Mr. Moto films
The "Mr. Moto" films are a series of eight American thrillers produced by Twentieth Century-Fox between 1937 and 1939, featuring a fictional Asian detective created by author John P. Marquand. The character, portrayed by actor Peter Lorre, is depicted as a skilled jujitsu master and action hero who often navigates various exotic settings. The series began with "Think Fast, Mr. Moto," where the character is enlisted to help American protagonists in their adventures, reflecting contemporary American attitudes towards Asian characters. While Peter Lorre, a Jewish refugee, played the lead role, the casting raised discussions about representation, as he was not of Asian descent, and the portrayal leaned on stereotypes.
The films included supporting roles for Asian American actors, such as Lotus Long, but Mr. Moto's character was generally portrayed as independent and resourceful, differing from other stereotypical depictions of the time. The popularity of the series led to radio adaptations and a brief resurgence in interest, although concerns over Japan's actions in the late 1930s led to the series being phased out. Overall, the "Mr. Moto" films remain significant for their blend of adventure and the complexities of representation in early American cinema.
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Mr. Moto films
Identification Series of Hollywood films about a fictional Japanese sleuth
Date Released 1937-1939
American audiences quickly grew to like the fast-paced, action-oriented “Mr. Moto” detective film series, often set in exotic Asian locations. The protagonist, Kentaro Moto, played by Peter Lorre, remained mysterious and independent from the various American and European “good guys” he supported. American concern over Japanese aggression against China led to cancellation of the series in 1939.
In 1936, the great success of its Charlie Chan films persuaded Twentieth Century-Fox to launch another film series with an Asian detective. It chose the character of Mr. Moto, which had been created by John P. Marquand in a serial novel for The Saturday Evening Post in 1935. On January 11, 1937, the studio signed a contract for Marquand’s Mr. Moto stories, and the right to use the character thereafter, for an initial eight thousand dollars.
Norman Foster directed the first film, and did so for six of the eight films. Reflecting the general prejudices of the American film audience of the time, the studio chose Hungarian Lorre to play Moto, instead of an Asian American actor. Lorre was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany famous for his portrayal of a child murderer in Fritz Lang’s M (1931). Foster was impressed by Lorre’s trademark sad, protruding eyes and his reputation for mysterious characters.
For the first film, Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937), the makeup department made Lorre look more stereotypically “Japanese,” blackening and slicking back his hair and giving him round, steel-rimmed glasses; they did not outfit him with buck teeth, a stereotypical accoutrement for Asian character types. To set him apart from Charlie Chan, Foster made Mr. Moto an action hero. Mr. Moto displayed mastery of jujitsu and quickly and effectively dispatched his enemies. Stuntman Harvey Perry performed these actions for the overweight Lorre.
Like the seven other “Mr. Moto” films that followed, Think Fast, Mr. Moto was a thriller set in an exotic locale. To get at smugglers in Shanghai, Mr. Moto goes on a double-date with the naive American protagonist. Mr. Moto’s girlfriend is Lela Liu, played by Japanese American and Hawaiian native Lotus Long (born Lotus Pearl Shibata). She gets killed in the action, setting up a happy ending for Mr. Moto and his American love interest.
The film’s great success led to a quick sequel, Thank You, Mr. Moto, which opened on December 24, 1937. Mr. Moto helps another American and his girl escape trouble in Beijing. However, he destroys an Asian treasure map rather than give it to them.
The third film in the series, Mr. Moto’s Gamble (1938), actually started as a Charlie Chan film. Because its intended lead, Warner Oland, fell ill and died that year, the studio turned it into a “Mr. Moto” film. It kept Chinese American actor Keye Luke in a supporting role.
Long reappeared next to Lorre in the fifth film, Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938), even though she is credited as Karen Sorrell. The only time Mr. Moto was played by a Japanese American actor, Teru Shimada, was as Mr. Moto’s short-lived double in Mr. Moto’s Last Warning (1939). American concern over Japan’s aggression against China during the 1930’s led to American antipathy toward Japan. In June, 1939, the studio phased out the Mr. Moto series. Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939) was its last.
Impact
Over a three-year period, the eight “Mr. Moto” films were popular with American audiences. The series character became a household name. Lorre gently spoofed his character in four radio shows in 1938 and 1939, with one final radio satire each in 1943 and 1944. In 1951, the National Broadcasting Company featured twenty-three radio episodes of James Monk as I. A. Moto fighting communists. A 1965 British film, The Return of Mr. Moto, with actor Henry Silva in the title role, was a failure.
Perhaps because of Lorre’s acting skills or perhaps because of Mr. Moto’s generally active and nonsubservient role toward American characters, as well as his relative independence as a Japanese international policeman, the character of Mr. Moto met considerably less hostile criticism by those American academics, writers, and critics who found much fault in the Charlie Chan character. While clearly a stereotype, Mr. Moto was always an independent American ally. The films gave rare supporting roles to Asian American actors.
Bibliography
Berlin, Howard. The Complete Mr. Moto Film Phile: A Casebook. Rockville, Md.: Wildside Press, 2005.
Wires, Richard. John P. Marquand and Mr. Moto: Spy Adventures and Detective Films. Muncie, Ind.: Ball State University Press, 1990.
Youngkin, Stephen. The Lost One: The Life of Peter Lorre. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2005.