The Fatal Hour (1940)
1h 8m | PG-13
When a police officer is murdered, Captain Street looks to Mr. Wong to catch the killer. Prime Suspect: Frank Belden Jr., whose father is a businessman well known for both his success and dishonesty. Mr. Wong faces increasing danger and is nearly executed himself as the investigation develops in treachery and complexity. As Mr. Wong follows the trail of dead bodies, he uncovers a jewel smuggling ring on the San Francisco waterfront and a case much larger than the death of a police officer.
Director: William Nigh
Studio: Monogram Pictures
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Video: 720p
Cast
Boris Karloff
as James Lee Wong
Marjorie Reynolds
as Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan
Grant Withers
as Capt. Bill Street
Charles Trowbridge
as John T. Forbes
Frank Puglia
as Harry 'Hardway' Lockett
Craig Reynolds
as Frank Belden, Jr.
Reviews
Maybe not one of the better "Wong" (Boris Karloff) outings this, but it still moves along well enough. This time, it's a long time friend of "Capt. Street" (Grant Withers) who comes a cropper and the two, along with pesky investigative journalist "Bobbie" (Marjorie Reynolds) must get to the bottom of things as the corpses begin, quite literally, to pile up! The production looks hastily thrown together, the lighting really needed a few more bucks in the meter and the script could have been doing with a little more substance. That said, it has the odd humorous touch and Reynolds is quite efficient in support of our not particularly dynamic duo. Watchable, but forgettable fayre.