Lost in the shuffle between Flash Gordon and Busk Rogers, Buster Crabbe's only mystery serial is an unfairly neglected serial romp made during Universal's hey day. Based on William Gould's comic strip about a San Francisco police detective stationed in Chinatown, Crabbe plays the title character on the trail of stolen bonds needed for Chinese War Relief. Also after the bonds are Tong Warlord Quong Lee (Frank Lackteen), exiled Russian Countess Natacha (Edna Sedgewick)who feels they are her rightful property, and dilettante detective Valentine Vane (Hugh Huntley)who just wants to show up the cheerfully dogged police detective. The serial is an action packed, thrill ride filled with fist fights, shoot outs and car chases. The first eight chapters are the best with Crabbe constantly matching wits with Lackteen and besting Huntley at every turn, but then it takes a serious misstep in Chapter Eight when it is revealed that Lackteen is really a disguise for another character and Lackteen disappears while the rest of the serial is a repetitive back and forth between the characters as first one gets the bonds, loses them to someone else, only to recover them and lose them again in the next chapter. Still and all an enjoyable film to watch on a lazy summer day off.
