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Mr Moto Takes A Vacation (1939) is a Norman Foster-directed entry in the Mr. Moto film series, with Lionel Atwill and Joseph Schildkraut and George P. Huntley, Jr, as Archie Featherstone, in supporting roles.
| Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Norman Foster |
| Written by | Philip MacDonald Norman Foster |
| Based on | The character created by John P. Marquand |
| Produced by | Sol M. Wurtzel |
| Starring | Peter Lorre Lionel Atwill |
| Cinematography | Charles G. Clarke |
| Edited by | Norman Colbert |
| Music by | Samuel Kaylin |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
This was the last Mr. Moto film that Peter Lorre appeared in.[2] The movie was the seventh filmed in the series.[3] However it was not released until after Mr. Moto in Danger Island, which was the last filmed out of eight Mr. Moto films from 20th Century Fox.
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American archeologist Howard Stevens recovers the ancient crown of the Queen of Sheba; the priceless artifact is shipped to the San Francisco Museum. Ostensibly on vacation, Mr. Moto 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.[4]
- Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto
- Joseph Schildkraut as Hendrik Manderson
- Lionel Atwill as Professor Hildebrand
- Virginia Field as Eleanore Kirke
- John 'Dusty' King as Howard Stevens (as John King)
- Iva Stewart as Susan French
- George P. Huntley, Jr as Archie Featherstone
- Victor Varconi as Paul Borodoff
- John Bleifer as Wendling
- Honorable Wu as Wong
- Morgan Wallace as David Perez
- Anthony Warde as Joe Rubla
- Harry Strang as O'Hara, Museum Guard
- John Davidson as Prince Suleid
- unbilled players include Jimmy Aubrey, Willie Best, Stanley Blystone, Gino Corrado, Ralph Dunn, Hank Mann, and Cyril Ring
The film was announced in July 1938.[5][6]
John King was cast in August 1938.[7]
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.[8]
The film was released after Mr. Moto in Danger Island though it was filmed before it. The Los Angeles Times said "the plot misses fire on occasion."[9] The Monthly Film Bulletin said it was "lifted out of the rut by the clever acting of Peter Lorre".[10] The New York Times said it "seems to be missing on several cylinders".[11]
Fox would go on to make Mr. Moto in Danger Island. In December 1938, Fox announced they would not give Lorre a new contract but that he still had four Moto films to make.[12] However Lorre left the studio in July 1939, effectively ending the series.[13]
This film, along with Mr. Moto in Danger Island, Mr. Moto's Gamble, Mr. Moto's Last Warning and (as a DVD extra) The Return of Mr. Moto, was released on DVD in 2007 by 20th Century Fox as part of The Mr. Moto Collection, Volume Two.
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