OVERLOOKED FILM: SECRETS OF CHINATOWN (1935)

  

For Hollywood in the 11930's Chinatown could be a dark and mysterious place, full of strange secrets, stranger people, sudden death, and -- more often that not -- Caucasian actors.  And what was true of Hollywood was also true of British Columbia, where this movie was filmed.

A dark organization of black-robed men are smuggling drugs, and maybe something worse, from China through the Chinatowns of Vancouver and Seattle.  Any person who gets in their way receives a cion which marks them for death.  Eventually, the police are forced to turn to private detectives Donegal Dawn (Raymond Lawrence; Queen of the Turf, Alibi for Murder, Drums of Tahiti) and Robert Rande (Nick Stuart; A Demon for Trouble, Blake of Scotland Yard, King of the Congo) to help them put an end to the so-called tong killings.  Donegal is a master of disguise and an expert in Eastern ways.  During the investigation, Robert falls in love with Zenobia (Lucile Brown; The Mystery Squadron, On Probation, Tumbling Tumbleweeds), a clerk at a curio shop owned by Chan Tow Ling (Harry Hewitson; his only credited role according to IMDb).  Donegal warns Robert that his life and hers would be in danger should be try to tale Zenobia from Chinatown.  Robert breaks into the shop's cellar where he views a weird ceremony in which Zenobia (obviously mesmerized) is acting as the priestess.  Robert is captured and Donegal cannot find any trace of him, Zenobia, or the cultists.  Can he save them and put a stop to all the illegal goings-on within the one hour it takes to watch this flick?

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer (Seven Keys to Baldpate, A Scream in the Night, General Spanky) and adapted by Guy Morton (Canadian journalist and author of western novels Rangy Pete [filmed in 1925 as The Texas Trail], Black Gold, Wards of the Azure Hills -- this may have been his only screenplay) from his novel The Black Robe.  Also featuring James Flavin (King Kong, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, In Cold Blood), James McGrath (Crimson Paradise, Woman Against the World, Death Goes North), Reginald Hincks (Secret Patrol, Tugboat Princess, Manhattan Shakedown), John Barnard (his only credit on IMDb), and Arthur Legge-Willis (Crimson Paradise, Stampede, Lucky Fugitives)-- occidentals all.