''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

Mr. Moto Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the ''Saturday Evening Post'', whi ...

. The film is an original story featuring the character created by

John P. Marquand John Phillips Marquand (November 10, 1893 – July 16, 1960) was an American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for '' ...

Plot

The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval manoeuvres with the French fleet. Plans are delayed because the British Secret Service has been warned of possible sabotage. On a ship docking in Port Said is Madame Delacour (

Margaret Irving Margaret Irving (January 18, 1898 – March 5, 1988) was an American stage and film actress. Biography Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1898, Irving is best remembered today for her roles as Aunt Gus in the 1950s sitcom '' The People's Choic ...

), wife of the French naval admiral. Delacour and her daughter Marie (

Joan Carroll Joan Carroll (born Joan Marie Felt, January 18, 1931 – November 16, 2016) was an American child actress who appeared in films until retiring in 1945. Childhood career Carroll was born Joan Marie Felt to Wright and Freida Felt on January ...

) are befriended by the charming Eric Norvel (

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

), the goofy Rollo Venables (

Robert Coote Robert Coote (4 February 1909 – 26 November 1982) was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of ''My Fai ...

), and someone posing as Mr. Moto ( Teru Shimada). Norvel reveals his true nature when the ship docks and he lures Mr. Moto to his death. This "fake" Mr. Moto turns out to be a fellow agent of Mr. Moto (

) who is posing as a curio dealer Mr. Kuroki. Norvel takes Delacour and Venables to a variety show featuring Fabian the Great ( Ricardo Cortez), a ventriloquist. Fabian is the leader of the gang of saboteurs including Hakim ( John Davidson), Captain Hawkins (

Leyland Hodgson Leyland Hodgson (5 October 1892 – 16 March 1949), also known as Leland Hodgson, was an English-born American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in London on 5 October 1892, Hodgson entered the theater in 1898. In his early 20s, Ho ...

), Danforth (

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

), and Norvel. Danforth is actually a British Secret Service agent named Burke. Moto listens in on their conversation and is almost captured, but Burke helps him escape. Norvel is given the task of learning from Delacour when the French fleet is due at Port Said. The suspicious Fabian thinks that Kuroki may actually be Mr. Moto. Fabian enlists his girlfriend Connie (

Virginia Field Virginia Field (born Margaret Cynthia Field; 4 November 1917 – 2 January 1992) was a British-born film actress. Early years An only child, born in London, her father was Sir John Field. He was the judge of Leicester County Court Circuit. H ...

), who is unaware he is an agent, to follow Mr. Moto the next day. She sees Moto visit the Port Commandant's office where he learns of the salvage ship "The Vulcan" captained by Hawkins. Fabian also discovers that Danforth is the secret agent, Burke. Fabian lures Burke to "The Vulcan" and reveals his plan to blow up the French fleet and blame the British. He then kills Burke by trapping him in a diving bell. Norvel gets the information needed and tells Fabian at the theater. Connie overhears the conversation and threatens to call the Port Commandant, but Fabian convinces her to go along with him. Hakim tries to kill Moto with a bomb, but Moto escapes the explosion and follows Hakim to a warehouse. Moto enlists Venables to help, but Venables is tricked by Norvel. After a fight, Moto and Venables are tied in sacks and thrown into the ocean, but not before Moto tricks Hawkins and grabs a piece of sharp metal. Connie can't bear to see this violence and goes to call the police. Fabian knocks her out and proceeds with his plans. Moto escapes underwater and frees Venables, who goes to the police. Norvel dives down to await a signal from Fabian but Moto overpowers him and prematurely detonates the explosives meant to destroy the French fleet. Resurfacing, Moto fights with Fabian but Connie shows up and shoots Fabian. Moto discovers the saboteur's plans in Fabian's dummy but never reveals to the audience which country tried to engineer a war between France and England.

Cast

as Mr. Kentaro Moto (a.k.a. Mr. Kiroki) * Ricardo Cortez as Fabian the Great *

as Connie Porter *

as Danforth (a.k.a. Richard Burke) *

as Eric Norvel *

as Mary "Marie" Delacour (credited as Joan Carol) *

as Rollo Venables *

as Madame Delacour *

as Captain Bert Hawkins * John Davidson as Hakim * Teru Shimada as the Fake Mr. Moto

Production notes

''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the only Peter Lorre Moto film in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

. It is available at the Internet Archive. The film was announced in April 1938. The title was then changed to ''Mr. Moto in Egypt'' before it eventually became ''Mr Moto's Last Warning''. In April, the studio announced they were considering giving a lead role to

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

, who was making ''

Rose of Washington Square ''Rose of Washington Square'' is a 1939 American musical drama film, featuring the already well-known popular song with the same title. Set in 1920s New York City, the film focuses on singer Rose Sargent and her turbulent relationship with con ar ...

'' for the studio. This role eventually went to Ricardo Cortez. The previous Moto film, ''

Mysterious Mr. Moto ''Mysterious Mr. Moto'', produced in 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox, is the fifth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is based on the character of Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand, from an original screenpl ...

'', had finished shooting in April 1938. Filming on this one started in June 1938.

also appeared in the first film of the series, '' Think Fast, Mr. Moto''. John Carradine had previously appeared in '' Thank You, Mr. Moto''. Carradine's part was to have been played by

Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Mile ...

but he was delayed by retakes on ''

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...

'' and had to be replaced. While filming a fight scene on the film, stunt man Harvey Perry was knocked out for five minutes. When Ricardo Cortez made the film he announced he was retiring from acting and had signed to Fox as a director.

Reception

The film was released in January 1939. The ''New York Times'' thought the "method" used by Moto was "a little tough on the audience" but praised the "rousing old fashioned climax". The ''Los Angeles Times'' gave the film "faint praise" saying it was "routine".

Home media

This film, along with ''

Mr. Moto in Danger Island ''Mr. Moto in Danger Island'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Peter Lorre, Jean Hersholt and Amanda Duff. It is part of the Mr. Moto series of films. The film was based on the novel '' Murder in Trinid ...

'', '' Mr. Moto's Gamble'', '' Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'' and (as a DVD extra) ''

The Return of Mr. Moto ''The Return of Mr. Moto'' (also known as ''Mr Moto and the Persian Oil Case'') is a 1965 British crime film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Henry Silva, Terence Longdon, and Suzanne Lloyd. Plot Mr. Moto is brought in by British intelli ...

'', was released on DVD in 2007 by 20th Century Fox as part of ''The Mr. Moto Collection, Volume Two''.

References

External links

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Complete film
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

(this file is taken down and is no longer on the Internet Archive) {{Norman Foster 1939 films American black-and-white films American mystery films Films directed by Norman Foster 20th Century Fox films 1939 mystery films 1930s American films