Think Fast, Mr. Moto

The film opens with Mr. Moto in disguise as a street salesmen and selling goods to passers-by. He sees a man leaving a shop with a tattoo of the British Flag on his arm. Moto enters the shop to sell a rare diamond to the owner. However, Moto sees a body stuffed into a wicker basket in the store, and using his mastery of judo takes down the shopkeeper. Later, he reserves a berth on a passenger liner headed for Shanghai. Also on the liner is Bob Hitchings Jr., son of the owner of the shipping line. Before leaving, Hitchings Sr. gives his son a confidential letter for the head of the Shanghai branch of the company. Hitchings and Moto become friends (Moto notices the letter), and Moto helps Hitchings cure a hangover. Hitchings complains to Moto that he has not met any beautiful women on board. After a stop in Honolulu, a beautiful woman named Gloria Danton (her real name - Tanya Barova) boards the ship, and she and Hitchings fall in love. But Gloria is a spy for Nicolas Marloff, who runs a smuggling operation out of Shanghai. She periodically sends him notes and leaves without saying goodbye to Hitchings. Moto finds a steward looking for Hitchings’ letter and confronts him, knowing he was the person who killed the man in the wicker basket, as he wears the tattoo. Moto throws the man overboard and takes the letter.

At Shanghai, Hitchings meets with Joseph B. Wilkie and gives him the letter, but later learns that it is a blank sheet of paper. He calls his father, who tells him the letter said to watch out for smugglers. Hitchings is determined to find Gloria, and he learns from an unknown person that she is at the "international club". Both he and Wilkie go there, as well as Moto and his date, Lela Liu. Hitchings finds Gloria performing at the club and goes to her dressing room. However, the club owner Marloff discovers them together and, knowing that Hitchings knows too much, locks them both up. Moto tells Lela to call the police, and seeks out Marloff. Posing as a fellow smuggler, he tricks Marloff into leading him to Gloria and Hitchings. Lela is shot while contacting the police, but manages to tell them where she is. Wilkie finds Marloff, and demands that Gloria and Hitchings be released. Marloff finds out that Moto is not a smuggler, then Moto apprehends him. Moto tells Wilkie to get Marloff's gun, the gun explodes as Wilkie tries to grab it, killing Marloff. Police storm the building, and Moto tells them the Wilkie headed the smuggling operation. Wilkie replaced the letter and shot Lela. Moto gave Wilkie the opportunity to kill Marloff, who knew he was in on the plot, and he did. Wilkie is arrested, and things go back to normal.

File:Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937) trailer 1.jpg, Sig Ruman and Peter Lorre in Think Fast, Mr. Moto ]]

• Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto
• Thomas Beck as Bob Hitchings Jr.
• Virginia Field as Gloria Danton/Tanya Barova
• Murray Kinnell as Joseph B. Wilkie
• Sig Ruman as Nicolas Marloff
• John Rogers as Carson
• George Cooper as Muggs Blake
• Lotus Long as Lela Liu
• J. Carrol Naish as Adram

Think Fast, Mr. Moto was the third novel in the Moto series. Film rights to the novel were bought in July 1936. It was originally a story That Girl and Mr Moto.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/07/28/archives/news-of-the-screen-anthony-adverse-due-at-strand-aug-26-new-film-on.html |title=News Of The Screen: ' Anthony Adverse' Due at Strand Aug. 26 New Film On Russian Gypsies at Cameo Tonight |date=July 28, 1936 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=23}}{{cite news |title=Earl Carroll of "Vanities" Fame Will Produce for Twentieth Century-Fox: Elaborate Musical Placed on Schedule Lionel Barrymore Replaces Brother John in Garbo's "Camille;" Robert Donat Will Do Robin Hood Role; Star Air-Conditioned |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=July 25, 1936 |page=7}}

The novel was not published until May 1937.{{Cite news|title=Latest Works of Fiction Mr. Moto's Return THINK FAST, MR. MOTO. By John P. Marquand. 278 pp. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. $2.|work=New York Times |date=May 16, 1937|page=98}}

Mr Moto had been introduced to readers in the 1935 novel No Hero.{{Cite news|title=Orient Adventure: NO HERO. By J.P. Marquand. 281 pp. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. $2.|author=Beckwith, E C.|date=Sep 1, 1935|work=New York Times|page=BR7}} It was popular and was followed by Thank You, Mr Moto in 1936 and then Think Fast, Mr Moto in 1937.

Twentieth Century Fox had three film series at the time – Charlie Chan, the Jones Family, and the Jeeves movies with Arthur Treacher – and thought Mr Moto would make an ideal hero of a film series along the lines of Charlie Chan.{{cite news |title=Peter Lorre Will Play Mr. Moto, Japanese Sleuth, In Series: Studio Chooses Story to Star Fred Stone |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |date=February 11, 1937 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=10}} In July 1936 Fox bought the film rights to Think Fast, Mr Moto. As Kenneth MacGowan, the intended producer,{{Cite news|title=Earl Carroll of "Vanities" Fame Will Produce for Twentieth Century-Fox: Elaborate Musical Placed on Schedule Lionel Barrymore Replaces Brother John in Garbo's "Camille;" Robert Donat Will Do Robin Hood Role; Star Air-Conditioned|author=Schallert, Edwin|work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 25, 1936|page=7}}{{Cite news|title=NEWS OF THE SCREEN: ' Anthony Adverse' Due at Strand Aug. 26 New Film On Russian Gypsies at Cameo Tonight|date=July 28, 1936|work=New York Times|page=23}} refused the job, the film became a "B" movie.

In January 1937 Fox cast Peter Lorre as Moto and Virginia Field as co-star. Lorre had just signed with Fox and made two films, Crack-Up and Nancy Steele Is Missing!{{cite news |title=Hollywood Picket Line: The Industry Watches the C. I. O.--Satisfaction--R. Halliburton Flynn |last=Churchill |first=Douglas W. |date=April 18, 1937 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=169}} He said he accepted the role because it gave him a rare chance to play a hero.{{cite news |title=Lorre Learns How to Emote From Rasslers: Film Player Gets Points From Groan-and-Grunt Bouts on Coast |last=Othman |first=Frederick C. |date=November 29, 1937 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=14}} In February Thomas Beck signed as the male romantic lead.

Norman Foster was assigned to direct. He was given a script by Howard Smith and rewrote it extensively. The film is very different from the novel although it uses some of the same names.Youngstein p 147{{Cite news|title=NEWS OF THE SCREEN: George Jessel to Become Warner Executive--You and Me' Faces Delay Again-New Film Tonight Of Local Origin|work=New York Times |date=Feb 6, 1937|page=14}}

Filming started February 11, 1937.{{cite news |title=News Of The Screen: Universal Signs Leopold Stokowski for New Deanna Durbin Film--Phil Baker Joins 'Goldwyn Follies' |date=February 10, 1937 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=18}}

Think Fast, Mr. Moto was well liked at Fox and in April 1937 (several months before the film had been released to the public) the studio decided to make five more Moto movies,{{Cite news|title=HOLLYWOOD PICKET LINE: The Industry Watches the C. I. O.--Satisfaction--R. Halliburton Flynn|author=DOUGLAS W. CHURCHILL|date=Apr 18, 1937|work=New York Times|page=169}} The studio vowed to provide good production values "to make them first string entertainment." starting with Thank You Mr Moto and Mr Moto's Gamble.{{Cite news|title=FOX LISTS FILMS FOR NEXT SEASON|work=New York Times |date=June 2, 1937|page=20}} In the end, Lorre played Moto eight times:

• 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)

The novel Think Fast Mr Moto was not published until May 1937.{{Cite news|title=Books and Authors|work=New York Times|date=Apr 11, 1937|page=A16}} In June 1937 Marquand reportedly sold four unwritten Moto stories to Fox at $8,000 each.{{Cite news|title=NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Four Openings Today--Hays Names Committee to Study Use of Films for Schools--Rockettes to Paris News From Hollywood|date=June 11, 1937|work=New York Times|page=26}} In July 1937 it was announced Lorre and Rochelle Hudson would be in Look Out Mr Moto.{{Cite news|title=NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Anna Sten Returns Today in 'Two Who Dared'-Jean Harlow's 'Saratoga' to Open at Capitol July 22 News From Hollywood|date=July 9, 1937|work=New York Times|page=18}}

The film was released in August 1937. The New York Times called it a "horse anchor on that pony plodder of pictures" but thought Lorre was well cast.{{Cite news|title=THE SCREEN: 'Kliou, the Killer,' and 'Song of Ceylon' Open at the Camneo--'Think Fast, Mr. Moto' at the Central At the Central|work=New York Times|date=Aug 16, 1937|page=15}} The Chicago Tribune said "the action is snappy and unpredictable. Dialog's to the point and direction, staging and photography are commendable.""{{Cite news|title=Peter Lorre Is Introduced as a Mr. Moto|author=Tinee, Mae|date=Oct 17, 1937|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|page=d4}}

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
• Mr. Moto – Nominated Hero{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/handv400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees |date= |accessdate=August 6, 2016}}

This film, along with Thank You, Mr. Moto, Mr. Moto Takes a Chance and Mysterious Mr. Moto, was released on DVD in 2006 by 20th Century Fox as part of The Mr. Moto Collection, Volume One.

{{reflist}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{FadedPage|id=201410C7|name=Think Fast, Mr. Moto}}
• [http://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/marquandjp-thinkfastmrmoto/marquandjp-thinkfastmrmoto-00-h.html Complete novel] at Project Gutenberg
• {{AFI film|1188|Think Fast, Mr. Moto}}
• {{IMDb title|0029660}}
• {{TCMDb title|id=92896}}

{{Mr. Moto}}

{{Norman Foster}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Think Fast, Mister Moto}}

Category:1937 films

Category:20th Century Fox films

Category:American black-and-white films

Category:American mystery films

Category:Films directed by Norman Foster

Category:Films produced by Sol M. Wurtzel

Category:1930s mystery films

Category:Films scored by Samuel Kaylin

Category:1930s American films