PETER LORRE FINISHING WITH 'MR. MOTO TAKES A VACATION'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWaJuaRrVDLVege1ncT83zISCan2zRrJy-oj5ro95O4BN9ZheQrgEMEXEoMlTn2a1z33ZDlfzxrPcqNTeyqwdAOzE3_uYq0QVPZ4pb9jlHQomuRID7SZbc64sqdc5rT663SjmXKyzqASkj8mcRDpWNpeHRjP6oGq40kiD9USsnBk-329goTYTvXdiQbfm/s1682/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-19%20at%204.02.21%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWaJuaRrVDLVege1ncT83zISCan2zRrJy-oj5ro95O4BN9ZheQrgEMEXEoMlTn2a1z33ZDlfzxrPcqNTeyqwdAOzE3_uYq0QVPZ4pb9jlHQomuRID7SZbc64sqdc5rT663SjmXKyzqASkj8mcRDpWNpeHRjP6oGq40kiD9USsnBk-329goTYTvXdiQbfm/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-19%20at%204.02.21%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1938 Director: Norman Foster Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Director Norman Foster returned to direct the last of eight MR. MOTO movies starring Peter Lorre as a Chinese agent, who usually pretends to be a humble kind of cliche Asian servant type... <br><br>That's until showing his true colors as a resilient fighting machine.... initially a human target from various assassins after finding a prized treasure that he brings back to a San Fransisco museum...</p>

franchise, mr moto, norman foster, peter lorre, treasure, virginia field

PETER LORRE FINISHING WITH 'MR. MOTO TAKES A VACATION'

Year: 1938 Director: Norman Foster Rating: *** Director Norman Foster returned to direct the last of eight MR. MOTO movies starring Peter Lo...

PETER LORRE & AMANDA DUFF IN 'MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAbVxFdHzd-HzBXtfZqzZFavnNnXPfMwq27LfnxRBiRRwlXVOPpVkDo1258Ka6fwepIuw8nYrLUVQUJ_e1KyjpgMDJPCPDvysEKXRSwNVswttX0shP5igewzTDD50T0d9_2mDmh4xsQCh0s_1cLqnHdz8bJWALcHbEgr_LkqaehQEHtx30rXvBmB9cukL/s2104/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-19%20at%202.14.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1354" data-original-width="2104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAbVxFdHzd-HzBXtfZqzZFavnNnXPfMwq27LfnxRBiRRwlXVOPpVkDo1258Ka6fwepIuw8nYrLUVQUJ_e1KyjpgMDJPCPDvysEKXRSwNVswttX0shP5igewzTDD50T0d9_2mDmh4xsQCh0s_1cLqnHdz8bJWALcHbEgr_LkqaehQEHtx30rXvBmB9cukL/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-19%20at%202.14.19%20PM.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1939 Rating: *1/2</u><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The only two MR. MOTO programmers not directed by Norman Foster were meant to be part of the similar CHARLIE CHAN franchise: but DANGER ISLAND isn't as good as the MR. MOTO'S GAMBLE (where Ward Bond plays a defeated boxer while here he's a defeated wrestler), and there's no real decent use of the titular location, which is neither dangerous or interesting... <br><br>Seeming like what they are, studio backlots, and with Peter Lorre's Chinese Agent paired with a punchy fighter, there's none of the usual espionage or suspense, and all the remaining side-characters... including cute ingenue Amanda Duff who's father's a wrongfully accused military officer... seem part of different vehicles, not of them going anywhere, slowly. <br></p><p><span></span></p>

amanda duff, franchise, peter lorre, thirties, ward bond, warren hymer

PETER LORRE & AMANDA DUFF IN 'MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND'

Year: 1939 Rating: *1/2 The only two MR. MOTO programmers not directed by Norman Foster were meant to be part of the similar CHARLIE CHAN fr...

PETER LORRE & VIRGINIA FIELD IN 'MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xpJw7-HNfqc_jpowHDjTTgHJ4tloyyPtdiRa0MofNeX2s50c3iqj8H3fVkSROC5SUAEcqWS9snlow3G8im3D_QI5JS7HjU8kG9OSRCe6L0sfrQDVzoUBHnXXYdHWSMR1HqQ8IY1P7mSo2YPpnR094_hIe6uGCW2nQZDkNeRZV8Ue0WPtDAG3tlmkq-M8/s1660/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-18%20at%2011.11.16%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1660" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xpJw7-HNfqc_jpowHDjTTgHJ4tloyyPtdiRa0MofNeX2s50c3iqj8H3fVkSROC5SUAEcqWS9snlow3G8im3D_QI5JS7HjU8kG9OSRCe6L0sfrQDVzoUBHnXXYdHWSMR1HqQ8IY1P7mSo2YPpnR094_hIe6uGCW2nQZDkNeRZV8Ue0WPtDAG3tlmkq-M8/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-18%20at%2011.11.16%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Virginia Field in MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING Year: 1938 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The best MR. MOTO film because LAST WARNING has the most intriguing villains and the coolest, darkest, murkiest locations: as the original MALTESE FALCON actor Sam Spade actor Ricardo Cortez covers as a ventriloquist, doing his dummy routine in a crowded Egyptian theater that includes dogs jumping through hoops, and a juggling clown...<br><br>Who turns out to be Peter Lorre's titular character in one of several disguises (while doing the kind of deliberately cliche Chinese servant imitation to trick the haughty whites): once backstage, he quickly figures out the other antagonist agents, including future British legend George Sanders with a twisty little mustache, and the most effective semi-moll in any MOTO vehicle...</p><p><span></span></p>

espionage, franchise, george sanders, joan carroll, john carradine, mr moto, norman foster, peter lorre, ricardo cortez, robert coote, thirties, virginia field

PETER LORRE & VIRGINIA FIELD IN 'MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING'

Virginia Field in MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING Year: 1938 Rating: **** The best MR. MOTO film because LAST WARNING has the most intriguing vi...

PETER LORRE ESCAPES NORMAN FOSTER'S 'MYSTERIOUS MR. MOTO'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvZ50Q2fDyPm59-bI7XiDZg5xH9013HWxrRA1DekWmABJ53U3DifkRBAX6HkNfE7tnbgvwjaCr1m2vt5ifhdK9OPuc6lAg5oH5BTLjTf7taaLbpp6NrG6vMS0hDFm690TQbqGZAcTqXsF1KeitpdjTj45H2hqMk7nM8HYBTPh_7ZgnoB2HIAMGaGr3j-6/s1698/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-14%20at%2011.56.53%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvZ50Q2fDyPm59-bI7XiDZg5xH9013HWxrRA1DekWmABJ53U3DifkRBAX6HkNfE7tnbgvwjaCr1m2vt5ifhdK9OPuc6lAg5oH5BTLjTf7taaLbpp6NrG6vMS0hDFm690TQbqGZAcTqXsF1KeitpdjTj45H2hqMk7nM8HYBTPh_7ZgnoB2HIAMGaGr3j-6/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-14%20at%2011.56.53%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: MYSTERIOUS MR MOTO Year: 1938 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After Norman Foster's lackluster Asian-set MR MOTO TAKES A CHANCE, the b-director springs forward with more action, right off the bat... as Moto and a French prisoner are escaping from Devil's Island...<br><br>Sadly, all this happens too fast, during and right after the opening credits... had MYSTERIOUS MR MOTO spent some time on the island before the escape, fleshing-out this fellow convict he'd later follow around to nab all his mobster cronies, it wouldn't feel like walking into a picture ten minutes late...</p><p><span></span></p>

england, espionage, franchise, harold huber, henry wilcoxon, leon ames, lotus long, mary maguire, mr moto, norman foster, peter lorre, thirties

PETER LORRE ESCAPES NORMAN FOSTER'S 'MYSTERIOUS MR. MOTO'

Title: MYSTERIOUS MR MOTO Year: 1938 Rating: *** After Norman Foster's lackluster Asian-set MR MOTO TAKES A CHANCE, the b-director sprin...

PETER LORRE & ROCHELLE HUDSON IN 'ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrLSuVJ5oed-dg6ms4BeoymgjTLCMwBu6f-0IAiYXs2yO0WVD_YTlxMx1sqQtc_qo8yQihO9p-60TJL6sv4w0_-s9Jf0ZyxppPgr7a7HWSGHOM7m2OpcfgYpynMWYs2gc4lEdfSZKrcDYJWa8wuDdjQBQHoYee09fzUMDYTAl0xtioT-iRtfYSDPEMIVm/s1688/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-12%20at%203.29.34%20AM%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1688" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrLSuVJ5oed-dg6ms4BeoymgjTLCMwBu6f-0IAiYXs2yO0WVD_YTlxMx1sqQtc_qo8yQihO9p-60TJL6sv4w0_-s9Jf0ZyxppPgr7a7HWSGHOM7m2OpcfgYpynMWYs2gc4lEdfSZKrcDYJWa8wuDdjQBQHoYee09fzUMDYTAl0xtioT-iRtfYSDPEMIVm/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-12%20at%203.29.34%20AM%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Peter Lorre and Rochelle Hudson in ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN Year: 1940 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The pulpy tagline to the 1940 thriller ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN is "Women shuddering at his cruel caress" despite the fact only one woman, the wife of evil slave-master Peter Lorre, is on the titular island: and within their balmy plantation villa interior, he hardly touches or even speaks to her at all...<br><br>As classic beauty Rochelle Hudson quickly and understandably falls for handsome, dark-haired buried-lead Robert Wilcox, whose initial wrong-man story-line fits more into a deliberately-complicated film-noir beyond what's often mistaken as a horror flick (the plot heavily infused into Lawrence Tierney's jungle-traipsing <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/06/KOBK.html">KILL OR BE KILLED</a>)... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

forties, george e. stone, kenneth macdonald, peter lorre, prison, robert wilcox, rochelle hudson, thriller

PETER LORRE & ROCHELLE HUDSON IN 'ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN'

Peter Lorre and Rochelle Hudson in ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN Year: 1940 Rating: ***1/2 The pulpy tagline to the 1940 thriller ISLAND OF DOOMED ME...

PETER LORRE & ROCHELLE HUDSON IN 'MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAyMa2vs8sKypIuoVkYoV3XkkSHhliSZ5srj_0BMPWXR_9o-cLfZnJOFD6VrQbBDz-RGErB9zvduClIEdW-Ak2jbp0AtjBtoxjjPn1kh_0UW2PzCu_Y5v72ZAq3yqr9op_VWUFO22JvMdFA-u1GXtsg-XYsa5JPd4fzVEIvezITOGWHRtFUCSPyKheoGz/s1794/1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAyMa2vs8sKypIuoVkYoV3XkkSHhliSZ5srj_0BMPWXR_9o-cLfZnJOFD6VrQbBDz-RGErB9zvduClIEdW-Ak2jbp0AtjBtoxjjPn1kh_0UW2PzCu_Y5v72ZAq3yqr9op_VWUFO22JvMdFA-u1GXtsg-XYsa5JPd4fzVEIvezITOGWHRtFUCSPyKheoGz/s16000/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Rochelle Hudson in MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE Year: 1938 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A hybrid of Bette Davis and Fay Wray, gorgeous little b-starlet <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2025/11/isledoomed.html">Rochelle Hudson</a>, who crash-lands her cross-country plane into the jungle location near Siam, is the best thing going in the fourth overall MR. MOTO film, TAKES A CHANCE, which is the third directed by Norman Foster...<br><br>Back in an enigmatic locale after MR. MOTO'S GAMBLE takes on American boxing, Peter Lorre's titular character returns to disguise (as an ancient monk), secretly helping two token white guys... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

adventure, franchise, jungle, mr moto, norman foster, peter lorre, rochelle hudson, thirties

PETER LORRE & ROCHELLE HUDSON IN 'MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE'

Rochelle Hudson in MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE Year: 1938 Rating: **1/2 A hybrid of Bette Davis and Fay Wray, gorgeous little b-starlet Rochelle...

PETER LORRE IN NORMAN FOSTER'S FIRST TWO 'MR. MOTO' FILMS

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDYdZpyFR5-bc-p9L913fxBpqoM93pSIlJai_-Gu3B2riLbgibEfL7cE6wGd11hG6fTKEgVy4yneCu0-1jbCAnhfi2Uz77HbmkMjI6eSY9qpDBXiNsR9kqIcQ9TAK6ArdAOUoeATKNPDleBCPXS8vmdAP03UNmkvLQ4mTNaRNezNEcpp-b-4pofJFd60W/s1630/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-10%20at%201.17.05%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDYdZpyFR5-bc-p9L913fxBpqoM93pSIlJai_-Gu3B2riLbgibEfL7cE6wGd11hG6fTKEgVy4yneCu0-1jbCAnhfi2Uz77HbmkMjI6eSY9qpDBXiNsR9kqIcQ9TAK6ArdAOUoeATKNPDleBCPXS8vmdAP03UNmkvLQ4mTNaRNezNEcpp-b-4pofJFd60W/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-10%20at%201.17.05%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1937 cast: Peter Lorre, Virginia Field, Thomas Beck rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p><u>THINK FAST, MR. MOTO</u>: Peter Lorre is Mr. Moto, a Japanese secret agent who's both underrated and unappreciated... But he'll surprise you with a karate kick sending non-believers flying across the room.<br> <br> Here we begin with Moto in street peddler disguise, including a pointy beard and ragged clothing. He clumsily meanders into a store to sell a rug, and then a diamond, to an impatient proprietor who’s got a dead body semi-hidden in a wicker basket. This brings Moto on board a big ship where an important letter to a rich man’s son, Bob, has been stolen and replaced.<br> </p>

action, adventure, franchise, jayne regan, lotus long, mr moto, norman foster, peter lorre, sequel, sidney blackmer, spy, suspense, thirties, thriller, virginia field

PETER LORRE IN NORMAN FOSTER'S FIRST TWO 'MR. MOTO' FILMS

year: 1937 cast: Peter Lorre, Virginia Field, Thomas Beck rating: ***1/2 THINK FAST, MR. MOTO : Peter Lorre is Mr. Moto, a Japanese secret a...

PETER LORRE IN 'MR. MOTTO'S GAMBLE' WITH DOUGLAS FOWLEY

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef5umb5u2DRFwFj2Tgcgz-jYvAhWo3XaZsIMrmKltwsIGMW17vq2fPhnA5cJeIaTiEhXbWkORiJ8Wo1YbytJrTeu5kKYSNGZHEGKA5aVl1ipzacFE7IYW2Oq5JsBzfTCvXbwGNSQFdKErTEr_hgaxnMNFTy9eHI6tL1yuNWxvfkO-xIg5Y0TlBXe0Ixgf/s1898/0%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef5umb5u2DRFwFj2Tgcgz-jYvAhWo3XaZsIMrmKltwsIGMW17vq2fPhnA5cJeIaTiEhXbWkORiJ8Wo1YbytJrTeu5kKYSNGZHEGKA5aVl1ipzacFE7IYW2Oq5JsBzfTCvXbwGNSQFdKErTEr_hgaxnMNFTy9eHI6tL1yuNWxvfkO-xIg5Y0TlBXe0Ixgf/s16000/0%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1938 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The third MR. MOTO film, which was a franchise starring Peter Lorre as a Chinese secret agent/crime-fighter, wasn't directed by Norman Foster, and had a noirish potboiler plot that was supposed to be inserted into a Charlie Chan picture, involving the always crooked and mysterious boxing syndicate...<br><br>Motto sporadically investigates a heavyweight contender's enigmatic death while teaching a class on crime, the case involves various thuggy gangsters straight from the previous decade including Douglas Fowley and George S. Stone, MR. MOTO'S GAMBLE is one of the more conventional MOTO programmers: despite the titular character seeming more like a special guest star throughout.  <br></p><p><span></span></p>

classic gangster, crime, douglas fowley, franchise, george e. stone, jayne regan, lynn bari, mr moto, peter lorre, thirties, ward bond

PETER LORRE IN 'MR. MOTTO'S GAMBLE' WITH DOUGLAS FOWLEY

Year: 1938 Rating: ***1/2 The third MR. MOTO film, which was a franchise starring Peter Lorre as a Chinese secret agent/crime-fighter, wasn...

JUNE VINCENT, DAN DURYEA AND PETER LORRE IN 'BLACK ANGEL'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHE0C3QhacLtmgWaEUiwvqxVW-7ezrV1zj1LY5ISEmwM5fnq83pqT6mfQBNxvr9JsXQeUt_GL-8QsOejHZy3DEVQ0qYXH6JHEBi3Yr8CxV37d5MaqhOKPRjpJL6610IMLfu7OSsgMq_QPsAQIABJQggYSZ-x_EIg_5jCLsVIcCGR43ZlsMBLNXrL6FZN4/s1614/Screen%20Shot%202025-10-02%20at%209.07.39%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHE0C3QhacLtmgWaEUiwvqxVW-7ezrV1zj1LY5ISEmwM5fnq83pqT6mfQBNxvr9JsXQeUt_GL-8QsOejHZy3DEVQ0qYXH6JHEBi3Yr8CxV37d5MaqhOKPRjpJL6610IMLfu7OSsgMq_QPsAQIABJQggYSZ-x_EIg_5jCLsVIcCGR43ZlsMBLNXrL6FZN4/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202025-10-02%20at%209.07.39%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dan Duryea and June Vincent in BLACK ANGEL Year: 1946 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Supposedly Dan Duryea, a leading man/antagonist hybrid from the Hollywood Golden Age... who excelled in multilayered lowlifes... never played piano before portraying pianist/songwriter Martin Blair: and yet the way he effortlessly pounces his fingers across all the right keys, you wouldn't know he wasn't a professional musician outright...<br><br>Handsomely paired with June Vincent, the intensely faithful blonde spouse of a falsely-accused-of-murder lover of even more gorgeous blonde Constance Dowling... and both the victim and accused needed a longer setup for the rest of BLACK ANGEL to make more sense, twofold...</p><p><span></span></p>

broderick crawford, constance dowling, dan duryea, film noir or melodrama, forties, freddie steele, june vincent, music, peter lorre

JUNE VINCENT, DAN DURYEA AND PETER LORRE IN 'BLACK ANGEL'

Dan Duryea and June Vincent in BLACK ANGEL Year: 1946 Rating: ***1/2 Supposedly Dan Duryea, a leading man/antagonist hybrid from the Hollywo...

STEVE COCHRAN DRIVING ROBERT CUMMINGS IN 'THE CHASE'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkoJJYm1_7oDh0HrN3zub7wlMlYSzYAAr7jRVcXfiXpWEdyTraVSab0nD1QFTwbaqzjkTk7YhXqPQl100BlaDOCJJdzFKExwo_q0h2GgTn1FmouwpDgZhAOxGaCR8sDbiuy_of3FtcPBz_85NhC_45BoSfkdvlDbo_4BK7x4XRLGI1h_IKSi7sSwUpp36/s1856/Screen%20Shot%202025-02-04%20at%2010.56.24%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkoJJYm1_7oDh0HrN3zub7wlMlYSzYAAr7jRVcXfiXpWEdyTraVSab0nD1QFTwbaqzjkTk7YhXqPQl100BlaDOCJJdzFKExwo_q0h2GgTn1FmouwpDgZhAOxGaCR8sDbiuy_of3FtcPBz_85NhC_45BoSfkdvlDbo_4BK7x4XRLGI1h_IKSi7sSwUpp36/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202025-02-04%20at%2010.56.24%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Robert Cummings and Michèle Morgan in THE CHASE Year: 1946 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Since  some 1940's film noirs are very surreal, it's not strange that one-third of THE CHASE is actually a dream by penniless war veteran turned mobster's chauffeur Robert Cummings suffering PTSD... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The irony is how much weirder the real stuff is, and, literally driven by Steve Cochran with an accelerator in his limo's backseat while Cummings steers (after racing alongside) a moving train, both Cochan and henchman Peter Lorre get their kicks by cheating death... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

film noir or melodrama, forties, michèle morgan, peter lorre, robert cummings, steve cochran, wrong man

STEVE COCHRAN DRIVING ROBERT CUMMINGS IN 'THE CHASE'

Robert Cummings and Michèle Morgan in THE CHASE Year: 1946 Rating: *** Since  some 1940's film noirs are very surreal, it's not stra...

VICTOR MATURE, PETER LORRE & KATHRYN GRANT 'THE BIG CIRCUS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr--JXms8YdA6doIPfXQfC35B-MOHGmCDNk9Y-yKmOCH0Z8VZMU7zXs62MXcImt6F9xHDpSjfMGF8kbczZnZoY3ABYxRliw2Yf8o3tiAbHrpzcZK6UF-PbL66sqkUSsp9V5d9F9cuVS8UyvsVFhA3W7uoJE7qMtH8btPIg4ykDEaI0_HOYoADjwm6ZjjO/s2248/44.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="2248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr--JXms8YdA6doIPfXQfC35B-MOHGmCDNk9Y-yKmOCH0Z8VZMU7zXs62MXcImt6F9xHDpSjfMGF8kbczZnZoY3ABYxRliw2Yf8o3tiAbHrpzcZK6UF-PbL66sqkUSsp9V5d9F9cuVS8UyvsVFhA3W7uoJE7qMtH8btPIg4ykDEaI0_HOYoADjwm6ZjjO/s16000/44.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE BIG CIRCUS Pictured: Petter Lorre Year of Release: 1959 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Circus movie with the same plot as <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/03/RINGofFEAR.html">RING OF FEAR</a> where someone is sabotaging the acts, threatening lives <i>and</i> the entire traveling business, only in THE BIG CIRCUS we don't know who the culprit is... although with so many menacing shots of famously-menacing Vincent Price as the ringleader, one thing's for certain: it isn't him...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Run by bigger-than-life promotion king Henry Jasper 'Hank' Whirling, played by a confident, capable <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/victor%20mature">Victor Mature</a>, he's saddled with a sidekick in Red Buttons as an accountant from a bank about to close down the show... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

action, charles watts, circus, fifties, howard mcnear, kathryn grant, mystery, peter lorre, red buttons, rhonda fleming, thriller, victor mature, warner archives

VICTOR MATURE, PETER LORRE & KATHRYN GRANT 'THE BIG CIRCUS'

Title: THE BIG CIRCUS Pictured: Petter Lorre Year of Release: 1959 Rating: ***1/2 Circus movie with the same plot as RING OF FEAR where som...

MICKEY ROONEY CAUGHT IN 'QUICKSAND' WITH JEANNE CAGNEY

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_PiOvnpXYL2_iRPGNu_xmACAHUDcwbZXLOm7QqM_0lq6IEQ49e3BdB6gd-c1sEHKeuMA0L-RGwVgXsdwvFB5Qpy-YMAkWUfch9Tbs9ohI6OCJ95Qlnk0NSefrKE9Dd6RjG5kjg1tZFa1N7OK8ij-1ckhW-loHzZ1jstq7A04lGJwI3cCywLyXVYh6Ng=s1732" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_PiOvnpXYL2_iRPGNu_xmACAHUDcwbZXLOm7QqM_0lq6IEQ49e3BdB6gd-c1sEHKeuMA0L-RGwVgXsdwvFB5Qpy-YMAkWUfch9Tbs9ohI6OCJ95Qlnk0NSefrKE9Dd6RjG5kjg1tZFa1N7OK8ij-1ckhW-loHzZ1jstq7A04lGJwI3cCywLyXVYh6Ng=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: QUICKSAND Cast: Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lorre Year: 1950 Rates: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>An epitomizing trait of film noir is... if you take a short cut you'll get in lots more trouble than you started out with, and for that QUICKSAND completely epitomizes noir cinema when a young and cocky, girl-loving mechanic played by Mickey Rooney finds the girl of his... immediate dreams...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And quickly winds up landing a date with this sexy blonde waitress Jeanne Cagney as Vera... but back at the garage he realizes two things: not only does he have no money, but his cohorts... including both workmates and those on the phone who owe him... are all equally broke...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, barbara bates, fifties, film noir or melodrama, jack elam, jeanne cagney, mickey rooney, peter lorre

MICKEY ROONEY CAUGHT IN 'QUICKSAND' WITH JEANNE CAGNEY

Title: QUICKSAND Cast: Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lorre Year: 1950 Rates: **** An epitomizing trait of film noir is... if you take ...

KIRK DOUGLAS IN DISNEY'S '20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUFGeZahugpVxDPAzf6DrwOzJzYgsf6YnuNKqgXYiISn04ee_5hG9Kqqe9GE6bl6mwRI9oassRwzy9CgrqdEg6B6DxlbY3l0rD5qAhZOhdeRnSpQcEusyrdmd26QRXeiRfrf2I-_tbk0/s1600/2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUFGeZahugpVxDPAzf6DrwOzJzYgsf6YnuNKqgXYiISn04ee_5hG9Kqqe9GE6bl6mwRI9oassRwzy9CgrqdEg6B6DxlbY3l0rD5qAhZOhdeRnSpQcEusyrdmd26QRXeiRfrf2I-_tbk0/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably singing something by SEAL</td></tr> </tbody></table> What's rare about movies, especially that of the action or science-fiction nature, is there are usually two or three leads. That is, two males, an Alpha and Beta, and one female ingenue that you only see enough to drive the two men crazy.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcb_ltBcvMvG9ai-TPb5EyvYgPsyviftj0kb4JdbDS2ulUVbBzOUAIcXcO4BUiD8gdBZQATS7XFxlyLyAtUiO-N5Sy3LRxguxlgMafSJTVlMaAII6dVa769BzbqKUi_GRVtC78-bqcCI/s1600/6.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcb_ltBcvMvG9ai-TPb5EyvYgPsyviftj0kb4JdbDS2ulUVbBzOUAIcXcO4BUiD8gdBZQATS7XFxlyLyAtUiO-N5Sy3LRxguxlgMafSJTVlMaAII6dVa769BzbqKUi_GRVtC78-bqcCI/s400/6.jpg" width="117" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk Douglas</td></tr> </tbody></table> Meanwhile, a woman would have given Kirk Douglas's freelance harpooner a lot more to sing to, and about, than a seal within a very special submarine/boat that, among other things, Kirk secretly collects a cache of treasure and booze inside as battle-ship rammer James Mason's Captain Nemo uses the machine's pointed exterior to rid the ocean of ships carrying weapons for that horrible creation called War...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijq3KyS-k2eewOGDWUtmvp3dvALn3RBQqLZ1RssyTT9tDZXxyYhTdwxroEX9T3VlsxYqj99Pz04TkoAMxXfBU4tCy14VG0TRQ5p_OiA6cleCmrYPNmpot4-rMgiN6nl9bH0wt5iuHqDq0d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-12-09+at+4.08.59+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1165" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijq3KyS-k2eewOGDWUtmvp3dvALn3RBQqLZ1RssyTT9tDZXxyYhTdwxroEX9T3VlsxYqj99Pz04TkoAMxXfBU4tCy14VG0TRQ5p_OiA6cleCmrYPNmpot4-rMgiN6nl9bH0wt5iuHqDq0d/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-12-09+at+4.08.59+AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk kicking his way out</td></tr> </tbody></table> And in this multi-layered, completely entertaining 1954 Disney adventure, there are plenty of characters to center on including two buried leads for their scientific value, yet only one, Mason's brilliant yet borderline insane Nemo, is the entire reason for the group to go 10,000 leagues deeper than a book taken seriously by everyone at that time, written by the famous Prof. Pierre Aronnax (the Jules Verne of the movie), played by a subdued, grounded, very important (and narrating) Paul Lukas, who becomes more of an unappreciated middleman between the edgy Nemo and the cocky, rogue Douglas; the latter who, years later, would possibly inspire Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE and/or Han Solo in STAR WARS, stealing the movie outright, as if it were his very own... like that stolen treasure in the seal's room. But the conversations between Professor Aronnax and Captain Nemo range from pretty much everything: to the war, basic human nature and our overall existence.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw45ROw0gRUdaI4NI7rBN3Y96SBd4I1x03k6bfo9KqomP9MQf3Tzetd_H42rBfElyEMeWnoeiqXR1uzV0IIIBt93xhxFCSeL8suNPrZIO48__RYY7CfGFMOskG7MhmbsansxfhyphenhyphenRsEdkw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw45ROw0gRUdaI4NI7rBN3Y96SBd4I1x03k6bfo9KqomP9MQf3Tzetd_H42rBfElyEMeWnoeiqXR1uzV0IIIBt93xhxFCSeL8suNPrZIO48__RYY7CfGFMOskG7MhmbsansxfhyphenhyphenRsEdkw/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk Douglas figures things out</td></tr> </tbody></table> And last but not least is an aged Peter Lorre, more heavyset and friendly than his eerie and sinister youth, resembling character-actor Burt Young (before there was a Burt Young to be compared to).<br /> <br /> Lorre's Conseil is the only thing (moral compass) really holding back Douglas's Ned Land from continuing to steal more and more treasure that Nemo had taken from the sea floor, and that Ned wanted to do beforehand, while Nemo's busy destroying war ships, which is how, after a mysterious first act, boats were supposedly being ferociously and fatally attacked by a rumored, unstoppable sea beast... initially bringing the three investigative leads together in the first place: all reluctantly "rescued" into the classy mad man's submarine, The Nautilus. And eventually, during the famous conclusion, a giant formidable squid tries taking the sub/ship, and crew, apart with its powerful tentacles...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnC7ug4Pj-LCi1w_h6UJKD_M1z56xMlHAZOBXOkIG71mg2R6OaMH4O9kpNOSNaz8DYnCOIUJDlB8_qKKxO8tx4UFfRu1Oai6asRhcLC1p4JX8eK-NG40H23eI-bautxqa7Z20sC73XzjU/s1600/66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnC7ug4Pj-LCi1w_h6UJKD_M1z56xMlHAZOBXOkIG71mg2R6OaMH4O9kpNOSNaz8DYnCOIUJDlB8_qKKxO8tx4UFfRu1Oai6asRhcLC1p4JX8eK-NG40H23eI-bautxqa7Z20sC73XzjU/s320/66.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Lorre</td></tr> </tbody></table> Herein Douglas finally <i>almost</i> proves his heroic worth to Mason's perpetually untrusting Nemo, although at this point, after a relatively long yet flowing two-hours, the adventure, now taking place on the island where the ill-fated war ships set out to sea, there's a literally explosive conclusion. Just imagine Nemo destroying British war ships on the way to stopping Hitler, and you might just want to kick his idealistic ass...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE67fAZTDcknr0IcPfSsH8j30oFwzt7hDjjcFnxp0qHNhdLpVaGNxFXtdtyugQVJ_Vc7TR3h-KSg8oMse2CoANx0IPdijra8ZYDHsri94i0KQv83saP-fHF6FlQAy2uA_Cq5L3OqUDzY/s1600/55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE67fAZTDcknr0IcPfSsH8j30oFwzt7hDjjcFnxp0qHNhdLpVaGNxFXtdtyugQVJ_Vc7TR3h-KSg8oMse2CoANx0IPdijra8ZYDHsri94i0KQv83saP-fHF6FlQAy2uA_Cq5L3OqUDzY/s320/55.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brains of the bunch</td></tr> </tbody></table> Well this is obviously years before WWII, and still, the sane trio realizes he's a sick man. But Nemo's edgy, anti-war status is somewhat understandable since these war ships have to do with slavery that he was involved with, and yet, despite the <i>deep </i>stuff, a lot of the film has Douglas hanging with both the cute seal and Peter Lorre, reveling in the booze and booty as Lorre catches tips from the brave hero (while peripherally "protecting" his boss) as Douglas, subliminally becoming a sort of SIERRA MADRE Bogart, only nicer, is yearning to take the treasure chest for himself...<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Nemo considers<i> all</i> the underwater elements to be the real treasures and/or discoveries, ranging from aquatic elements that can make food and cigars... Basically, you can live an entire life underwater, and Nemo needs the Professor as his own personal Captain's log-pen for what could be a glorious journal when (and if) completed.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhik7C5E_oqJ0prAuU5Xw095agW8cb644xaXkh206PhIRVXnTJvTPaXKXYCh6f02KK9Agi7l6ZqPyGjT9YzWyqhKs4oawme_D_VMMiIZIN0KGwOcqQ07Ip6YYkx8M7kdWYgGibm-o2zfM/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhik7C5E_oqJ0prAuU5Xw095agW8cb644xaXkh206PhIRVXnTJvTPaXKXYCh6f02KK9Agi7l6ZqPyGjT9YzWyqhKs4oawme_D_VMMiIZIN0KGwOcqQ07Ip6YYkx8M7kdWYgGibm-o2zfM/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four main leads in one motion picture RATES: **** </td></tr> </tbody></table> With a perfect combination of scientific exposition and a handing-off of daring-do adventures, all completely resulting from the characters: from battling headhunters to that awesome giant squid, LEAGUES takes us lower than any movie...<br /> <br /> Yet, although dated with a few corny singalongs by an initially hyperactive Douglas (few can get away with such kitsch and still seem cool, wearing a shirt resembling Christmas candy cane, to boot), contrasting with his brainy partners and eventually, all heads connect in one of the best Disney features that... although only slightly wielding dated (albeit completely apt) monstrous creature effects... looks great outside and even better inside as any movie today, especially the plush interior of Nemo's ultimate submarine... Thus the Nautilus, which is also a spooky-looking boat resembling some kind of primal dragon sea monster of the depths, is both a character in itself and the reason for everything to take place, uniting four human beings that couldn't be more different, and yet fitting together, perfectly.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGleMD3Uv3z_O8b53woityBKRbUt3J3CjKjaReNzz47SfOSsalJt9FKCk_EZzd19ZLtQwzA1KEZIinIwKmOE_K27NuI59M7gIRh07vwUKGiCrOqXaeye9tTnmNa5D4S0vn4Lr-Q4rMz_A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-23+at+11.22.41+PM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGleMD3Uv3z_O8b53woityBKRbUt3J3CjKjaReNzz47SfOSsalJt9FKCk_EZzd19ZLtQwzA1KEZIinIwKmOE_K27NuI59M7gIRh07vwUKGiCrOqXaeye9tTnmNa5D4S0vn4Lr-Q4rMz_A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-23+at+11.22.41+PM.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Giant Octopus fighting the Nautilus in the Disney classic YEAR: 1954 </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr70wmHWeQ9APkdKOnCA0c0W9LunN9EScUevCGyTyf2xnu0AclrEpDrznrc8IWNFDejGTOef2CrnFn3AecFVg3IRgw6WAJaHGfsIufvZXqmHxynanyOcyQXkDCquapZdpzhwaj7nn0Oy4/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr70wmHWeQ9APkdKOnCA0c0W9LunN9EScUevCGyTyf2xnu0AclrEpDrznrc8IWNFDejGTOef2CrnFn3AecFVg3IRgw6WAJaHGfsIufvZXqmHxynanyOcyQXkDCquapZdpzhwaj7nn0Oy4/s1600/11.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exterior View of Nemo's vessel as the boy's attempt to escape</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3H-NqwaS6mjn9BZhIaMVcCL2zSSqz9_E1huhAX1LGtW4mNpzbThJHvWWmOELYyG8Sp5hitWilKXML_TeW63C0A3AFL4Giq7Hd7oaATHq2kMgN6TsVU3IB9pmyJPQXH0h9JwVi2xNKr8/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3H-NqwaS6mjn9BZhIaMVcCL2zSSqz9_E1huhAX1LGtW4mNpzbThJHvWWmOELYyG8Sp5hitWilKXML_TeW63C0A3AFL4Giq7Hd7oaATHq2kMgN6TsVU3IB9pmyJPQXH0h9JwVi2xNKr8/s1600/13.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An intense Captain Nemo during an 11th hour emergency</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs7PoMkXxqceuMNi6CjuBlzHDyo3ZkAzdpPXgm24rD4OyOWlQiquP1Fbmw-At7osD46_thr0iaSkv3oA1PjfEuH2ujk8GU3Js9l61xBVKgMJuh_ZVFhj2JHp6KbJPhbJP_5aXvSim-bk/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs7PoMkXxqceuMNi6CjuBlzHDyo3ZkAzdpPXgm24rD4OyOWlQiquP1Fbmw-At7osD46_thr0iaSkv3oA1PjfEuH2ujk8GU3Js9l61xBVKgMJuh_ZVFhj2JHp6KbJPhbJP_5aXvSim-bk/s1600/16.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Lorre standing next to that great looking organ</td></tr> </tbody></table>

action, adventure, creature, disney, fifties, james mason, kirk douglas, paul lukas, peter lorre, richard fleischer, underwater

KIRK DOUGLAS IN DISNEY'S '20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA'

Probably singing something by SEAL What's rare about movies, especially that of the action or science-fiction nature, is there are u...

MOTO ADVENTURE TWO: THANK YOU, MR. MOTO

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZd_Gc34CemXwnTV-8QLh4n9ZTi3Y5sYMUwzLfbFv3X79CacRkhCqNFlaqUrFuQ47m3xPGKLDLYk1D7qc2-sbYUwvCOXXU8BnKZotk7wNohqzcWZjSNDl2OCDzm9g8nFGbxjFHuYPPfA/s1600/moto1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZd_Gc34CemXwnTV-8QLh4n9ZTi3Y5sYMUwzLfbFv3X79CacRkhCqNFlaqUrFuQ47m3xPGKLDLYk1D7qc2-sbYUwvCOXXU8BnKZotk7wNohqzcWZjSNDl2OCDzm9g8nFGbxjFHuYPPfA/s640/moto1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1937 cast: Peter Lorre, Sidney Blackmer, Thomas Beck rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Now in the second adventure, to further understand our resilient Japanese hero, let us quote Thomas Beck’s returning milquetoast Mr. Tom who, in a nightclub, when asked by a lady about that gentlemen who just strolled in, replies: “His name’s Moto: adventurer, explorer, soldier of fortune, one of the Orient's mysteries… Nobody knows very much about him except that whenever he shows up, something usually happens.”<br /> <br /> Peter Lorre’s Mr. Moto takes us back overseas where a missing scroll is all that’s needed to make several other scrolls, when connected, provide the location of Genghis Khan’s tomb, bearing more than the famous conqueror's dusty old bones: there's an immense treasure buried within.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgy0d7rVGiV2rDAm7SRn3CXXvWIUpVnKyQQG75XDvan_XC2-s6YYq_Eqm_6bnfOaYhlgPXFm49TInbhIFh6AKW9cfJlxTYBb7_X9SIJtat7pRqQ6LHfqVo5Ng1e-883-YBLuayeM4g_7I/s1600/moto2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgy0d7rVGiV2rDAm7SRn3CXXvWIUpVnKyQQG75XDvan_XC2-s6YYq_Eqm_6bnfOaYhlgPXFm49TInbhIFh6AKW9cfJlxTYBb7_X9SIJtat7pRqQ6LHfqVo5Ng1e-883-YBLuayeM4g_7I/s1600/moto2.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Lorre and John Carradine</td></tr> </tbody></table> Moto sneaks around the city streets, eventually discovering the main scroll was stolen by a maverick antique collector played by John Carradine, who, like many of the characters… including Japanese royalty… are targets of nefarious fortune hunter Sidney Blackmer and his conniving moll who want the scrolls and treasure for themselves.<br /> <br /> The first half works the best: the mystery opens up onto several shootouts and a handing-off of clues, taking Moto from one dangerous situation to the next. But the pace slows at the 11th hour when the characters meet inside a ship within a fog shrouded port (resembling director/cowriter Norman Foster's JOURNEY INTO FEAR), where Moto plays mind games with the villainous couple, resulting in a somewhat anticlimactic showdown.<br /> <br /> What makes THANK YOU, MR. MOTO unique and special to the series is his patriotism for Japan, shown in a seemingly illogical decision (in monetary terms) at the film's conclusion, providing the character a bit more depth than we've seen thus far.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kMnLqZFpS1jYF9s6lMPk1ya6bbkQFDNyZxIeadKUXjRcvHxXamzNvTRaWRj8fGtV1srAvLZHXXrVZAO_BZeVRgJPhbb3cNQ726biZAPf7mmLHXJ65R8AfCVD5BvMmyaRL0bcuAwR9OE/s1600/moto3_zps47c076bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kMnLqZFpS1jYF9s6lMPk1ya6bbkQFDNyZxIeadKUXjRcvHxXamzNvTRaWRj8fGtV1srAvLZHXXrVZAO_BZeVRgJPhbb3cNQ726biZAPf7mmLHXJ65R8AfCVD5BvMmyaRL0bcuAwR9OE/s640/moto3_zps47c076bf.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Moto strums an antique instrument</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzmC_4FZYIMVxja8PhN56VxrvHTCneLhZf6k4SBwirFsblH5e_wIqnCJAVz3bnmb8e0QInuq59OOVy5Vyxu504_00r2Q3AkbfBaHYi4oxLjiN4Xn815CPQQY2Fst12TrUcIR60HOMF7M/s1600/moto4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzmC_4FZYIMVxja8PhN56VxrvHTCneLhZf6k4SBwirFsblH5e_wIqnCJAVz3bnmb8e0QInuq59OOVy5Vyxu504_00r2Q3AkbfBaHYi4oxLjiN4Xn815CPQQY2Fst12TrUcIR60HOMF7M/s640/moto4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2013/03/thinkfast-mrmoto-peterlorre.html">CLICK TO READ THE PREVIOUS MR MOTO REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTNQsT79z60qMpTSyN-wr2V8YoB_CB6u8BliixyIUnCpysxRnPcWRJyuyHu8b3uA_2lip9lR9ZYK4bttmCW1DP6kujCZFO4MBl-iBxouE4ijlxDfS0HpwX9Iy4fTZsxmZdDOSPB00bbE/s1600/photo-23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTNQsT79z60qMpTSyN-wr2V8YoB_CB6u8BliixyIUnCpysxRnPcWRJyuyHu8b3uA_2lip9lR9ZYK4bttmCW1DP6kujCZFO4MBl-iBxouE4ijlxDfS0HpwX9Iy4fTZsxmZdDOSPB00bbE/s640/photo-23.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=MR+MOTO+COLLECTION">BUY MR MOTO COLLECTION AT AMAZON</a></td></tr> </tbody></table>

crime, franchise, mr moto, norman foster, peter lorre, sequel, sidney blackmer, thirties, thomas beck

MOTO ADVENTURE TWO: THANK YOU, MR. MOTO

year: 1937 cast: Peter Lorre, Sidney Blackmer, Thomas Beck rating: *** Now in the second adventure, to further understand our resilient ...

MOTO ADVENTURE ONE: THINK FAST, MR. MOTO

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99sdC3YErsbRrUiPbKsX4uTgjN7zMgyIcamPaumSvJMQmrHF6qcScCVEn-SNPcd1CK2wmk1W7nFXQvZoNLCylbWh7QChUt5-4E8pV1sxNQUTdSPRKXnrGXATzwsK5jl1Z7k9jUJAURj0/s1600/MRMOTO1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99sdC3YErsbRrUiPbKsX4uTgjN7zMgyIcamPaumSvJMQmrHF6qcScCVEn-SNPcd1CK2wmk1W7nFXQvZoNLCylbWh7QChUt5-4E8pV1sxNQUTdSPRKXnrGXATzwsK5jl1Z7k9jUJAURj0/s640/MRMOTO1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1937 cast: Peter Lorre, Virginia Field, Thomas Beck rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Peter Lorre is Mr. Moto, a Japanese secret agent who's both underrated and unappreciated... But he'll surprise you with a karate kick sending non-believers flying across the room.<br /> <br /> Here we begin with Moto in street peddler disguise, including a pointy beard and ragged clothing. He clumsily meanders into a store to sell a rug, and then a diamond, to an impatient proprietor who’s got a dead body semi-hidden in a wicker basket. This brings Moto on board a big ship where an important letter to a rich man’s son, Bob, has been stolen and replaced.<br /> <br /> There’s a plot hidden somewhere, having to do with smuggling diamonds to and from San Francisco. The best parts – when Moto’s not tailing and/or protecting the naïve square jawed Bob aboard the ocean liner – takes place in notorious Shanghai where our resilient hero turns tables at a fancy nightclub.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWIpIUH819PWVKpWuOcT_Vh3Uv-AAEOBbw_Wm6zThPQ_mzQhKJAVLBrkRJolaS-TQ2PuV0jq-uzUvchHNwI9fuEECW2bninnQxoBrZP7ZCbVuPz11_YLBU70x1g5MFsK6R_SgJyteUU4/s1600/peterlorremoto11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWIpIUH819PWVKpWuOcT_Vh3Uv-AAEOBbw_Wm6zThPQ_mzQhKJAVLBrkRJolaS-TQ2PuV0jq-uzUvchHNwI9fuEECW2bninnQxoBrZP7ZCbVuPz11_YLBU70x1g5MFsK6R_SgJyteUU4/s640/peterlorremoto11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Moto investigates on sea or land</td></tr> </tbody></table> Peter Lorre is always fun to watch and this character is a real treat, hiding his Ace until each pivotal moment arises. But is this Motto guy a Charlie Chan rip-off? Perhaps so... yet there’s far more action in this series and, like many cinematic mysteries before and after, we’re never burdened with too many clues surrounding a convoluted maze.<br /> <br /> Norman Foster, who later directed an Orson Welles Mercury production aboard a mysterious ship titled JOURNEY INTO FEAR, provides a suspenseful element at both land and sea, moving the camera around enough to make this more than a wordy melodrama but an adventure that continuously pays off.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrwjtj_8ps548NfVO2XYpr6p3Wc6hJwS4hqfqXFhklN_DGP42CWYhPKCEUmSZOQQKmrhtFtb-Hzm-i1DpuHHe50etJDl26OP-sGnzm4BiV4lMdfUz8ZjeEmjszVSRlqu9-GBwJSMblaY/s1600/moto3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrwjtj_8ps548NfVO2XYpr6p3Wc6hJwS4hqfqXFhklN_DGP42CWYhPKCEUmSZOQQKmrhtFtb-Hzm-i1DpuHHe50etJDl26OP-sGnzm4BiV4lMdfUz8ZjeEmjszVSRlqu9-GBwJSMblaY/s640/moto3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=MR+MOTO+DVD">BUY MR. MOTO COLLECTION AT AMAZON</a></td></tr> </tbody></table>

crime, franchise, mr moto, mystery, norman foster, peter lorre, sequel, thirties

MOTO ADVENTURE ONE: THINK FAST, MR. MOTO

year: 1937 cast: Peter Lorre, Virginia Field, Thomas Beck rating: ***1/2 Peter Lorre is Mr. Moto, a Japanese secret agent who's both...