| Black Dragons | |
| Director: | William Nigh |
| Producer: | Jack Dietz Sam Katzman associate Barney A. Sarecky |
| Starring: | Bela Lugosi Joan Barclay George Pembroke |
| Music: | Johnny Lange Lew Porter Heinz Roemheld |
| Cinematography: | Arthur Reed |
| Editing: | Carl Pierson |
| Studio: | Banner Pictures Corporation |
| Distributor: | Monogram Pictures Corporation |
| Runtime: | 64 min. |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Black Dragons is a 1942 American film directed by William Nigh and starring Bela Lugosi, Joan Barclay, and George Pembroke. The cast includes Clayton Moore, who plays a handsome detective. The Black Dragon Society also appears in Let's Get Tough! a 1942 East Side Kids film made by the same team of writer Harvey Gates and producer Sam Katzman.
It is prior to the American entry into World War II, and Japan's fiendish Black Dragon Society is hatching an evil plot with the Nazis. They instruct a brilliant scientist, Dr. Melcher, to travel to Japan on a secret mission. There he operates on six Japanese conspirators, transforming them to resemble six American leaders. The actual leaders are murdered and replaced with their likenesses. Dr. Melcher is condemned to a lifetime of imprisonment so the secret may die with him.
The film was rushed into production following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was to begin filming on 17 January 1942 but this was pushed back until 21 January. The original working title was The Yellow Menace.[1]
The film was released in Los Angeles on the double bill with the Australian film Pituri (also known as Uncivilised).[2]
The Los Angeles Times said that "those who love their mystery and their Lugosi will find this film unusually sinister."[3]
The film was colorized in the 1990s.[1]