Mr. Moto’s Gamble (1938)

Peter Lorre reprises his role as Mr. Kentaro Moto, Interpol Agent, in Mr. Moto’s Gamble (1938). James Tinling directed this film and Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1937). Tinling’s participation caused Lorre to portray Mr. Moto more like Inspector Chan with a little jujitsu thrown in.

In this film, Mr. Moto teaches a criminal investigation class to several budding investigators including Lee Chan, played by Keye Luke. Luke played Charlie Chan’s number one son Lee in all the Inspector Chan films starring Warner Oland. Lee Chan was a prominent character in Charlie Chan in Shanghai.

As the class is dismissing, Lieutenant Riggs, played by Harold Huber, arrives to take Mr. Moto to a local boxing card. Lee Chan joins the two men. Fellow classmate “Knockout” Wellington, played by light heavyweight boxer “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom. Wellington attends the criminal investigation class to solve his kleptomania.

While the men are at the fights, one of the participants in the main event dies after the match. The doctor initially believes the fighter died due to trauma from a knockout. Mr. Moto shows the doctor someone murdered the fighter with a poisonous substance in the cut over his eye.

Heavy betting and gambling losses complicate the picture for the police. Mr. Moto believes a connection exists between the murder and the gambling.

Unlike previous films, Mr. Moto only uses his jujitsu once or twice in the film. I still enjoyed the film but James Tinling did the franchise a disservice by turning Mr. Moto into Charlie Chan. Lee Chan and “Knockout” Wellington provide comic relief. Neither man contributes much to the criminal investigation.

The film runs approximately 72 minutes. You can find it on some of the streaming services and YouTube.

Which version of Mr. Moto did you like best? Why or why not? You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page and Twitter profile.

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