Black Dragons

Black Dragons bears the distinction of being the seediest of Bela Lugosi's 1940s Monogram vehicles, but this does not diminish its entertainment value one iota. After an elaborate opening scene at a Washington DC cocktail party where it is demonstrated that "loose lips sink ships" (the scene is filmed in one take, not out of artistic considerations but in order to save money), the plot proper gets under way, wherein a group of six men conspire to undermine America's war effort. What is the connection between these six men, all of them outwardly respectable members of Washingtonian society? Hero Don (Clayton Moore) and heroine Alice (Joan Barclay) suspect that the answer lies with the mysterious, wryly philosophical Dr. Melcher (Bela Lugosi), a world-famous plastic surgeon. It turns out that Melcher is part of an elaborate espionage scheme hatched by the dreaded Black Dragon Society of Japan. The film's central plot gimmick might strike some as being racist, so it's best to place this tacky little melodrama in the context of its times. Best Lugosi line: "Who knows, in this craaazy vorld?"