''Mr Moto Takes A Vacation'' (1939) is a

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Nor ...

-directed entry in the

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 ...

film series, with

Lionel Atwill Lionel Alfred William Atwill (1 March 1885 – 22 April 1946) was an English stage and screen actor. He began his acting career at the Garrick Theatre. After coming to the U.S., he subsequently appeared in various Broadway plays and Hollywood f ...

and

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film '' The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for ...

and George P. Huntley, Jr, as Archie Featherstone, in supporting roles. This was the last Mr. Moto film that Peter Lorre appeared in. The movie was the seventh filmed in the series. However it was not released until after ''

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 ...

'', which was the last filmed out of eight Mr. Moto films from 20th Century Fox.

Plot summary

American archeologist Howard Stevens (

John 'Dusty' King John 'Dusty' King (born Miller McLeod Everson, July 11, 1909 – November 11, 1987) was a singer and film actor renowned for his Westerns particularly the Range Busters series. Biography Everson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate of ...

) recovers the ancient crown of the

Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba ( he, מַלְכַּת שְׁבָא‎, Malkaṯ Šəḇāʾ; ar, ملكة سبأ, Malikat Sabaʾ; gez, ንግሥተ ሳባ, Nəgśətä Saba) is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she bring ...

; the priceless artifact is shipped to the San Francisco Museum. Ostensibly on vacation, Mr. Moto (

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 ...

) shows up to guard the crown from a notorious master thief, whom everyone assumes is dead. Using a variety of disguises, the very-much-alive thief succeeds in pilfering the crown-only to discover that Moto has remained three steps ahead of him throughout the film.

Cast

as Mr. Moto *

as Hendrik Manderson *

as Professor Hildebrand *

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 ...

as Eleanore Kirke *

as Howard Stevens (as John King) *

Iva Stewart Iva Stewart (1914–1985) was an American model and film actress. She was Miss Maine, and competed in Miss America 1933. Stewart moved to Hollywood where she had a mixture of supporting roles and more minor appearances in glamorous roles in st ...

as Susan French * George P. Huntley, Jr as Archie Featherstone *

Victor Varconi Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi; March 31, 1891 – June 6, 1976) was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his native country, as well as in Germany and Austria, in silent films, before relocating to the United States, where ...

as Paul Borodoff *

John Bleifer John Melvin Bleifer (July 26, 1901 – January 24, 1992) was an American actor whose career began at the end of the silent film era, and lasted through the mid-1980s. He appeared in feature films and film serials, and in a number of televis ...

as Wendling * Honorable Wu as Wong *

Morgan Wallace Morgan Wallace (born Maier Weill, July 26, 1881 – December 12, 1953) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1914 and 1946, including W.C. Fields' '' It's a Gift'' (1934) Introduction by Arthur Knight where he p ...

as David Perez *

Anthony Warde Anthony Warde (born Benjamin Schwartz; January 1, 1909 – January 8, 1975) was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964. Early years Born as Benjamin Schwartz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on New Year' ...

as Joe Rubla *

Harry Strang Harry Strang (December 13, 1892 – April 10, 1972) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 500 films and television shows between 1929 and 1965. On Broadway, Strang appeared in ''The Girl in the Train'' (1910). Primarily a characte ...

as O'Hara, Museum Guard * John Davidson as Prince Suleid * unbilled players include

Jimmy Aubrey Jimmy Aubrey (23 October 1887 – 2 September 1983) was an English actor who worked with both Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, having gone with Fred Karno's theatrical company to America in 1908. However he left to start on his own in v ...

Willie Best William Best (May 27, 1913 – February 27, 1962), known professionally as Willie Best or Sleep n' Eat, was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African American film actors and comedians to become well kn ...

, Stanley Blystone,

Gino Corrado Gino Corrado (born Gino Liserani; 9 February 1893 – 23 December 1982) was an Italian-born film actor."Obituaries." '' Variety'' (Archive: 1905-2000); Los Angeles. Vol. 309, Iss. 10, (Jan 5, 1983): 78-79. Via Proquest. He appeared in more ...

, Ralph Dunn, Hank Mann, and

Cyril Ring Cyril Ring (December 5, 1892July 17, 1967) was an American film actor. He began his career in silent films in 1921. By the time of his final performance in 1951, he had appeared in over 350 films, nearly all of them in small and/or uncredited bit ...

Production

The film was announced in July 1938. John King was cast in August 1938. Iva Stewart, a member of Fox's stock company, was given her first dramatic lead in the film. Lionel Atwill made the movie as the first in a four-picture deal with Fox.

Reception

The film was released after ''

'' though it was filmed before it. The ''Los Angeles Times'' said "the plot misses fire on occasion." The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said it was "lifted out of the rut by the clever acting of Peter Lorre". The ''New York Times'' said it "seems to be missing on several cylinders".

End of Series

Fox would go on to make ''

''. In December 1938, Fox announced they would not give Lorre a new contract but that he still had four Moto films to make. However Lorre left the studio in July 1939, effectively ending the series.

Home media

This film, along with ''

'', '' Mr. Moto's Gamble'', '' Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' 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

* * * * {{Norman Foster 1939 films 1939 crime drama films 20th Century Fox films Films directed by Norman Foster American crime drama films American black-and-white films Films produced by Sol M. Wurtzel Films scored by Samuel Kaylin 1930s English-language films 1930s American films