Chinatown Nights (1937)

A 1937 British mystery featuring H. Agar Lyons as a Fu Manchu-style villain in a shadowy Chinatown underworld.

Chinatown Nights - Movie Information

  • Release Year: 1937
  • Directed by: Toni Frenguelli
  • Type: Movie
  • Genres: Mystery
  • Runtime: 1h 10m
  • Original Language: English
  • Release Date (Theatrical): October 10, 1937 (United States)
  • Production Countries: United Kingdom

Chinatown Nights - Plot

Fu Manchu knockoff with Harry Agar Lyons

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Chinatown Nights - Cast & Crew

Director(s)

  • Toni Frenguelli

Main Cast

  • H. Agar Lyons
  • Anne Grey
  • Nell Emerald
  • George Mozart
  • Robert Hobbs
  • Arty Ash
  • Louis Darnley
  • Ernest Sefton

Writers

  • Kaye Mason
  • Frederick Reynolds
  • Nigel Byass

Chinatown Nights - FAQs

Who are the main actors in Chinatown Nights?

The cast is led by H. Agar Lyons, who plays the Fu Manchu-style villain at the heart of the story. He's joined by Anne Grey, Nell Emerald, George Mozart, Robert Hobbs, Arty Ash, Louis Darnley, and Ernest Sefton in this 1937 British mystery.

What is Chinatown Nights about?

Chinatown Nights is a 1937 British mystery built around a Fu Manchu-style villain brought to life by H. Agar Lyons. The film draws on the popular "yellow peril" thriller conventions of the era, delivering intrigue and suspense in a Chinatown underworld setting.

Who directed Chinatown Nights?

Chinatown Nights was directed by Toni Frenguelli. The film was produced in the United Kingdom and released in October 1937, placing it firmly within the tradition of British B-movie mystery thrillers popular during that decade.

Is Chinatown Nights based on a true story?

No, Chinatown Nights is not based on a true story. It draws inspiration from the fictional Fu Manchu character created by author Sax Rohmer, whose villainous archetype was enormously popular in British and American pulp fiction and cinema throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

When was Chinatown Nights released?

Chinatown Nights was released on October 10, 1937, in the United States. It is a British production, and like many low-budget mystery films of the era, it found audiences on both sides of the Atlantic through the double-feature circuit.

How long is Chinatown Nights?

Chinatown Nights runs for approximately 70 minutes, making it a compact, briskly paced mystery typical of the B-movie productions of the late 1930s. Its tight runtime keeps the intrigue moving without much room for distraction.

What are some movies similar to Chinatown Nights?

If you enjoy the exotic intrigue of Chinatown Nights, you might also like Birth of the Dragon (2017), Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), or the classic Hong Kong action films Executioners from Shaolin (1977) and King of Beggars (1992), all of which share a Chinatown or martial arts underworld atmosphere.

Who wrote the screenplay for Chinatown Nights?

The screenplay for Chinatown Nights was written by Kaye Mason, Frederick Reynolds, and Nigel Byass. The trio crafted a story rooted in the Fu Manchu-style villain tradition that was hugely fashionable in British genre cinema during the 1930s.

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