Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939)

Name: Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Released: 1939-07-07
Duration: 65 min
Rating: 6.6
Cast: Peter Lorre, Joseph Schildkraut, Lionel Atwill, Virginia Field, John 'Dusty' King

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939), directed by Norman Foster, starring Peter Lorre and Joseph Schildkraut.

07/07/1939 BR Action, Crime, Mystery and Thriller 1h 5m

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ONLY MOTO WOULD CALL IT A VACATION! In an ancient, foreboding tomb alive with death he embarks on his strangest crime adventure!

Synopsis

Mr. Moto is in Egypt to thwart a criminal mastermind determined to steal the priceless crown of the Queen of Sheba. When the precious treasure is transported to America, Mr. Moto must race against time to unmask the cunning thief who will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get what he wants.

Charles G. ClarkeCinematography
Norman FosterDirector, Screenplay
Norman ColbertEditing
Philip MacDonaldScreenplay

Mr. Moto Collection

The franchise in release order. 8 films.

Think Fast, Mr. Moto 1937
Thank You, Mr. Moto 1937
Mr. Moto's Gamble 1938
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance 1938
Mysterious Mr. Moto 1938
Mr. Moto's Last Warning 1939
Mr. Moto in Danger Island 1939
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation 1939 · you are here

About the film

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.

This was the last Mr. Moto film that Peter Lorre appeared in. The movie was the seventh filmed in the series. 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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Plot

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.

Cast

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

Production

The film was announced in July 1938.

John King was cast in August 1938.

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.

Reception

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." The Monthly Film Bulletin said it was "lifted out of the rut by the clever acting of Peter Lorre". The New York Times said it "seems to be missing on several cylinders".

End of Series

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. However Lorre left the studio in July 1939, effectively ending the series.

Home media

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.

References

External links

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation at IMDb

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Text from Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Moto_Takes_a_Vacation

Trivia

It premiered on July 7, 1939, a Friday.
It runs 1h05 — short for a feature film.
It is film 8 of 8 in the Mr. Moto franchise.
This film's quiz has 9 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

Studios20th Century Fox
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
StatusReleased

Cast

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Crew

Charles G. Clarke Cinematography
Norman Foster Director
Norman Colbert Editing
Norman Foster Screenplay
Philip MacDonald Screenplay

Questions about this film

What is Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation about?

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation: Mr. Moto is in Egypt to thwart a criminal mastermind determined to steal the priceless crown of the Queen of Sheba. When the precious treasure is transported to America, Mr. Moto must race against time to unmask the cunning thief who will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get what he wants.

Who directed Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation?

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation was directed by Norman Foster in 1939.

Who stars in Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation?

The cast of Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation includes Peter Lorre, Joseph Schildkraut, Lionel Atwill, Virginia Field and John 'Dusty' King.

How long is Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation?

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation runs for 65 minutes, or 1h05.

What is the correct order of the Mr. Moto Collection films?

The Mr. Moto Collection franchise has 8 films in the catalogue. In release order: Think Fast, Mr. Moto; Thank You, Mr. Moto; Mr. Moto's Gamble; Mr. Moto Takes a Chance; Mysterious Mr. Moto; Mr. Moto's Last Warning; Mr. Moto in Danger Island; Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation.