''Mr. Moto's Gamble'' is the third film in the Mr. Moto series starring

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...

as the title character. It is best remembered for originating as a movie in the

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, 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 ...

series and being changed to a Mr. Moto entry at the last minute.

Plot

In San Francisco, policeman Lieutenant Riggs ( Harold Huber) takes Mr. Moto, a detective and Lee Chan (

Keye Luke Keye Luke (; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American actor, and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He portrayed Lee Chan, the "Number One Son" in the Charlie Chan films, the original Kato in the 1939–1941 ...

), a student, to a prizefight between Bill Steele (Dick Baldwin) and Frank Stanton (Russ Clark), where the winner will take on the champion, Biff Moran (

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert th ...

). However, the fight is fixed and gangster Nick Crowder (

Douglas Fowley Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...

) bets big money that Stanton won't make it to the fifth round. He goes down in the fourth and dies shortly afterward. Bookie Clipper McCoy ( Bernard Nedell) loses a fortune. Moto proves that it was murder and it is revealed that $100,000 was won in bets around the country against Stanton. Moto works with Lt. Riggs to solve the murder as the championship fight looms. Comedy is provided by Horace Wellington ( Maxie Rosenbloom), a kleptomaniac, and Lee Chan. Moto promised to reveal the murderer's identity on the night of the big fight, but the murderer has plans, too, with a concealed gun, to kill Moto.

Cast

as Mr. Moto *

as Lee Chan * Dick Baldwin as Bill Steele *

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was an American film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through t ...

as Penny Kendall *

as Nick Crowder * Jayne Regan as Linda Benton * Harold Huber as Lieutenant Riggs * Maxie Rosenbloom as Horace Wellington * John Hamilton as Philip Benton * George E. Stone as Jerry Connors * Bernard Nedell as Clipper McCoy * Charles Williams as Gabby Marden *

as Biff Moran * Lon Chaney Jr. as Joey *

Paul Fix Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career be ...

as Gangster * Adrian Morris as Policeman * Pierre Watkin as District Attorney * Olin Howland as Deputy Sheriff Burt (uncredited) *

Gladden James Gladden James (February 26, 1888 – August 28, 1948) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1911 and 1946. He was born in Zanesville, Ohio and died in Hollywood, California, from leukemia. Family In 1914 h ...

as Cashier (uncredited) * Lester Dorr as Reporter (uncredited)

Production

In June 1937, Fox said the first three movies in the Mr Moto series would be ''Think Fast, Mr Moto'', ''Thank You Mr Moto'' and ''Mr Moto's Gamble''. At the same time, the studio announced three Charlie Chan movies starring Warner Oland, ''Charlie Chan on Broadway'', ''Charlie Chan at College'' and ''Charlie Chan in Radio City''. In July, Fox said Rochelle Hudson would be in ''Mr Moto's Gamble''. This became ''Look Out Mr Moto'' which became ''Mr. Moto Takes a Chance''.

''Charlie Chan at Ringside''

Fox were going to make a

film called ''Charlie Chan at Ringside'' starring Warner Oland as Chan and Keye Luke as Number One Son. Jayne Regan was cast on the strength of her performance in '' Thank You, Mr Moto''. The cast would also include

and be directed by James Tinling. Filming started in January 1938, but Oland left the film due to illness that month and the production was suspended. In March 1938, Fox announced Oland would return to the role and appear in ''Charlie Chan on the Clipper Ship''. However he never recovered from his illness and died in August 1938. Sidney Toler took over the role of Charlie Chan in the ongoing film series. Fox had spent an estimated $100,000 on the film already when shooting had to be called off. Wanting to salvage something of the situation and reluctant to cast a different actor as Charlie Chan, Sol Wurtzel, head of Fox's B movie unit, had the

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

rewritten as a Mr. Moto movie. Two Charlie Chan regulars appeared in the film –

, who plays Charlie Chan's son Lee, and Harold Huber, who plays Lt Riggs. Lee Chan is Moto's student in his

criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

class at San Francisco University. Moto mentions that he has heard from Charlie Chan in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. Moto says he and the head of the homicide squad are mere amateurs compared to Charlie Chan. Filming recommenced in January 1938. Lon Chaney Jr. had a small role. Filming finished late March 1938, the fourth movie shot in the Moto series.

Release

The film was released relatively quickly in April 1938. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' liked the fight sequences but called it "an otherwise unexciting film". The next film shot in the series would be ''

Mysterious Mr. Moto ''Mysterious Mr. Moto'', produced in 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox, is the fifth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is based on the character of Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand, from an original screenpla ...

''.

Home media

This film, along with '' Mr. Moto in Danger Island'', '' Mr. Moto's Last Warning'', '' Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'' and (as a DVD extra) ''

The Return of Mr. Moto ''The Return of Mr. Moto'' (also known as ''Mr Moto and the Persian Oil Case'') is a 1965 British B movie, second feature ('B') crime film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Henry Silva, Terence Longdon, and Suzanne Lloyd. It was written by ...

'', was released on DVD in 2007 by 20th Century Fox as part of ''The Mr. Moto Collection, Volume Two''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Moto's Gamble 1938 films American black-and-white films 1938 crime drama films American mystery drama films 20th Century Fox films 1930s mystery drama films American crime drama films Films directed by James Tinling 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language crime drama films English-language mystery drama films