Mr. Wong, Detective
Thousands asked to see Collier's Magazine famous detective on the screen... here he is!
1938 | 70m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | William Nigh |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Houston Branch, Hugh Wiley |
| Staring: |
| A chemical manufacturer is killed just after asking detective James Wong to help him. So detective Wong decides to investigate this as well as two subsequent murders. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 05, 1938 |
|---|---|
| Director: | William Nigh |
| Writer: | Houston Branch, Hugh Wiley |
| Genres: | Crime, Mystery, Thriller |
| Keywords | poison, detective, investigation, murder, meditative, mysterious, calm, relaxed, introspective, assertive, condescending |
| Production Companies | Monogram Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 09, 2025 Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Boris Karloff | James Lee Wong |
| Grant Withers | Police Capt. Sam Street |
| Maxine Jennings | Myra Ross |
| Evelyn Brent | Olga Petroff / Countess Dubois / Sophie Dome |
| George Lloyd | Devlin |
| Lucien Prival | Anton Mohl |
| John St. Polis | Carl Roemer |
| William Gould | Theodore Meisle |
| Hooper Atchley | Christian Wilk |
| John Hamilton | Simon Dayton |
| Wilbur Mack | Russell |
| Lee Tung Foo | Tchin |
| Lynton Brent | Tommy |
| Grace Wood | Mrs. Roemer |
| Frank Bruno | Lescardi (uncredited) |
| Ed Cassidy | Ambulance Doctor (uncredited) |
| Wheaton Chambers | Chemistry Lab Director (uncredited) |
| Clancy Cooper | Warehouse Man (uncredited) |
| George DeNormand | John (uncredited) |
| Lester Dorr | Coroner (uncredited) |
| Herbert Evans | Wilk's Butler (uncredited) |
| Dick Reinhart | Dock Worker (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| William Nigh | Director |
| Houston Branch | Screenplay |
| Harry Neumann | Director of Photography |
| Gordon Bau | Makeup Artist |
| Scott R. Dunlap | Production Manager |
| Harry Grundstrum | Props |
| Abe Meyer | Music Director |
| E.R. Hickson | Technical Supervisor |
| Hugh Wiley | Original Story |
| Edward J. Kay | Original Music Composer |
| Russell F. Schoengarth | Editor |
| Charles J. Bigelow | Production Manager |
| W.B. Eason | Assistant Director |
| Karl Zint | Recording Supervision |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Scott R. Dunlap | Producer |
| William T. Lackey | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 7 | 22 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 989 | 989 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 529 | 672 |
An almost comically heavily made-up Boris Karloff is all that stands between this mediocre murder-mystery and total obscurity. He portrays the super-sleuth "Mr. Wong" on the trail of a murderer who has killed at least three people. Our difficulty here is that the lighting and audio are so basic, tha ... t it is virtually impossible for us to follow the story at all, much less draw any conclusions of our own. We are essentially led - child-like - through this rather theatrical drama with no opportunity to participate. I guess the budget would her been minimal, and I'm glad I've seen it - but more for the sake of late 30s cinema than for anything memorable.