| Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation | |
| Director: | Norman Foster |
| Producer: | Sol M. Wurtzel |
| Based On: | The character created by John P. Marquand |
| Starring: | Peter Lorre Lionel Atwill |
| Music: | Samuel Kaylin |
| Cinematography: | Charles G. Clarke |
| Editing: | Norman Colbert |
| Distributor: | 20th Century Fox |
| Runtime: | 65 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
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.[1] The movie was the seventh filmed in the series.[2] 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.
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.[3]
The film was announced in July 1938.[4] [5]
John King was cast in August 1938.[6]
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.[7]
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."[8] The Monthly Film Bulletin said it was "lifted out of the rut by the clever acting of Peter Lorre".[9] The New York Times said it "seems to be missing on several cylinders".[10]
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.[11] However Lorre left the studio in July 1939, effectively ending the series.[12]
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.