Starring Keye Luke, Lotus Long, Grant Withers, Charles Miller, Huntley Gordon
Directed by Phil Rosen
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Jimmy Wong teams with police Captain Street to investigate the murder of an archaeologist who discovered the secret of an "eternal flame" within an emperor's tomb in China.
Luke replaces Boris Karloff in the final entry in the Mr. Wong series of films put out by Monogram Pictures, and I have to say I enjoyed this outing more than the others with Karloff. Boris always seemed something of an awkward fit in the role of the Oriental detective, although his performances were always dignified and respectful. Luke, who had already been established in several Charlie Chan films as that sleuth's "Number One Son," steps into the role as a more authentic replacement, lacking Karloff's gravitas, but adding more glibness and humor while still remaining true to the cleverness of the character. Despite Luke's positivity and Lotus Long's similar portrayal of a suspect and possible love interest for the sleuth, there are still some stereotypes that grate within the film, a product of their time. Curiously, despite the presence of series regular Withers as Captain Street, this film is portrayed as Wong and Street's first encounter, disregarding the Karloff films that came before. The plot line also drew me in more than that of the previous pictures with the archaeological hunt and its connection to the murder of far more interest than the more conventional plots of the earlier Wong films.
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