Doomed to Die ** (1940, Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers) – Classic Movie Review 5606

The 1940 American black and white mystery film Doomed to Die brings back Boris Karloff from Dulwich, Surrey, England, as Chinese sleuth Mr James Lee Wong. Director William Nigh’s sequel to The Fatal Hour (1940) again stars Boris Karloff as Mr Wong – for the fifth and last time. Also returning are Marjorie Reynolds as Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Logan and Grant Withers as Captain William ‘Bill’ Street of the San Francisco Homicide Squad.

Mr Wong and reporter ‘Bobbie’ Logan investigate shipping magnate Cyrus P Wentworth’s murder, shot dead in his office as he kicked out his daughter’s fiancé Dick Fleming. Captain Street arrests Dick, but ‘Bobbie’ is sure he has the wrong man.

Also in the cast are William Stelling as Dick Fleming, Catherine Craig as Cynthia Wentworth, Guy Usher as Paul Fleming (Dick’s father), Henry Brandon as attorney ‘Vic’ Martin, Melvin Lang as Cyrus P Wentworth, Wilbur Mack as Wentworth’s assistant Matthews, Kenneth Harlan as Ludlow the chauffeur and Richard Loo as the Tong leader.

Doomed to Die (1940) starring Boris Karloff with (standing) Marjorie Reynolds, Gibson Gowland and Grant Withers.

Doomed to Die is made by Monogram Pictures Corporation and runs 68 minutes. It was released on 12 August 1940. The screenplay is by Michael Jacoby and Ralph Bettinson, adapting the work of Hugh Wiley, it is shot in black and white by Harry Neumann, it is produced by Scott R Dunlap, and it is scored by Edward J Kay.

Filming began in mid-June 1940, though they also use news footage of the liner SS Morro Castle as it caught fire on 8 September 1934 while sailing from Havana to New York City.

It is also known as Mystery of the Wentworth Castle.

You can watch it now free on the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/doomedToDie

A final film appeared – Phantom of Chinatown (1940) – with Keye Luke in the role originated by Boris Karloff – putting an end to the series.

Karloff was born William Henry Pratt on 23 November 1887 at 36 Forest Hill Road, Dulwich, in London.

The Mr Wong films are: The Mysterious Mr Wong (1934) with Bela Lugosi, Mr Wong, Detective (1938) with Boris Karloff, The Mystery of Mr Wong (1939), Mr Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Fatal Hour (1940), Doomed to Die (1940) and Phantom of Chinatown (1940).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5606

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com