Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Norman Foster
Peter Lorre
Rochelle Hudson
Robert Kent
J. Edward Bromberg
Chick Chandler
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When aviatrix Victoria Mason, who is flying around the world, reaches the small kingdom of Tong Moi, above Siam, she throws a flare into the rear of her plane and parachutes to safety before the plane crashes in flames. The crash is seen by Mr. Moto, leading an archaeological dig, and by American newsreel cameramen Marty Weston and Chick Davis. After Moto helps Vicky, he sends a note about her arrival via carrier pigeon. Vicky is presented to ruler Rajah Ali, who insists above the objections of his high priest Bokor that she stay as his guest. As Marty and Chick shoot footage of them, Bokor objects that this displeases the gods. However, the ruler states that the cinema is not dangerous, and filming proceeds until Keema, his favorite wife, falls dead. While Marty and Chick are taken by Bokor to a hidden temple for a trial before the gods, Moto discovers that a poison dart from a blowgun killed Keema. Deemed guilty, Marty and Chick are about to be thrown into a well, when a fire erupts and an old guru, on a pilgrimage from the Himalayas, emerges from the temple. After he proves his powers to Bokor, he orders the men freed. The next day, in the cave of the temple, the guru discovers cans of explosives in a secret room below. After he subdues one of Bokor's men, the guru removes his mask and reveals himself to be Moto. He then sends a message by pigeon, stating that he has located the munitions base and that Bokor is the leader of the revolt. However, Rajah Ali shoots down the pigeon and, at a celebration that night, serves it to Moto. When Vicky graciously agrees to become the rajah's next wife in his harem, Marty, who is attracted to her, prepares to leave. After Vicky finds information that Moto is a spy and locates his map of the temple, she heads there followed by Bokor. Convinced by Chick that she is in danger, Marty hastens there also, but he is captured along with Vicky. After Zimmerman, the munitions dealer, arrives and captures Chick, Bokor has Zimmerman killed. He then proclaims that his revolt has begun and will not end until every foreigner is driven from Asia. Moto, who has emerged again as the guru, attempts to deflect Bokor's bloodlust, but when Chick is about to be executed, Vicky reveals Moto's identity and, in the confusion that follows, a fight breaks out. With the munitions, Moto and Vicky, who is working for British Intelligence, fight alongside Marty and Chick to stave off Bokor's men. As they run out of ammunition, Rajah Ali arrives with troops and captures Bokor and his followers. When he says that he will execute Moto, Vicky, Marty and Chick, Moto threatens to blow them all up by dropping a torch into the room with the explosives. Marty throws a gun at Rajah Ali, who falls into the room. Moto then lights a fuse of film that he rigged up leading to the explosives, and after they escape, the temple explodes. On a sailboat, Vicky and Marty banter affectionately, as Moto scares Chick with tales of their next adventure together.
Director
Norman Foster
Cast
Peter Lorre
Rochelle Hudson
Robert Kent
J. Edward Bromberg
Chick Chandler
George Regas
Frederick Vogeding
Gloria Roy
Al Kikume
Crew
Emily Baldwin
Joe Behm
Charles Bohny
Lou Breslow
Bill Cooley
Willis Cooper
Delmar Costello
Nick Demaggio
L. B. Dix
Rollo Dix
Tom Dudley
Ed. Ebele
William Eckhardt
Norman Foster
Bernard Freericks
Ed Garvin
Paul Gilbert
Frank Gilroy
John Grady
Fred Hall
Herschel
Albert Hogsett
Samuel Kaylin
P. Kelly
Harry M. Leonard
Marie Livingston
Steve Mcnulty
Virgil Miller
Roger Murphy
John Patrick
Elmer Poggi
Viola Richards
Irving Rosenberg
Ernest Rotchy
Jack Vernon
Ancil Whitlow
Sol M. Wurtzel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Look Out, Mr. Moto. Although this was the second film to be produced in the "Mr. Moto" series and was reviewed in October 1937 under the early title, it was not released until June 1938, when it was the fourth in the series. A August 5, 1937 Hollywood Reporter news item, during the shooting of this film, indicated that the next Mr. Moto picture, which was then ready for production, would be held up temporarily while the studio watches the developments of the Sino-Japanese War. The news item noted that because the "leading character is a Japanese...the script May have to be overhauled to avoid injured feelings." While this news item pertains to the next film in the series, presumably Thank You, Mr. Moto, which went into production in October 1937 (see below), it is possible that the release of Mr. Moto Takes a Chance was held up because of the war. According to the pressbook for the film, director Norman Foster insisted that the characters speak real Cambodian, and to insure accuracy in the language, the studio hired Louis Vincenot, who was born in Cambodia, to teach the language to the extras. The pressbook also indicates that Rochelle Hudson wore Cambodian gowns and jewelry in the film, that the temple set was designed using Khymer architecture and that Peter Lorre studied jiu-jitsu, which he used in the film. For more information about the Mr. Moto series, please see the entry above for Think Fast, Mr. Moto and consult the Series Index.
