The crown of the queen of Sheba is dug out of the ground in the Middle East. It travels to San Francisco to be displayed in a museum while criminals mass to try and steal it (it is never clear what type of fence it would require). Mr. Moto, incognito on vacation, follows the crown and the clues to determine the identity of a master criminal. Comic relief from George P. Huntley abounds and leads to entire scenes grinding to a halt.

The final Moto film released in the 1930s (although Danger Island was actually the last filmed), Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation simply isn’t very good. Whereas the series began with a serious tone and an exciting, action-oriented central character, here we have a number of suspects, again, slowly doing not very much as Mr. Moto talks and waits. The plot simply doesn’t engage and the pace is deadly slow. After an engaging beginning the series devolved into dull whodunits because the makers forgot that Moto is exciting, mysterious, and the central point of interest. Oh well.  ✰ ½.

MJM  01-27-2012