Limehouse Blues
Cast & Crew
Alexander Hall
George Raft
Jean Parker
Anna May Wong
Kent Taylor
Montagu Love
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
On London's Limehouse Causeway, a riverfront slum, Chinese-American Harry Young runs a smuggling business out of his club, The Lily Gardens. In his short time on Limehouse, Harry has overtaken all of ruffian Pug Talbot's business. Pug takes his anger out on his beautiful daughter Toni, whom he has reared as a pickpocket. After Harry saves Toni from arrest, she develops a fondness for him. Pug tries to foil one of Harry's pick-ups by alerting the police, but Toni warns Harry and he evades the law. When Harry finds out later that Pug beat Toni for helping him, he vows revenge. Harry sends Herb, his right-hand man, to make an appointment to meet with Pug. Pug accepts the key to Harry's apartment, unaware that he is being set up. When Pug arrives for his meeting, he is stabbed to death, and his body is left in the alley. After her father's death, Toni agrees to be Harry's "watchdog," in exchange for room and board. Harry's jealous Chinese lover, Tu Tuan, knows that Harry is in love with Toni and warns him that the "white girl" cannot give him what he wants. To protect Toni from Tu Tuan, Harry fires her, but gives her an allowance. In Piccadilly, Toni meets Eric Benton, who owns a pet shop, and after spending many afternoons together, they fall in love. Toni does not want to accept Harry's charity, but he prevents her from getting a job so he will not lose her. Tu Tuan warns Harry that Toni is in love with someone else and, after deriding him for being in love with a white woman, leaves him. Toni finally confesses her sordid background to Eric and abandons him, but he finds the Lily Gardens and makes an appointment with Harry, who gives him the infamous key. That night, Harry takes Toni with him on his pick-up at Ching Lee's ship, unaware that Tu Tuan informed on him to the police and then killed herself. Harry realizes Toni's deep love for Eric when she becomes hysterical upon discovering his murder plans. Willing to sacrifice his own happiness for hers, Harry leaves Ching Lee's to try and stop the killing. He is chased by the police and shot, but arrives in time to save Eric. Harry clears Toni's name before he dies, leaving Toni and Eric to return to the West End to find happiness together.
Director
Alexander Hall
Cast
George Raft
Jean Parker
Anna May Wong
Kent Taylor
Montagu Love
Billy Bevan
Robert Loraine
John Rogers
E. Alyn Warren
Wyndham Standing
Louis Vincenot
Forrester Harvey
Robert Adair
Keith Kenneth
Colin Kenny
Eric Blore
Desmond Roberts
Tempe Pigott
Colin Tapley
Rita Carlisle
Eily Malyon
Elsie Prescott
Joe May
Otto Yamaoka
Dora Mayfield
Angelo Bianchi
Joe Glick
Crew
Emanuel Cohen
Sam Coslow
Hans Dreier
Harry Fischbeck
Arthur Hornblow Jr.
Cyril Hume
Grover Jones
Idwal Jones
Lillian Kilgannon
Philip Macdonald
Arthur Phillips
Arthur Phillips
William Shea
William Shea
Robert Usher
Wally Westmore
Adolph Zukor
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of the film was Limehouse Nights. According to a Daily Variety news item, Sylvia Sidney was originally cast to play "Toni," but upon her refusal, Heather Angel was tested for the role. M-G-M loaned Jean Parker for this film. Daily Variety news items also note that scenes filmed at San Pedro Harbor, CA, were directed by William Shea; and, that when retakes required the presence of Anna May Wong in October 1934, the studio recorded her speaking her lines over the telephone from New York. The pressbook for this film gives Grover Jones a screenplay credit. While most contemporary sources credit Hans Dreier and Robert Usher, one source credits Dreier and Roland Anderson with the art direction. The pressbook credits importer and actor Tom Gubbins as providing the Oriental artwork appearing in the film. An early script in the Paramount script files at the AMPAS Library dated August 20, 1934 lists James Wing playing the character of "Ching Lee." The film was later released as East End Chant.
