Here are a couple of great horror films (well the second is kind of
horror, but there are enough elements to qualify) that I saw
recently, both featuring Myrna Loy in "Asiatic" roles.


THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) I've seen this several times, and also
have commented on it before, so won't spend a great amount of time,
but this is a real tour de force for MGM in portraying a horror film
(to challenge Universal's hegemony in that genre). It's interesting
how Robert Osborne mentioned the "racist portrayals" in the film
prior to it's viewing---I think that's the way that TCM (or FMC, for
that matter), should do it--just have someone give an historical
context to the film and then show it as it is. Apparently sometime
during the PC late 80's or early 90's, the film was excised of some
of it's heavily racist dialogue, but was later restored, but the
print quality of the "restored scenes" is poor, and it's almost as
though you are suddenly watching a different film for a moment or
two in several places. The plot follows the mysterious Asian, Dr.
Fu Manchu, portrayed by Boris Karloff, (with 3 doctorate degrees
from various Western Universities), who is seeking the legendary
death mask and sword of Ghengis Khan, to use their mystical
qualities to take over the world (and kill the white race, as
evinced in much of the dialogue). Myrna stars as his exotic
daughter (she was often cast in these types of
exotic "Asian/Eurasian" type roles in her early career), and she is
stunning as well as sadistic (in one scene she encourages Manchu's
henchman to whip one of their captor's harder and harder). From
what I understand, even what we see is a bit stripped down from the
original script--woah! :) Lewis Stone stars as the dude who is
trying to stop Karloff, and Karen Morley is the daughter of a
professor who was first trying to get to the sword and was
ultimately kidnapped and tortured by Karloff, in a very unique way---
a bell. Karloff is simply outstanding, as always, in this role, so
malevolent, but at times such the gentleman (even when he's
smilingly and politely telling you how you are going to be
tortured). The scenes where he tortures Lawrence Grant---Morley's
father---are stunningly evil. Loy is also outstanding. There is
one telling scene in the film where Morley is hoisted above this big
crowd, who are being whipped into a frenzy by Karloff, where Karloff
exhorts them to kill the white man and take his woman! This is pre-
code horror at it's best and if you can get past much of the
dialogue and portrayals that are stereotypical, then it's a real
treat. Highly recommended.

THIRTEEN WOMEN (1932). Another very real treat from an early exotic
Myrna Loy, who stars as a "half-caste" according to the script, and
who was ostracized in some vague mean way while at college by a
group of sorority girls, causing her to leave in shame, and now
seeking her revenge on the 12 women. She does so in some mysterious
mystical ways, using a psychic, played by C. Henry Gordon, in order
to suggest suicide and bad things to each of the women. The feel of
this film is exotic all the way, including some very mysterious
music backdrop, and in particular Loy's scenes with Gordon. Irene
Dunne stars as one of the women, one of the stronger ones, who Loy
particularly wants to get. The great Ricardo Cortez stars as the
cop who finally starts to figure things out and tries to protect
Dunne and her small son. Loy is fantastic in this role, and her
gaze rivals Lugosi's as having a magnetic presence, and penetrating
riveting gaze---making people do her bidding. Amongst the cast as
the "women" are Jill Esmond, Mary Duncan, Kay Johnson, Florence
Eldridge, and Peg Entwistle, the latter made famous by her own
suicide just a few days before this film was released, throwing
herself from the "H" in the Hollywood sign. Very good film.

Mark