THE ADVENTURES OF DR. FU MANCHU PART 2

Glen Gordon

THE ADVENTURES OF DR. FU MANCHU. 1956 television series.

A second crop of episodes from this short-lived series has been released. Fu is played quite well by Glen Gordon, with Lester Matthews [Life Begins for Andy Hardy] effective as Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Laurette Luez [African Treasure] rather sexy and efficient as Karamaneh, the doctor's mistress.

In "Vengeance of Fu Manchu" Sir Denis and company investigate whether a chemical company is working on agricultural interests or if its real interest, under Fu Manchu's influence, is weaponry. Lester Matthews does a great drunk bit in this. "Dr. Fu Manchu's Raid" has the villain taking advantage of a  practice emergency air raid to make Americans think their security is compromised, hoping he can take advantage of the resulting stock market plunge, but his hoax is unveiled by Sir Denis. In "The Satellites of Fu Manchu" planes with scientists aboard who are involved in space science disappear one after the other. Smith takes the place of the man he feels will be kidnapped next but when he is captured, he has to figure out if Fu is bluffing or not when he threatens to blow up the other captives. "The Assassins of Fu Manchu" was the last and possibly the best episode of the series, dealing with a young  man (Mason Alan Dinehart) who is trained to kill by Fu Manchu, who actually murdered the boy's father, an agent, years before. Most of these episodes are B- or C+ but this last episode is better and has more action than the other ones I've seen.

You can read about other episodes of this show here.

Verdict: Fu will not be beaten -- or so he thinks! **1/2.

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS!

Magneto

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS! [Top to bottom: Magneto; Fu Manchu; Dr. Mabuse; Fantomas. Not pictured: Diabolik].

This week we look at the wonderful villains who make movies so much fun: the bad guys who make life miserable for our heroes and so many others, but who certainly enliven the film-going experience for all of us. Interestingly, all of these bad guys come from literary sources -- novels, pulps, and comics.

Dr. Fu Manchu

Fantomas first appeared in the novel of that title in 1911. A diabolical criminal mastermind and master of disguise, he starred in many novels, several silent films, and a few ersatz spy-type movies in the sixties. This week you can read a review of the first book, the first silent film, and the first, I believe, of the sixties big-screen adaptations.

Dr. Mabuse

Dr. Fu Manchu first appeared in Sax Rohmer's novel The Mystery of Fu Manchu (aka The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu) in 1913. This was followed by many more books in the series, the Hollywood film The Mask of Fu Manchu, a Republic movie serial, an American TV show that lasted half a season, and a British movie series starring Christopher Lee. The character's nadir, aside from the last Lee film, was the parody The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu, Peter Sellers' last movie. You can also read about The Blood of Fu Manchu, the fourth of the Fu-Lee movies.

Dr. Mabuse first appeared in the 1921 novel, Dr. Mabuse der Spieler by Norbert Jacques and became a bestseller. The silent and sound films made by German director Fritz Lang made the character even more popular. Mabuse was turned into a Dr. No-type villain in several sixties films, including The Death Ray Mirror of Dr. Mabuse, and in 2013 there was a terrible film about him, Doctor Mabuse, which starred several original Dark Shadows cast members.

Diabolik was an Italian comic book/graphic novel character who first appeared in 1962, and was in the tradition of Fantomas and Mabuse, especially the former. Danger: Diabolik was, to my knowledge, the only film featuring the character.

Fantomas

Magneto first appeared in the Marvel comic X-Men 1 in 1963. First presented as a one-dimensional villain out to conquer the world for mutantkind (but more for himself) he was made more dimensional in the comics and then in several big-budget feature films made beginning in 1980. Played originally by Sir Ian McKellan, a younger version of the character was later essayed by Michael Fassbender in such films as X-Men: First Class; X-Men: Days of Future Past; and X-Men: Apocalypse.

I had planned on including a recent movie about Sumuru, Sax Rohmer's villainess, so the ladies would have equal time, but ran out of time, although what I've seen so far of the movie did not make me want to rush to see the rest.

DRUMS OF FU MANCHU

Henry Brandon as the Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu

DRUMS OF FU MANCHU (15 chapter Republic serial/1940). Directors: William Witney; John English.

Taking its cue from the feature-length film starring Boris Karloff, The Mask of Fu Manchu, this serial is also loosely based not on Sax Rohmer's "Drums of Fu Manchu" but rather his "Mask of Fu Manchu." In both film and serial Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon) is out to get certain artifacts from the tomb of Genghis Kahn that will give him the power to conquer all Asia -- in the serial's case it is a sacred scepter. To that end there is a lot of back and forth dallying over not only the scepter, but the "kardac segment," a piece of a tile that will lead to the location of the tomb. Fu's chief adversary, as in the books, is Sir Dennis Nayland Smith (William Royle), with assistance from Dr. Petrie (Olaf Hytten of Detective Kitty O'Day) and young Allan Parker (Robert Kellard of Escort Girl), whose father was murdered by Fu. Other characters include Professor Randolph (Tom Chatterton); his daughter Mary (Luana Walters); Fu Manchu's loyal assistant, Loki (John Merton of Radar Patrol vs Spy King), who actually has fangs; and Fu's daughter, Fah Lo Suee (Gloria Franklin). One carry over from the novel "Drums of Fu Manchu" is the way one hears the nerve-wracking sound of beating, steadily louder drums whenever someone's doom is approaching. Fu, who is more sadistic than in the novels, employs gelatinous darts; a cage with rats inside of it (known as "the gates to paradise"); a fire-branch trap that threatens to snap Allan in two; and a deadly gas in Kahn's tomb. Especially memorable cliffhangers include two trains about to collide in chapter one; the attack of a kind of octo-squid in a watery chamber below Fu's HQ in chapter two; a pendulum that nearly cleaves Allan in twain in chapter four; a jeep that sails over a cliff during a fight with Arabs in chapter eight; a deadly heat device from the sun's rays that nearly frizzles Mary in chapter nine; and a whole ceiling of stalactites that comes crashing down on the good guys in chapter ten. There's a little too much running about the desert in the final chapters, and the score is mediocre. This is not necessarily top-drawer Fu or a top-drawer serial, but it is good and entertaining. Once you get used to the odd voice Henry Brandon affects for Fu, he is quite effective.

Verdict: Great fun to watch Fu Manchu carry out his diabolical manipulations -- always with class. ***.

THE FACE OF FU MANCHU

Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu: check out those nails!

THE FACE OF FU MANCHU (1965). Director: Don Sharp.

A number of bodies turn up dead in the Thames, and Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Nigel Green) of Scotland Yard figures his old adversary, Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee), is responsible.  Fu has developed a poison from the Black Hill poppy, a holy flower in Tibet, and uses it to kill off the entire population of a town. (This has an effective scene when two likable soldiers in the town suddenly drop dead.) This is just a demonstration of what he is capable of. In his HQ near the Thames Fu has a "drowning chamber" where he places people he wishes to kill or extract information from. His daughter, now called Lin Tang (she was Fah Lo Suee in the novels) and played by Tsai Chin, is arguably nastier than he is, and seems anxious to whip any employee who disobeys her or her father's orders. Other characters include Professor Muller (Walter Rilla of the Dr. Mabuse films) who works on the poppy formula; his daughter, Maria (Karin Dor of You Only Live Twice); her boyfriend Carl Janssen (Joachim Fuchsberger of Dead Eyes of London); Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion-Crawford); and a museum director (James Robertson Justice, less irritating than usual), who insists that his establishment is impregnable, even to Fu Manchu; of course he's wrong. As usual, Sax Rohmer's famous character is less dimensional than in the novels, and Christopher Lee, oddly, makes absolutely no attempt to play him as an actual Oriental. At the very beginning of the film, Fu Manchu escapes justice by substituting someone else to be beheaded, a notion carried over from Fantomas. Whatever its flaws, The Face of Fu Manchu is fast-paced and entertaining, and has the correct period setting. Lee is suitably creepy, and the versatile Nigel Green makes an excellent Nayland Smith. The movie doesn't quite capture that certain fiendish atmosphere of the books. This was the first of five Fu Manchu/Lee films produced by Harry Alan Towers. Followed by The Brides of Fu Manchu.

Verdict: Reasonably suspenseful fun. ***.

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU

Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU (aka Kiss and Kill/1968). Director: Jess Franco. Produced by Harry Alan Towers.

From the South American jungles and a hidden city, Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) sends forth ten kidnapped and mind-controlled women on a mission to murder ten of his most hated enemies. Fu Manchu uses special Incan black cobras to spread poison through the women, who can then deliver a "kiss of death" to their chosen victims. Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Richard Greene of Island of the Lost) is one of these victims, but he doesn't die immediately but goes blind instead. Smith insists that his friend Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion-Crawford of The Hasty Heart) take him to South America where he can meet up with his agent, Carl Jansen (Gotz George), and get an antidote from Fu Manchu. Tsai Chin is again cast as Fu's nasty daughter, Lin Tang, and Maria Rohm plays Ursula, the daughter of a murdered professor who had been traveling with Carl. The movie is nearly over before Shirley Eaton, who played Sax Rohmer's villainess Sumuru in two movies, shows up as one of the kissing assassins in scenes that could almost be outtakes from her second Sumuru flick, The Girl from Rio (which was also produced by Harry Alan Towers). Ricardo Palacios plays the irritating bandit chief Sancho Lopez, but he plays it well and his death is satisfying. Despite an amusing and workable premise and some interesting settings, The Blood of Fu Manchu has low production values and doesn't have much suspense or excitement. Lee plays Fu strictly for the paycheck. Greene is actually quite good as Smith and George makes an attractive secondary hero. This is the fourth of five Fu Manchu/Chris Lee movies.

Verdict: Sadly, there were worse Fu Manchu movies to come. **.

THE FIENDISH PLOT OF FU MANCHU

Peter Sellers and Helen Mirren

THE FIENDISH PLOT OF DR. FU MANCHU (1980). Director: Piers Haggard.

On Dr. Fu Manchu's (Peter Sellers) 168th birthday, his life-sustaining elixir vitae is spilled, and he orders his loyal men to run about stealing the necessary ingredients. Naturally this alerts his longtime adversary, Nayland Smith (also played by Peter Sellers), who has become a little strange after being tortured by the Si-Fan, the group of which Fu is leader. Suspecting that the queen may be a target, Smith has her impersonated by policewoman Alice Rage (Helen Mirren), who is kidnapped by Fu -- and falls in love with him! If you're looking for an inventive laugh riot, look elsewhere, for Fiendish Plot is a mediocre film despite the genius of Peter Sellers, the film's chief saving grace. Helen Mirren [Phil Spector] shows why she became so famous with her excellent portrayal of the kind of schizoid Alice, and David Tomlinson scores as Sir Roger Avery with Scotland Yard. Sid Ceasar does what he can as an FBI agent who, unfortunately, keeps referring to Chinese people as "chinks" throughout the movie, another black mark against the production. Clement Harari as dietitian Dr. Wretch and John Le Mesurier as Smith's valet Perkins are more suitably cast. Fiendish Plot does have a small share of chuckles, and one laugh-out-loud moment involving a mechanical spider. but it lacks pacing and suspense, which is required even for a parody. Fu also employs a big plant that emits a sleeping gas, while Smith's country cottage contains a balloon through which he and his associates fly off in the cottage to the Himalayas to confront Fu, who becomes a rock star with a "Rock a Fu" production number. This was executive produced by Hugh Hefner when Playboy wanted to get into the movie game, which everyone probably regretted. (Hefner was also exec. producer for Kim Novak's TV vehicle The Third Girl from the Left.)  Piers Haggard also directed one of my favorite movies, A Summer Story, which is about a zillion times better than this; genre movies were not his forte. Sadly, this was Peter Sellers' last movie.

Verdict: Not Fu's -- or Sellers'-- finest hour. **

WARNER OLAND AS CHARLIE CHAN

Warner Oland in youth

WARNER OLAND AS CHARLIE CHAN.

When 20th Century Fox decided to bring Charlie Chan to the big screen, their choice to play the role was middle-aged Swedish actor Warner Oland [1879 - 1938]. Despite his being Caucasian, Oland was quite effective in the role and appeared in many Chan pictures, some of the earlier ones of which are lost. Below are reviews of several of the films that are still among us: Charlie Chan in Paris; Charlie Chan in Egypt; Charlie Chan in Shanghai; Charlie Chan at the Circus; Charlie Chan at the Race Track; Charlie Chan at the Opera; Charlie Chan on Broadway; Charlie Chan at the Olympics; and Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo. Other Oland-Chan movies that have already been reviewed on this site include: The Black Camel; Charlie Chan in London; and Charlie Chan's Secret. Oland also gave excellent portrayals of the fiendish Fu Manchu in such films as Daughter of the Dragon.  Oland also appeared in The Jazz Singer and a great many other silent movies.

ANNA MAY WONG: IN HER OWN WORDS

Anna May Wong

ANNA MAY WONG: IN HER OWN WORDS (2013). Writer/director/producer: Yunah Hong.

"I never kissed my leading man in Hollywood -- ever."

Anna May Wong [1905 - 1961] managed to become a minor movie star during a period when racism was at its peak and there were few roles for Chinese-Americans in films [the situation probably has not changed all that much today]. Her career began in silent films with small roles in movies like Mr. Wu, although she did eventually get starring parts such as in The Toll of the Sea, a Chinese version of Madama Butterfly, and went to Europe to get more lead roles in movies. Her talent and good looks were obvious from the first, but her refusal to play stereotypical parts led to her losing roles, and when she did play exotic Eurasian villainesses as in Daughter of the Dragon [a Fu Manchu picture] she was excoriated by mainland Chinese. She held her own with Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express, and a smitten songwriter wrote "These Foolish Things [remind me of you]" for her. She had a good role in Daughter of Shanghai, but by the late forties and fifties she was reduced to very small roles in such films as Impact and on The Barbara Stanwyck Show. While one could say that this brief documentary on the actress is a bit on the superficial side, like TCM's Frosted Yellow Willows which also covered Wong, the emphasis is on the positive aspects of her life and career. Another difference is that a pretty and talented young actress named Doan Ly portrays Wong at different points during the documentary, speaking Wong's "own words" from letters and interviews. There are also quotes from actor BD Wong [Law and Order: Special Victims Unit] and film scholar Pete Feng, among others.

Verdict: Interesting look at the life of a very interesting actress. ***.

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932). Director: Charles Brabin.


Loosely based on the 1932 novel by Sax Rohmer, the movie takes the basic idea of Fu Manchu taking over a re-emerging cult, turning the "prophet" of the book into Genghis Khan and moving the location to China. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) wants to get his hands on a mask and sword taken from Khan's tomb and will stop at nothing to do so in order to use their power for his own ends. Out to foil his plans are Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant), an archaeologist; Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) of Scotland Yard; Barton's daughter Sheila (Karen Morley); and Terrence Granville (Charles Starrett). Rounding out the cast are Jean Hersholt as Professor Von Berg and Myrna Loy as Fah Lo See, Fu's sinister daughter. Of course, the plot doesn't matter half as much as the atmosphere, the creepy sets, the scenes of whipping and torture, and Smith suspended above a pit of snapping crocodiles while Von Berg is trapped between closing walls with spikes. While the fiendish Oriental genius is much more dimensional in Rohmer's wonderful novels, The Mask of Fu Manchu does capture some of the strange, delightful flavor of the books with their weird creatures and uncanny scientific devices. Karloff is fine as an alternative Fu, and the other cast members are also swell, but Karen Morley gives the best and most sincere performance.

Verdict: Lots of Fu fun! ***.

DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON

DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (1931). Director: Lloyd Corrigan.

In the early 1930's Paramount Pictures released a trio of films very loosely based on the first three novels in Sax Rohmer's fascinating series of Fu Manchu books. The third and final film in the series, Daughter of the Dragon, is supposedly based on The Daughter of Fu Manchu, Rohmer's third Fu Manchu book, but it has an entirely different storyline. In this movie Princess Ling Moy (Anna May Wong) is a dancer who has no idea that she is the daughter of Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu (an excellent Warner Oland), whose origin is entirely different from Rohmer's, has spent the first two movies trying to wipe out the Petrie family, whom he holds in part responsible for the deaths of his wife and other children (Ling Moy was raised by another family). After killing John Petrie (Holmes Herbert), a dying Fu tells his daughter who she is and of the blood oath which she must fulfill: to kill the final member of the Petrie family, Ronald Petrie (Bramwell Fletcher). Ling Moy agrees to do this but winds up falling in love with Ronald instead. In a rather abrupt character reversal, she decides to go ahead and fulfill the oath and turns quite sadistic to boot. Balancing the evil Asians in the movie is Ah Kee, a policeman played by Sessue Hayakawa. Daughter of the Dragon is slowly-paced and has a rather boring middle section, although there's some excitement at the climax (which has a moving wind-up). The chief feeling you take away from the movie is that both Wong and Hayakawa are excellent actors who deserved much better material. Still, it has its moments. Good performances from the rest of the cast. As far as Fu Manchu goes, he has more fun in the unrelated The Mask of Fu Manchu the following year.

Verdict: Wong and Hayakawa make a great team. **1/2.