Drums of Fu Manchu
Cast & Crew
John English
Henry Brandon
William Royle
Robert Kellard
Gloria Franklin
Olaf Hytten
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Cast
Henry Brandon
William Royle
Robert Kellard
Gloria Franklin
Olaf Hytten
Tom Chatterton
Luana Walters
Lal Chand Mehra
George Cleveland
John Dilson
John Merton
Dwight Frye
Wheaton Chambers
George Pembroke
Guy D'ennery
Crew
Franklyn Adreon
Hiram S. Brown Jr.
Morgan B. Cox
Mack D'agostino
Ronald Davidson
Cy Feuer
Norman S. Hall
William Nobles
Barney A. Sarecky
Sol Shor
William [p.] Thompson
Edward Todd
Al Wilson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film consists of re-edited footage from Republic's fifteen-episode serial, also titled Drums of Fu Manchu, which was released in March 1940. On July 9, 1942, Hollywood Reporter reported that Republic had decided to shelve plans for a new film based on the Fu Manchu character, tentatively titled Fu Manchu Strikes Again, "out of deference to the Chinese people." The article noted additionally that representatives of the Chinese government had been lodging complaints about the character for some time. By July 27, 1942, however, Republic had changed its mind and announced in Hollywood Reporter that it would proceed with a new version of Fu Manchu, although the character would be "cleaned up" and depicted as a crusader against the Japanese. That film was apparently never made. Correspondence located at NARS in Washington, D.C., dated September 23, 1943, indicates that Drums of Fu Manchu did not receive approval for export from the U.S. government because the film represented "a derogatory picturization of our Chinese allies."
A modern source adds the following crew credits to the serial: Screenplay R. P. Thompson, Rex Taylor; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Special Effects Howard Lydecker and Theodore Lydecker; Sound Charles L. Lootens and Daniel J. Bloomberg; Costumes Robert H. Ramsay and Adele Palmer; Art Director John Victor Mackay; Makeup Supervisor Robert Mark; Construction Supervisor Ralph Oberg; Set Decoration Morris Braun; Location Manager John T. Bourke; and Cast Robert Webb and Kam Tong.
Earlier films based on the characters from Sax Rohmer's serialized "Fu Manchu" novels include the 1929 Paramount film The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu, directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Warner Oland and Jean Arthur (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.3760); Paramount's 1931 release Daughter of the Dragon, directed by Lloyd Corrigan and featuring Warner Oland and Anna May Wong; and M-G-M's 1932 The Mask of Fu Manchu, directed by Charles Brabin and starring Boris Karloff (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.0968 and F3.2775). Later adaptations include a 1956 television series, The Adventures of Fu Manchu, starring Glenn Gordon, and the 1980 British comedy The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu, directed by Piers Haggard and starring Peter Sellars.
