When Were You Born
Tags: murder

Plot synopsis:
On an ocean liner sailing from the Orient to San Francisco, Mei Lei Ming (Anna May Wong) gives fellow passenger Nita Kenton (Lola Lane) a reading. When Nita's boyfriend, importer Phillip Corey (James Stephenson), scoffs at her predictions, she informs him that he himself will die within 48 hours.
Corey is later found dead in his San Francisco shop, an apparent suicide. Police Inspector Jim C. Gregg (Charles C. Wilson) is certain it is a homicide and has Sergeant Kelly (Frank Jaquet) bring Mei Lei in for questioning. She convinces him she is innocent and, after demonstrating her astrological powers by telling both skeptical policemen about themselves based solely on their birth dates, proceeds to help them solve the case and two subsequent, related killings. Police forensic scientist Dr. Merton (Maurice Cass), however, remains firmly scornful of Mei Lei's unscientific methods.
When Corey's Chinese business partner Frederick Gow (Leonard Mudie) shows up at the police station, he recognizes Juggler Barrows (an uncredited Sidney Bracey), who has been brought in for questioning about an unrelated crime. He pretends to cough and uses a handkerchief to conceal his face from Barrows as he enters Gregg's office. There, he announces that he wants to recover certain business letters from Corey's safe. Mei Lei becomes suspicious. When the letters Gow wanted are later examined, Mei Lei discovers a coded message that indicates Corey and Gow were involved in drug smuggling.
Corey was engaged to Doris Kane (Margaret Lindsay), though she herself was not attracted to the man, preferring instead crack shot Larry Camp (Anthony Averill). Under questioning, Kane later reluctantly reveals that Corey had blackmailed her mother into pressuring her to accept the arrangement. She also acknowledges that she went to Corey's home the night he was killed to try to persuade him to break the engagement. She was followed by Camp, who then quarreled with the victim. A shot was fired, but Camp claims that Corey fired at him. Corey's valet, Shields (Eric Stanley) is also a suspect.
Meanwhile, Gow runs into Juggler Barrows. Barrows is astonished to see him, as Gow had deceived him into believing he was Corey. Gow is relieved to ascertain that Sergeant Kelly did not believe Barrows when he claimed to have spoken to "Corey" some time after the real Corey had been killed. He lures Barrows away. Later, Barrows' dead body is flung from a speeding car.
Convinced that Gow is the killer, Gregg goes to his apartment with Mei Lei and some policemen to search the place. Gow escapes through a hidden passageway. He spots Mei Lei alone in his reading room and takes her captive. However, Shields had seen Gow entering the secret passageway and followed. He shoots Gow dead. Mei Lei, seeing how good a shot he is, gets him to admit he killed his employer. Gow had hired Barrows to open Corey's safe. When Corey returned unexpectedly, they hid. Shields entered the room at just the wrong moment and was accused of theft. He was forced to shoot Corey in self-defense.

Review: Astrology may be bunk, but this film is fun..
This B-movie murder mystery is unquestionably different than most films of it's time.
The clap-trap about using astrology as a crime fighting tool is an odd gimmick, but what the heck?This sort of programmer benefits from the unusual astrology "window-dressing", and though it is supposedly solved by using astrology, this pat little mystery can be figured out by the characters simply using their heads, anyway!The cast is entirely competent, and the pace is swift.
The pre-war San Francisco Chinatown background, the hidden passage-ways in the Chinatown home, and Miss Wong's monkey, all add to the enjoyment of this film.As a devoted fan of B-movie murder yarns of this period, I may be somewhat prejudiced, but I loved watching this film, and highly recommend it to fellow fans of the genre.
Entertainingly exotic B-mystery with an astrological twist!.
This supremely entertaining B-mystery from Warner Bros features a wonderful lead performance by Anna May Wong as an astrologer in San Francisco's Chinatown who helps the police solve a murder by using her uncanny star-gazing talents.
Anyone even remotely interested in astrology will find the story-line quite pleasing (and pretty accurate, given the participation of Manly Hall, a noted astrologer of the day).
Even those without much interest in astrology (except those who are stubbornly judgmental and predisposed to be negative about these things) should find this fast-paced, amusing mystery a cut well above the average.
The adroitly talented supporting cast--including Margaret Lindsay, Lola Lane, Jeffrey Lynn, James Stephenson and Olin Howland--give the film an additional sheen.
Highly recommended; definitely check it out whenever it turns up on Turner Classic Movies..
Love this movie!!!.
Love this time period especially the murder mysteries.
Caught this movie recently and watch it over and over.
It's addicting!!
It's fascinating.
I really love it!!
Mei Ling is a wonderful character & so interesting.
I don't believe in Astology but this is just a fun and intriguing movie!
It has a good cast of characters and keeps you guessing until the very end about who committed the crime.
The pieces of evidence as presented keep you fascinated as the police attempt to solve the crime.
I loved the Mei Ling character and wish there were many more movies made like this.
A series like they did with Charlie Chan would have been nice!!
I highly recommend it for a good flick..
Not to be taken seriously..a fun who-done-it.
Oh heck...I gave it practically a rave review because I was not bored for one minute.
Those that stated the astrological slant being ridiculous due to so few facts to cast a chart...well...the movie is for astrology semi-buffs that do nothing more extensive zodiac-wise than read their daily horoscope.
It was a neat tale supported on GENERAL characteristics of each of the zodiac signs.
All the actors were great and seemed to be treating the material with respect.
For the plot read the others' reviews..
I just had to put my two-cents in by saying, PLEASE do not take this fun short film too seriously..
Plot may strain credibility, but nice work from Anna May Wong.
I agree with the first reviewer that it's a bit much to believe the astrologer can be so accurate with every utterance, but the movie is light fun, and Anna May Wong gets a lot of good screen time.
She doesn't just recite star charts; she also helps the police ferret out legitimate clues and solve puzzle or two.
Don't take it too seriously..
It Should Be Seen....
...because of ANNA MAE WONG!!!Typically tight (65") WARNER BROTHERS' mystery 'B' programmer that was churned out from the 1930s' till the mid 1950s', when T.V. took over.
This story is wrapped up in the 'pseudo science' of Astrology.
Which each character is given a sign and a sub-plot of the Zodiac.
It starts off with the 'horoscope' of Nita Kenton (Lola Lane/Cancer) whose character disappears after the proclamation of doom for Philip Corey (James Stephenson/Libra).
The rest of the story weaves around his murder and how it is deciphered by Mei Lei Ming (Anna Mae Wong/Aquarius) and her astrological expertise.Though billed second after Margaret Lindsay (Doris Kane/Leo) it is ANNA MAE WONG that drives this story.
Ms. Wong gives her usual professional performance dominating every scene she is in.
Unfortunately like most of her Hollywood productions of this time it is in a 'B' effort.
Most of her more accomplished efforts having been done earlier or in England/Europe.
This was because of the racial discrimination of the time.
Today her career would have had a entirely different course.Due to how Chinese or Oriental characters where portrayed at that time Ms. Wong appeared in what was considered traditional dress.
While all other characters appeared in period apparel.
It would have been better if she had been shown off in some of the 'chic' fashions she normally wore.
There is no doubt of her physical appeal, Ms. Wong being strikingly attractive.For those who have not seen Ms. Wong this is a good start, but do not stop here.
See her early work like THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924), PICADILLY (1929) or the SHANGHEI EXPRESS (1933).
She is a wonder to behold..
The Play's The Thing.
Or, at least, the story's the thing, and this is a murder mystery - and the story is pretty good.
At 65 minutes it goes by quickly, so the viewer must pay attention or something will be lost.
Nowadays, we have DVR's and can rewind if needed - and it's needed.
The solution hinges on a specific time frame and several characters give the times of their alibi, and it's hard to keep them straight.The plot is a good one, but much is made of the fact that Anna May Wong's character is an astrologist, which was very popular around the time this was produced.
She has a habit of giving people the pros and cons of their zodiac sign after asking the title question, and it becomes tiresome.
Her acting seems stilted, as though reciting from memory and not natural.
In any case, you won't guess the murderer; as I said, the story is a good one.
Two things; it is told at breakneck speed, and the time frames of the alibis are crucial to solving the murder.
As I said in the beginning, pay attention, especially towards the end..
Astrological Crime Fighting?.
When Were You Born?
(1938)An interesting angle on the murder mystery genre adding astrology to the caper flick.
It's a simple B movie, but very entertaining.
It comes off kind serious with a mysterious Manley P.
Hall telling us about astrology (sort of like Ed Wood style).
Naturally, all twelve characters of the zodiac will be featured in this film.Beautiful Anna May Wong is the Chinese-American astrologer, Mei Lei Ming, who has a lot of insight to the people she meets.
She meets Phil Corey (James Stephenson) on board a ship from China to San Francisco, U.S.A. and predicts that he will die within a couple of days.
When Corey is killed, Miss Ming is one of the prime suspects.Soon a very doubting taurus, Inspector Jim Gregg (Charles C.
Wilson) considers having Miss Ming hang around just to give her insights over the various suspects..
It's All In The Stars.
Wacky programmer that fails for the most part.
Looks like WB was trying to rival Charlie Chan with the much prettier Anna Mae Wong, except Mei Lei (Wong) uses astrology to crack cases instead of logic.
Well that is a different approach, for sure, and the script's not shy about reinforcing Mei Lei's star-gazing powers.
To make their premise go down easier, science is treated as supplementary to Libra, Taurus, et al, and not in conflict with the mystical signs.
I wonder how that goes down with Sherlock Holmes, never mind Cal Tech or MIT.
Wong is the best thing about the 65-minutes, treating a troublesome part with genuine authority.
It's really she who deserves top billing even though Lindsey and Lane furnish abundant eye candy.
Maybe my planets are in the wrong house, but I found the whodunit a messy bore.
There's not much action, while the talkfest seldom leaves interior sets.
All in all, I can see why there were no movie sequels, at the same time the ladies went on to bigger and better things.
Anyway it's an oddball idea even for adventurous WB.
(In passing-- Watch for Clayton Moore, TV's Lone Ranger {1949-57}, in a minor part as Ass't DA, but don't look for the mask or Tonto.).
Remake.
When Were You Born (1938) is an non-credited remake of From Headquarters (1933).
The plot is the same.
The differences are WWYB introduces an astrologer to aid the police, while FH is a straight police procedural.While both are interesting "B" pictures, FH is, in my opinion, the better of the two.
It has more stylish photography, moves along a bit faster, and has a somewhat better cast (though Margaret Lindsay appears in both films as a lead).Watch closely in this version, however, and you will see TV's The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) without his mask.
(by Dr. Charles G.
Waugh).
A bizarre screenplay in a well-made murder mystery solved by astrology..
Since I've always felt that astrology can be described at best as fraudulent, the goings on here annoyed me very much.
Tell Anna May Wong your birthday and she can look up your chart and tell you everything about you.
She tells James Stephenson he has two days to live; Jeffrey Lynn that his wife will have twins;  Inspector Charles Wilson that there will be two more murders, etc.
It goes on and on and she's never wrong!
Mind you, she says these predictions are only generalizations, because she doesn't have the exact time of your birth.
The opening scenes has Manley P.
Hall (the one who concocted the original story) on-screen telling how astrology enables you to predict the future and he cites laughable examples of it.
He also explains the 12 signs of the zodiac and the characteristics of the people born under those signs.
To me it was all nonsense.
You might note that the character of each of the 12 credited actors was born under a different zodiac sign which was specified on-screen.The film is well directed by William McGann, who sets a nice pace for the 65 minute length of the film, and it was somewhat fun to watch the mystery unfold.
But I cringed every time Wong opened her mouth with some item seemingly picked out of the air.
If you believe in astrology, you may like this film.
You don't have to believe in astrology to enjoy this film.
I should know - I'm a firm non-believer in anything even remotely associated with astrology, but I still enjoyed "When Were You Born" - to a degree.
Besides, if I were to take it too seriously, I should be offended: my zodiac sign - Libra - is represented by the most negative character in the film!
But at least the skeptics in the audience are fairly represented too.
The problem with the film is that it's too static - about 75% of the "action" happens inside one police station.
But it makes clever use of flashbacks, and Anna May Wong, playing an astrology specialist who ends up offering valuable assistance to the police, gives more conviction to her lines than most other actresses would - and make no mistake, she is the star of this film; top-billed Margaret Lindsay's part is relatively small, third-billed Lola Lane's even smaller.
It's all written in the stars.
****SPOILERS*** Weird sort of movie where everyone in it is identified by their astrological signs not just their names with Chinese astrologist Mel Li Ming, Anna May Wong,cracking this puzzling murder case by interrupting the astrological charts of those involved in it.
We also get a 7 minute introduction to the movie by the narrator-whoever he is-Manl;y P.
Hall who's like Miss.
Ming supposed to be an expert on the subject of astrology.
It's on a cruise from Hong Kong to San Francisco that Miss.Ming in noticing businessman Philip Corey's, James Stephenson,birthday on his passport predicts that he'll be dead within 48 hours.
When that in fact happened she's a suspect in his what looks like his murder not suicide with her friend and former school mate Doris Kane, Margaret Lindsey,Corey's fiancée held for questioning.It soon turns out that Doris' brother Larry Camp, Anthony Averill, was the last person to see Corey alive who in fact is later exposed by the sharp eyed Miss.
Ming in her getting the astrological charts of all those involved in knowing his astrology chart that Miss.
Ming realizes that he's not her brother at all but her lover!
With the police going nowhere in the case it's Miss.
Ming who puts all the loose ends as well as son moon and planets together in finding out who Corey's killer is.
This is done by her finding out the charts of all those involved and identifying from them the killer's identity.****SPOILERS**** It soon turns out that Doris's mom was being blackmailed-in her having a serious drinking problem- by Corey to get her to agree her to have have her daughter Doris marry him by also-I if the drinking story didn't work-coming up with this story that she's involved in a drug trafficking operation with Corey and his business partner Frederick Glow, Lenonard Mudie, that in fact Corey was the head had honcho of.
The confusing final that takes place in San Francisco's Chinatown has Glow exposed and on the run as Corey's killer who ends up getting all that's coming to him with Corey's loyal valet Shields, Eric Stanley, a crack shot and Olympic gold medal winner who spotted Glow taking Miss.
Ming hostage shoots him dead as he tries to make his escape.