and satires
Peter Lorre brought the character of Mr. Moto to many comedy radio programs.
:*''
Camel Caravan
A camel train or caravan is a series of camels carrying passengers and goods on a regular or semi-regular service between points. Despite rarely travelling faster than human walking speed, for centuries camels' ability to withstand harsh condi ...
'' Oct. 24, 1938 on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
.
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...
, host. Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto investigates the disappearance of guest
Martha Raye
Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway.
She was honored ...
.
:*''Royal Gelatin Hour'' Aug. 10, 1939 on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
.
Rudy Vallée
Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type.
Early life
Hubert Prior Vall ...
, host. Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto in a mystery sketch.
:*''George Jessel's Celebrity Program'' Aug. 16, 1939 on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
.
George Jessel, host. Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto in a mystery sketch.
:*''
Texaco Star Theater
''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...
'' Oct. 4, 1939 on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
. Ken Murray, host. Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto in a mystery sketch.
:*''
Texaco Star Theater
''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...
'' Jan. 3, 1943 on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
.
Fred Allen
John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...
, host. Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto in "The Missing Shot or Who Killed Balsam Beamish?" Mr. Moto vs. One Long Pan.
:*''
Texaco Star Theater
''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...
'' June 4, 1944 on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
.
Fred Allen
John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...
, host. Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto in "More Murder on the Fred Allen Program."
:*''
Porky's Movie Mystery'' (1939) Features
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created ma ...
as the detective "Mr. Motto."
Big Cartoon Database entry for ''Porky's Movie Mystery''
/ref>
The slangy and whimsical song "Java Jive
Java Jive is a song written by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake in 1940 and most famously recorded by The Ink Spots. The lyrics speak of the singer's love of coffee. The lyrics also reflect the slang of the day, including a reference to "Mr. Moto", a ...
", a 1940 song by Milton Drake Milton Drake (August 3, 1912 - November 13, 2006) was an American lyricist and performing rights administrator.
As a child, he performed in vaudevilles, in films and on radio. Later he wrote special material for theater and nightclub revues, includ ...
and Ben Oakland
Ben Oakland (September 24, 1907 – August 26, 1979) was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist, most active from the 1920s through the 1940s. He composed mainly for Broadway and vaudeville, though he also worked on several Hollywood scores ...
that was a standard for the Ink Spots
The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...
, namechecks the detective in a nonsensical couplet: "I love java, sweet and hot / Whoops Mister Moto, I'm a coffee pot".
The Bel-Airs
The Bel-Airs were an early and influential surf rock band from South Bay, Los Angeles, active in the early 1960s.
They were best known for their 1961 hit "Mr. Moto", an instrumental surf rock song that featured a flamenco-inspired intro and cont ...
, an early and influential surf rock
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...
band, are best known for their 1961 instrumental hit "Mr. Moto".
The character of Joe Jitsu from The Dick Tracy Show
''The Dick Tracy Show'' is an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter. The series was produced from 1961 to 1962 by UPA.
In the show, policeman Dick Tracy employed a series of cartoony subordinat ...
was based on Mr. Moto.
See also
*Portrayal of East Asians in Hollywood
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 ...
*Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...
* Mr. Wong
References
Further reading
*
*
* — Contains a full chapter on the making of the ''Mr. Moto'' films at 20th Century-Fox, 1937–1939.
* Biography of the creator of Mr. Moto.
* Has chapter "Ordering the World: The Uncompromising Logic of Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto".
External links
The Mr. Moto Novels
Mr. Moto
at seriesbooks.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moto, Mister
Fictional male detectives
Fictional Japanese people
Fictional secret agents and spies
Literary characters introduced in 1935
Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the ''Saturday Evening Post'', whi ...
NBC radio programs