Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939) Online
Puerto Rico has become the back door by which a criminal syndicate smuggles inexpensive contraband diamonds from South America into the United States, dramatically driving down the price of legitimate gems. After they have ruthlessly murdered a special investigator, Moto is assigned to the case. While sailing to the island he impresses Twister McGurk, a slow-witted but amiable wrestler, with his martial arts abilities and gains a loyal friend and bodyguard. When an attempt on his life fails and another government official is murdered, Moto sends authorities a fake telegram identifying himself as a criminal named Shimura and making him and the Twister wanted fugitives. That ploy allows them to infiltrate the gang and expose the criminal mastermind behind it.
Complete credited cast: | |||
Peter Lorre | - | Mr. Moto | |
Jean Hersholt | - | Sutter | |
Amanda Duff | - | Joan Castle | |
Warren Hymer | - | Twister McGurk | |
Richard Lane | - | Commissioner Gordon | |
Leon Ames | - | Commissioner Madero | |
Douglass Dumbrille | - | La Costa (as Douglas Dumbrille) | |
Charles D. Brown | - | Col. Thomas Castle | |
Paul Harvey | - | Governor John Bentley | |
Robert Lowery | - | Lieut. George Bentley | |
Eddie Marr | - | Captain Dahlen | |
Harry Woods | - | Grant |
The original script was a Charlie Chan murder mystery titled "Charlie Chan at Trinidad" to star Warner Oland. However, due to Oland's untimely death, the entire script was re-written in only a few weeks to star Peter Lorre as his Mr. Moto character.
Last of Fox's eight "Mr. Moto" features starring Peter Lorre, but actually the seventh to be released (though completed two months earlier, Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939) was issued last). This was also the second "Mr. Moto" entry (after Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938)) that was originally written as a "Charlie CHan" script (and both entries were the only ones not directed by Norman Foster). The character returned only once, in a low-budget, black-and-white second feature produced in England, The Return of Mr. Moto (1965), starring Henry Silva.
According to Jon Tuska's "The Detective in Hollywood" Leon Ames claimed that Peter Lorre's teeth were in very bad shape, resulting in the star having very bad breath,
After Mr. Moto comes out of the swamp his white pants are brown from the water. However, when Twister and him are locked up his pants are dry and white!
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