''Five Golden Dragons'' is a 1967

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production compa ...

comedy

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

set in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and photographed in Techniscope on location in September 1966 at the Tiger Balm Pagoda and

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

studios. It was directed by Jeremy Summers and starred Bob Cummings in his final theatrical feature film, Margaret Lee who sings two songs in the film,

Rupert Davies Rupert Davies FRSA (22 May 191622 November 1976) was a British actor. He is best remembered for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of '' Maigret'', based on Georges Simenon's novels. Life and career Military s ...

and a cast of "guest stars". The film was produced and written (under

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Peter Welbeck) by Harry Alan Towers and co-stars his wife Maria Rohm as one of the three female leads. The film features a minor connection to

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

's short stories by using his

Commissioner Sanders Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

as an officer in the

Royal Hong Kong Police The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...

with Towers using Wallace's name to attract funds from international film investors.

Plot

The Five Golden Dragons are an international criminal gold trafficking secret society syndicate based in Hong Kong. They plan to break up after selling their criminal enterprise to the Mafia for US$50 million. However the members of the group fear the greed of each other in receiving their share of the profits. Visiting American

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

Bob Mitchell, as well as sisters Ingrid and Margret, become targets of killer Gert and his murderous accomplices, while

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

-quoting police commissioner Sanders and his subordinate, Inspector Chiao investigate the matter. Sanders quotes ''Hamlet'', act 1, scene 4, but Chiao corrects him, "Scene 5", and leaves. Sanders then quotes ''

Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', act 1, scene 2. Margret sneaks into Mitchell's hotel suite, looks through his papers and, when he returns, tells him she knows he is really "Doctor Mitchell, graduate of

Stanford 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 ...

". She then confesses that, as a stewardess, she was working for the Dragons, but now fears for her life. In the morning, as Chiao knocks on the door of Mitchell's suite to take him for questioning by Sanders, the door to the bedroom, where Margret spent the night, is locked and, when opened, reveals her in bed, covered with a Dragons cape, dead as a result of a broken neck. Mitchell sneaks out and, upon learning from his friend and helper Ah Sing about The Blue World nightclub, goes there to watch the club's star singer, Magda, perform "Time of Our Lives" while being observed by the club's shady manager Peterson. He tells Peterson, "I sell chewing gum... confections... Magda spots Mitchell, sings to him, kisses him in front of Peterson and leads him to her dressing room where she asks him to help her change outfits. She then locks the room and goes out to perform another song, "Five Golden Dragons". When she finishes, the emcee introduces "one of Japan's most popular singing stars, Miss Yukari Ito", who performs a song in Japanese. Meanwhile, in his office, Sanders struggles to remember a quote which Chiao finishes for him and adds that it is from ''" Henry Five"''. Sanders then adds, "Act 2, scene 1". Trapped in Magda's room, Mitchell discovers a secret passage to Peterson's office and escapes with Peterson's briefcase, but is intercepted by Chiao and his men and brought to Sanders' office. Exiting, he sees Ingrid outside and they leave together as Sanders closes the door and quotes ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', act 4, scene 3. One by one, four of the Dragons arrive in Hong Kong. When the second Dragon arrives, it is Chiao who provides the quote which Sanders recognizes as ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

''. The Dragons are members of a secret society, each with a key to a cabinet. Each member wears a golden dragon head. When this scene is first used one of the dragons is revealed as

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...

. The earlier scenes only have four dragons. Learning that Ingrid has been kidnapped, Mitchell argues with Sanders about rescuing her and storms out as Sanders, alone, quotes ''

'', act 3, scene 2. Having captured Ah Sing and Ingrid, Gert menaces her, but Ah Sing manages to free himself and strangles Gert. The climax of the film results from the arrival of Mitchell, disguised as the fifth dragon but, owing to a double-cross by Magda, Peterson switches places with Mitchell and, while still wearing his mask, is fatally shot by the gun concealed inside the cabinet he opens, thus inadvertently saving Mitchell's life. Immediately thereafter, Sanders and Chiao arrive in the Dragons' meeting room and arrest them as well as Magda. When asked by Sanders about his plans, Mitchell replies, "Well, uh... I... I think that's... uh... more or less up to Ingrid... right? As Sanders and Chiao watch a plane take off from the airport, Sanders quotes, "That is the true beginning of our end" from '' Midsummer Night's Dream'', act 4, scene 1.

Cast

* Bob Cummings as Bob Mitchell * Margaret Lee as Magda *

as Commissioner Sanders * ''with''

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

as Gert * Maria Rohm as Ingrid * Sieghardt Rupp as Peterson *

Roy Chiao Roy Chiao (16 March 1927 – 15 April 1999) was a Hong Kong actor, most notable in the United States for playing the minor villain Lao Che in the 1984 movie ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom''. Biography Chiao was born in Shanghai in 1927. ...

as Inspector Chiao :''and guest stars in alphabetical order'' * Brian Donlevy as Third Dragon * Dan Duryea as First Dragon *

as Fourth Dragon *

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 ...

as Second DragonEverett Aaker, ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company, 2013 p 178 * ''and'' Maria Perschy as Margret * ''guest singer'' Yukari Ito

Production notes

The film was one of three Harry Alan Towers made at the Hong Kong studios of Run Run Shaw the others being '' The Vengeance of Fu Manchu'' (also directed by Jeremy Summers, with Christopher Lee in the title role and Maria Rohm again named Ingrid) and '' The Million Eyes of Sumuru'' (with Klaus Kinski and Maria Rohm in supporting roles). In September 1966 Don Sharp was going to direct. The film originally planned to feature

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

and

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

as two of the Dragons. Cummings met his fourth wife Regina Fong who was a

script girl A script supervisor (also called continuity supervisor or script) is a member of a film crew who oversees the continuity of the motion picture including wardrobe, props, set dressing, hair, makeup and the actions of the actors during a scene. Th ...

on the film.Lertzman, Richard A. & Birnes, William J. ''Dr. Feelgood: The Shocking Story of the Doctor Who May Have Changed History by Treating and Drugging JFK, Marilyn, Elvis, and Other Prominent Figures'' Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 13 December 2013 ''Five Golden Dragons'' was one of a number of lighthearted spy and action films released during the second half of the 1960s. A year earlier, in April 1966, two other films were released in London with a similar plot of a tourist being chased by assassins — '' A Man Could Get Killed'', directed by Cliff Owen and

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Miss ...

and starring

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

as well as Harry Alan Towers' ''

Our Man in Marrakesh ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (released in North America as ''Bang! Bang! You're Dead!'') is a 1966 British comedy spy film shot in Morocco produced and co-written by Harry Alan Towers, directed by Don Sharp and starring Tony Randall, Herbert Lom ...

'', directed by

Don Sharp Donald Herman Sharp (19 April 192114 December 2011) was an Australian film director. His best known films were made for Hammer in the 1960s, and included '' The Kiss of the Vampire'' (1963) and '' Rasputin, the Mad Monk'' (1966). In 1965 he d ...

and starring

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play '' The Odd Couple'' by Neil Sim ...

, with

, Margaret Lee and uncredited Maria Rohm in supporting roles.

Song credits

*Song "Five Golden Dragons" words by

Hal Shaper Hal Shaper (Born Harold David Shaper), 18 July 1931 - 8 January 2004) was a South African songwriter. After qualifying as a lawyer in 1955, he travelled to London to begin his five-decade-long musical career during which he worked with and wrote f ...

*Song "Time of Our Lives" words by Sid Colin *The voice of Domino

References

External links

*
Five Golden Dragons
at

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

*
''Five Golden Dragons''
at ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...