Tonight I watched another Mr. Wong movie from my recently purchased six film collection. This one was called "The Mystery of Mr. Wong", and unlike my initial foray into the series two nights ago, when I attempted to watch "Mr. Wong, Detective", this time I managed to stay awake for the entire picture.
"Just who is this 'Mr. Wong', Ad? You've mentioned two of his films now, but we know nothing about him. What gives"?
I apologize for the temporary lack of info and will now catch you up. The "Mr. Wong" series starred Boris Karloff as the Oxford educated Chinese crime fighter, continuing the trend in Hollywood to have an established Anglo actor portray an Asian detective, as in the "Charlie Chan" and "Mr. Moto" series. Karloff plays "Mr. Wong" as friendly but inscrutable. He wears a layer of makeup that gives his skin a brownish tone (albeit in black and white), and his eyes and eyebrows are lined and arched to make him appear Chinese. To me, the effect is acceptable and not racist as some would have it nowdays. All three of the lead actors in the "Wong", "Chan" and "Moto" series played their roles with respect. I think that in those days, the early years of Hollywood, the studios just wanted an actor who could pull off the role, and there weren't many Asian actors available back then. Also, studio basses wanted a Movie Star to put butts in seats.
In any event, Boris is very good in the role of "Mr. Wong", who resides in San Francisco and works as an advisor to Captain Sam Street (Grant Withers) of the SFPD. When Street has trouble solving a case he calls in Mr. Wong, who uses his ingenuity to rout out the culprit every time. So far, the films appear to be more static than either the "Charlie Chan" or "Mr. Moto" series, which used a lot more humor and action to spice up the scripts. I've only seen two of the six "Wongs", but so far they are dead serious, with the focus entirely on the detective's skill at solving the mystery. Last night's plot was quite complex for a b-movie, however, especially one from Monogram Studios, known for their thrifty budgets. Mr. Wong had to solve the murder of a wealthy antiques collector who was shot after receiving a rare jewel that had been smuggled out of China. He's like a one man CSI lab who can analyse anything from ballistics to handwriting to chemical dating of a rare type of paper. So the emphasis is on the science and Mr. Wong's methodology. Karloff is great in the role and it's always nice to see him playing a good guy, this time a very formal and polite man of the Orient. Two Big Thumbs Up for the "Mr. Wong" series, and we still have four more films to enjoy. ////
Elizabeth, I'm glad to see that you're working on your next dance film. The stills you posted this morning look great. You got some beautiful earth tones in those shots, it's a good location for continuing your theme of placing a dancer in a natural environment. I imagine you try to tailor each dance to the particular setting, or in this case the season. Do you give the performer an idea of what you are looking for, or do you just have them go for it? Well anyway, the one still with your dancer surrounded by leaves, crouched down and enfolded upon herself, is particularly striking.
You are on a roll lately, with many different things happening. I saw your watercolor painting, too, but didn't understand if you were happy with it or not. It looked fine to me, quite beautiful actually. I've never worked with watercolors, though, and I imagine they are difficult because you only get one shot. You can't push 'em around the paper or canvas like you can with oil paints. Once you make a brushstroke it soaks in and you're pretty much stuck with what you've got. Your painting was very nice, though. I can't wait to have a chance to draw again. I was just getting pretty good at representative drawing last year, but my free time is limited at the moment. Time management is my specialty, though, so I'll find a way to squeeze some art in there. Photography too! Meanwhile, the blogging will continue.
If there's one thing I've gotta do, it's write.
See you later tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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