A caravan settles for the night in the Gobi Desert. A man sneaks into a tent to steal a scroll, but adventurer and soldier of fortune Kentaro Moto (Peter Lorre) is only pretending to be asleep and kills him. When the caravan reaches Peiping, Moto is searched by the police. The scroll is found, but Moto grabs it and escapes.
He changes clothes and accepts an invitation to a party hosted by Colonel Tchernov (Sig Rumann) in honor of American Eleanor Joyce (Jayne Regan). At the soirée, Moto observes a guest, Prince Chung (Philip Ahn) leaving his mother to speak privately with Tchernov in another room. Tchernov offers to buy certain family heirloom scrolls from Chung. When Chung refuses to part with them, Tchernov draws a pistol but is killed (off-screen) by Moto. Joyce stumbles upon the scene and watches Moto stages the death to look like a suicide.
Later, as a favour to his rescuer, Chung grants Moto's request to see the scrolls. Chung informs him that the seven scrolls give directions to the lost grave of Genghis Khan and his treasure. However, one scroll was lent to an exhibition and was stolen.
A dealer in antiquities, Pereira (John Carradine), shows Joyce some wares. She is interested in a (fake) scroll, but the price is too high. While shopping the next day with diplomat Tom Nelson (Thomas Beck), they see Moto entering Pereira's shop. Moto gets Pereira to confess that he stole the authentic scroll, but before he can obtain more information, Pereira is shot and killed by a gunman in a car which speeds away.
Moto returns to his apartment to find it ransacked. Sensing that the intruder is still present, Moto leaves his gun lying around. Schneider (Wilhelm von Brincken) holds him at gunpoint and forces Moto to give him the scroll. When Moto tries to flee, Schneider shoots him with Moto's own gun. However, the gun was filled with blanks and Moto trails Schneider to Madame Tchernov (Nedda Harrigan). When they leave to rendezvous with their gang, Moto starts to follow, but is knocked out by the butler, Ivan (John Bleifer). Joyce, who had been comforting the widow, is taken hostage.
The arch-villain (and Madame Tchernov's lover), Herr Koerger (Sidney Blackmer), forces Prince Chung to reveal the location of the scrolls by striking his mother. As they are leaving, Madame Chung attacks Koerger with a knife and is killed. Meanwhile, Nelson finds and revives Moto. They rush to help Prince Chung, but arrive too late and, feeling dishonored, the Prince commits suicide after they untie him; Moto comforts him before he dies by promising to avenge the Chung family and safeguard the tomb.
The two men track the criminals to a junk. After another attempt to kill him, Moto informs Koerger that the scroll he gave Schneider is a fake. He offers to split Genghis Khan's treasure. Then he sows dissent by telling Madame Tchernov that Koerger is actually in love with Joyce, which the quick-thinking American "confirms". This provides a distraction for Moto to kill Koerger. Then, to the dismay of Joyce and Nelson, Moto burns the scrolls to fulfill his promise to Chung.
Cast
Jayne Regan and Peter Lorre in Thank You, Mr. Moto
Thank You, Mr Moto was the second Mr Moto novel following No Exit and was published in 1936 after having been serialised first. The New York Times praised the book's "vitality and vividness".[2]
In June 1937 Fox said the first three movies in the series would be Think Fast, Mr Moto, Thank You Mr Moto and Mr Moto's Gamble.[3]Think Fast had been filmed in February. The second Moto film actually shot was Look Out Mr Moto (which became Mr. Moto Takes a Chance) filmed in July but it would not come out until after the other three films.
Jayne Regan was given her first lead when cast in the film.[4]
Shooting
Filming started October 1937 and went through to November.[5][6]
By now the films were so popular that in December 1937 Fox refused Lorre a leave of absence to appear on Broadway in Wine of Choice with Miriam Hopkins.[8]
In December 1937 the Alfred Cohn story Death at the Artist's Ball was purchased by Fox as a Moto story.[9]
Reception
The film was released in December 1937. The Christian Science Monitor called it "well made and fairly exciting."[10]
^"Thank You, Mr. Moto". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 5, no. 49. London. Jan 1, 1938. p. 19.
^E.C.B.. (May 17, 1936). "Plotters in Peking: THANK YOU, MR. MOTO. By John P. Marquand. 278 pp. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. $2". New York Times. p. BR22.
^"FOX LISTS FILMS FOR NEXT SEASON". New York Times. June 2, 1937. p. 20.
^Schallert, Edwin (Oct 11, 1937). "HOLLYWOOD ENGINEERS COLOR INVASION OF LONDON AND PARIS: Charles Coburn, Art Theater Apostle, Signed". Los Angeles Times. p. A10.
^"NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Three Stunt Fliers Signed for Parts in Paramount's 'Men With Wings'--New Films Open Here Today". New York Times. Oct 12, 1937. p. 31.
^Kingsley, Grace (Nov 7, 1937). "Many Types of Sleuths on Screen: Heavy Mustaches, Derby, Hatted Class, However, Are No More". Los Angeles Times. p. C4.
^"A GREAT FILM ACTRESS: PAULINE FREDERICK". The Observer. London. Sep 25, 1938. p. 12.
^"ELIZABETH ALLEN FOR 'THE CITADEL': Metro to Make Cronin Play in London--Power Named for 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' LORRE REMAINS IN WEST Fails to Get Leave for Stage Appearance Here--'Dinner at Eight' to Open Today Miss Merman in Cast Coast Scripts Of Local Origin". New York Times. Dec 3, 1937. p. 29.
^"NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Warners, With Aid of Medical Association, Will Produce Picture Exposing Quack Doctors Changes at Paramount Of Local Origin". New York Times. Dec 8, 1937. p. 31.
^"Monitor Movie Guide: Nothing Sacred in 'Nothing Sacred'". The Christian Science Monitor. Jan 22, 1938. p. 17.
