rolandwinters

I think this is one of the best Moto films, with a lot of action. Peter Lorre does a good job alternating between the role of Moto and his disguise role as the meek shopkeeper. A group of spies in Port Said are trying to blow up the French fleet and make it look like England is to blame, thus provoking a war. The leader of the spy ring works as a ventriloquist at the local theater, and the gang works out of a sleazy bar run by a naive Englishwoman. The viewers never precisely find out what nation is employing the spy ring, but at the very end of the film Mr. Moto finds the breakthrough clue hidden in the ventriloquist's dummy. Mr Moto then makes the ventriloquist's dummy talk, saying "Don't talk Mr. Moto, or you may lose your job". Since Mr. Moto works for Japan, the final line in the movie may imply that Japan was behind the spy plot.

I greatly enjoyed this series, and miss it very much. I, too, would love to purchase the series on VHS or DVD. I would also write letters to the owners of the series to encourage them to market the series on DVD. It might develop a good following among people looking for wholesome adventure without the cheap sex and special effects which dominate network TV today.