Chinatown Squad
Cast & Crew
Murray Roth
Lyle Talbot
Valerie Hobson
Hugh O'connell
Andy Devine
Leslie Fenton
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
On the night of Chinese New Year celebrations in San Francisco, Albert Raybold, a confidence man and agent for Chinese Communist revolutionaries, is knifed to death in the Peking Café, owned by John Yee. Before Sergeant McLeash of the Chinatown police squad arrives on the scene, Yee steals a mystical jade ring from Raybold's corpse and goes into hiding. The ring gives its wearer the power to do irreparable harm to his enemies. Also in the restaurant is ex-cop Ted Lacey, who, tired of the dimwitted McLeash meddling in his cases, quit the force and now drives a sightseeing bus. Lacey helps a mysterious lady dressed in black elude McLeash by including her in his group of tourists. He later discovers she is Janet Baker, a woman who became Raybold's business partner and nearly married him until she found out he was crooked; Raybold lured Janet to Chinatown by sending her a telegram that he had been murdered. Ted agrees to help Janet retrieve incriminating letters that were in Raybold's possession and also hopes to find the killer before McLeash does. McLeash suspects Janet and Yee, as well as D. D. Palmer and William Ward, both of whom Raybold called before he was murdered. Ward was hoping Raybold could get him a monopoly on tea exports to Fuchau, a seaport in China. The night of his death, Raybold received $70,000 from Yee that he had collected from Chinese-American sympathizers to pay for airplanes which Raybold was going to transport to China that night. Palmer was after a $10,000 commission that Raybold owed him and was meeting Raybold for dinner to collect. Janet disguises herself as a Chinese woman and visits Yee, believing he has her letters, but he locks her up in his restaurant, bound and gagged, and leaves for the Sausalito ferry. Ted follows and is in turn followed by Palmer. Ted is distracted when McLeash goes overboard in an attempt to catch the ferry, and Palmer knifes Yee and throws him overboard. Ted fishes him out and before he dies, Yee gestures that his ring has been stolen. McLeash brings Ted to Chief of Detectives Norris believing he was in cahoots with Yee, but Norris releases him, and he goes to the Peking Café, where he finds Janet and rescues her. Meanwhile, Raybold's secretary, George Mason, who was arrested as a possible suspect, is released by Palmer's lawyer. Palmer agrees to give George a cut if he helps him find the money. Palmer believes Yee's partner, Su Quong, has the letters and the money. Janet contacts George and he tells her to tell Quong that Palmer will give him the ring if Quong gives Palmer the money. All converge at the restaurant, where they discover the money and letters hidden in Raybold's private booth. McLeash then hauls Palmer, George, Janet and Ted to headquarters and, en route, Ted scares George into implicating Palmer as the murderer and gets Palmer to confess. At headquarters, Norris commends Ted for bringing in the murderer and rehires him as a sergeant. Janet looks forward to a life as a policeman's wife.
Director
Murray Roth
Cast
Lyle Talbot
Valerie Hobson
Hugh O'connell
Andy Devine
Leslie Fenton
Bradley Page
E. Alyn
Clay Clement
Arthur Hoyt
Wallis Clarke
Toshia Mori
Henry Armetta
Tom Dugan
Jack Mulhall
James Flavin
King Baggott
Otis Harlan
Ed Lesaint
Edward Earle
Crew
Tommy Ashton
Stanley Bergerman
Lawrence G. Blochman
Lawrence G. Blochman
E. Brown
Archie Buchanan
Charles Carroll
Connie Earl
William Ely
Bob Evans
Roy Fullerton
John P. Fulton
Arthur Gerstle
Eliot Gibbons
Frank Gorback
Archie Hall
Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle
Maurice Pivar
George Robinson
Hazel Rogers
Ben Ryan
Dore Schary
Ernest M. Smith
Harold Smith
Fred Stoll
Joe Torillo
Harrison Wiley
Maurice E. Wright
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film's working titles were Frisco Lady and Frisco Nights. This film was shot on location in San Francisco, CA.
