Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939)

Perfect cast and a good story

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Admirable film.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

***SPOILERS*** The last of the "Mister Moto" series with Peter Lorre as the famed international Japanese detective who's involved in preventing the heist of the Queen of Sheba's crown jewels that was recovered from under the desert sands of an Egyptian Pharaoh's tomb that was sent to the San Francisco Art Museum for public viewing. There's the usual Judo and karate fighting scenes by Mister Moto against the bad guys as well as him giving Judo lessons to a picked on 98 pound hotel bus boy who ends up flattening the bully, with a body flip, who's been making his life miserable.With mobsters Ruba & Perez, Anthony Warde & Morgan Wallace, planning to both rub out Mister Moto and steal the crown jewels Moto is also hindered by his bumbling partner-whom he wanted no part of-Archie Featherston, G.P Huntley, who's only in the movie for comedy relief and nothing else. Yet in was by Archie in being the only person who could identify-by photographing him- the person who was on the scene of the attempted robbery of the crown of Sheba that broke the case wide open for Mister Moto. Mister Moto finally uncovers the person only known as "Metaxa" when his two partners in crime Ruba & Perez get caught by the police with Mister Moto's help. As we soon find out this "Metaxa" was the inside man in trying to steal the Queen of Sheba's crown who despite all his brilliance as a master criminal greatly underrated Mister Moto and in the end paid for it. The movie released in 1939 at a time when people were not that sensitive about racial stereotypes in the movies it had both Chinese as well as black-and even white- members of the cast look ridicules, by 2017 standers, without anyone getting worked up over it. In fact there was a scene with Archie Fetherstone at what looked like a Halloween party in black face that was played for laughs and not only didn't offend anyone on the screen as well as even Mister Moto, who in being Oriental, seemed to find nothing wrong with it.

Mr. Moto takes on a mysterious jewel thief known as Metaxa out to steal the recently-unearthed Crown of Sheba. This last Peter Lorre Mr. Moto movie starts out fun but then unwanted comic relief George P. Huntley shows up. Huntley as Archie Featherstone ranks among the worst examples of forced comedy I've ever seen. Why they felt they needed to ruin an otherwise enjoyable Mr. Moto movie with this idiot is beyond me. He even appears in blackface at one point! To make matters worse, he teams with racist caricaturist Willie Best not long after.A good supporting cast including Lionel Atwill, Joseph Schildkraut, and pretty Virginia Field can only do so much. The writing is pretty thin, as well. They even reuse a bit from the previous Moto film, Mr. Moto in Danger Island. In that one, Moto (faking appendicitis) arrives by ship and is picked up by an ambulance. After the ambulance departs, two men come rushing up in a cab exclaiming that they are the real ambulance drivers and the two men with Moto are imposters. Well a very similar bit is used here, except instead of an ambulance it's an armored truck with two imposter drivers.It's not surprising this is the end of the Moto series. The U.S. would be at war with Japan in a couple of years so it would have been impossible for Fox to continue making movies with a Japanese hero. Besides, if this is an example of where the series was headed it's better they stopped here. It was a decent series with Peter Lorre always giving a good performance even when the material didn't deserve it. This one's probably the worst of the lot but still watchable. When Huntley's not around, it's actually entertaining.

The fact that this story mostly takes place in Honolulu certainly gives credence to the idea that this film was originally meant by 20th Century Fox to be for the Charlie Chan series. So instead of Honolulu PD's finest going undercover during an archaeological expedition its the soft spoken Japanese private investigator that does.Peter Lorre is undercover, but that's soon blown on shipboard by G.P. Huntley playing an upper crust British twit who has a knack for turning up in the wrong place at the wrong time, but actually by accident helping Moto. Some priceless artifacts are recovered from the dig and are to be displayed in a museum in Honolulu. And there's a mysterious master crook at large known to be seeking said items for theft.With such likely suspects as Joseph Schildkraut and Lionel Atwill in the cast you can imagine either of them as the master crook, but there are others whose behavior might make them suspicious. I will say it isn't Huntley although if he had been the brains behind all the villainy that would have been a real interesting twist.The Moto series came to a close with relations with the Japanese getting downright unfriendly. And certainly Peter Lorre was going on to bigger and better things.

It's hard to dislike a Mr Moto film, not only because of the stylishness with which they were all made but because, of course, Peter Lorre is so ingratiating in a role tailor-made for him. He is just excellent in the part and it is a pity there were only eight entries in this charming series. As for MR MOTO TAKES A VACATION, I can recommend it quite highly.Like others I will offer the one caveat: the rather irritating "comic relief" character. Hollywood had such marvelous actors available to play the typical "silly-ass" Englishman that it is a wonder why they allowed this gentleman to take the role and to overplay it so gratingly. The writing here could have been tightened up a bit, and the reliable Norman Foster could have toned him down a few pegs.But much of this is balanced by other delights in the film, starting with dear, old Willie Best in a wonderfully funny (and beautifully directed) cameo. Bob Hope called Best one of the best actors he'd ever worked with. It's easy to see why here. He is as lovable as everyone's favorite bumbling Uncle, a sort of compendium of both Laurel and Hardy. Also distinguishing its interesting cast is the great Joesph Schildkraut, an actor incapable of giving a bad performance. He was one of the masters of his profession.Charming, fun, and magnificently photographed in rich, lustrous black and white, I really don't think you could go wrong with this one.