Mr. Moto's Gamble is the third film in the Mr. Moto series starring Peter Lorre as the title character.
It is best remembered for originating as a movie in the Charlie Chan series and being changed to a Mr Moto entry at the last minute.
Plot[]
In San Francisco, policeman Lieutenant Riggs (Harold Huber) takes detective Mr. Moto and student Lee Chan (Keye Luke) to a prizefight between Bill Steele (Dick Baldwin) and Frank Stanton (Russ Clark), where the winner will take on the champion, Biff Moran (Ward Bond). However, the fight is fixed and gangster Nick Crowder (Douglas Fowley) bets big money that Stanton won't make it to the fifth round. He goes down in the fourth and dies shortly afterward.
Bookie Clipper McCoy (Bernard Nedell) loses a fortune. Mr. Moto proves that it was murder and it is revealed that $100,000 was won in bets around the country against Stanton. Mr. Moto works with Lt. Riggs to solve the murder as the championship fight looms.
Comedy is provided by Wellington (Maxie Rosenbloom), a kleptomaniac, and Lee Chan. Love interest comes from Lynn Bari and Jayne Regan. Mr. Moto promised to reveal the murderer's identity on the night of the big fight, but the murderer has plans, too, with a concealed gun, set up to kill Mr Moto.
The film also features (John Hamilton) as Philip Benton.
Cast[]
- Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto
- Keye Luke as Lee Chan
- Lynn Bari as Penny Kendall
- Douglas Fowley as Nick Crowder
- Jayne Regan as Linda Benton
- Harold Huber as Lieutenant Riggs
- George E. Stone as Jerry Connors
- Bernard Nedell as Clipper McCoy
- Ward Bond as Big Moran
- Edward Marr as Sammy
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Joey