65-524: Arthur Henry " Sarsfield " Ward (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer , was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Fu Manchu . Born in Birmingham to working class Irish parents William Ward (c. 1850–1932), a clerk, and Margaret Mary (née Furey; c. 1850–1901), Arthur Ward initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time. He worked as
130-451: A "famous Chinese bamboo saxophonist", was a recurring character on The Goon Show , a 1950s British radio comedy programme. He was featured in the episode "The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu Manchu" in 1955 (announced as "Fred Fu Manchu and his Bamboo Saxophone"), and made minor appearances in other episodes (including "China Story", "The Siege of Fort Night", and in "The Lost Emperor" as "Doctor Fred Fu Manchu, Oriental tattooist"). The character
195-538: A 13-episode syndicated series, The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956), starring Glen Gordon as Dr. Fu Manchu, Lester Matthews as Sir Denis Nayland Smith, and Clark Howat as Dr. John Petrie. The title sequence depicted Smith and Dr. Fu Manchu in a game of chess as the announcer stated that "the devil is said to play for men's souls. So does Dr. Fu Manchu, evil incarnate." At the conclusion of each episode, after Nayland Smith and Petrie had foiled Dr. Fu Manchu's latest fiendish scheme, Dr. Fu Manchu would be seen breaking
260-402: A 1946–1949 BBC Light Programme radio series that led to a series of 1950s novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru . The Sumuru series consists of five books. Two films featuring the character played by Shirley Eaton were also produced by Harry Alan Towers , as was a 2003 German film, Sumuru . Rohmer also wrote numerous short stories; "The Master of Hollow Grange" (1920)
325-784: A Mandarin costume and pigtail". As for Rohmer's theories concerning "Eastern devilry" and "the unemotional cruelty of the Chinese", he seeks to give them intellectual credentials by referring to the travel writing of Bayard Taylor . Taylor was a would-be ethnographer who, though unversed in Chinese language and culture, used the pseudo-science of physiognomy to find in the Chinese race "deeps on deeps of depravity so shocking and horrible, that their character cannot even be hinted". Rohmer's protagonists treat him as an authority. Fu Manchu first appeared in Rohmer's short story "The Zayat Kiss" (1912). It and nine further stories were later collected into
390-583: A beautiful young girl to the crime scene to see that the victim is dead. He also sends a dacoit to attack Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Dr Petrie. In the novel Fu Manchu's Bride (1933), Dr. Fu Manchu claims to hold doctorates from four Western universities, while in Emperor Fu Manchu (1959), he states that he attended Heidelberg University , the Sorbonne and the University of Edinburgh . (In
455-528: A black chess piece in a fit of frustration (black king's bishop, always the same scene, repeated) just before the closing credits rolled. It was directed by Franklin Adreon , as well as William Witney . Dr. Fu Manchu was never allowed to succeed in this TV series. Unlike the Holmes/Watson type relationship of the films, the series featured Smith as a law enforcement officer and Petrie as a staff member for
520-610: A competing radio play, The Peculiar Case at the Poppy Club written by Rohmer and broadcast in December 1938. In 1939, The Shadow of Fu Manchu aired in the United States as a thrice-weekly serial dramatizing the first nine novels. Dr. Fu Manchu was first brought to newspaper comic strips in a black and white daily comic strip drawn by Leo O'Mealia (1884–1960) that ran from 1931 to 1933. The strips were adaptations of
585-590: A feature film in 1943. Other than an obscure, unauthorized Spanish spoof El Otro Fu Manchu (1946), the Devil Doctor was absent from the big screen for 25 years, until producer Harry Alan Towers began a series starring Christopher Lee in 1965. Towers and Lee made five Fu Manchu films: The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967), The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968), and The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969). The character's last authorised film appearance
650-458: A friend of escapologist Harry Houdini , who wrote to him in praise of Rohmer's The Romance of Sorcery . Rohmer based his mystery-solving magician character Bazarada on Houdini. The Orchard of Tears is an odd book in the context of Sax Rohmer's other work. There are no Oriental villains or exotic locations; rather, there are gentle rabbits and lambs in pastoral settings and a great deal of philosophical musing. As much as he enjoyed Fu Manchu — and
715-570: A grudging respect for one another, as each believes that a man must keep his word, even to an enemy. In the first three books, Smith serves in the Indian Imperial Police as a police commissioner in Burma who has been granted a roving commission , allowing him to exercise authority over any group who can help him in his mission. When Rohmer revived the series in 1931, Smith, who has been knighted for his efforts to defeat Fu Manchu,
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#1732791783632780-432: A larger role in several of the titles of the 1930s and 1940s. She is known for a time as Koreani after being brainwashed by her father, but her memory is later restored. Like her father, she takes on false identities, among them Madame Ingomar, Queen Mamaloi and Mrs van Roorden. In films she has been portrayed by numerous actresses over the years. Her character is usually renamed in film adaptations because of difficulties with
845-544: A newly refurbished house, Little Gatton in Gatton Road, Reigate, Surrey, where he lived until 1946. He died after succumbing to Asian flu in 1959. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the music hall entertainer of the same name ) he wrote the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu , first published in a serialisation from October 1912 to June 1913. It was an immediate success, with its story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing
910-679: A phrase it contained, "the land of Fu Manchu", which was intended to refer to China, was offensive. Characterizing Dr Fu Manchu as an overtly racist creation has been criticized in the book Lord of Strange Deaths: The Fiendish World of Sax Rohmer . In a review of the book in The Independent , Dr Fu Manchu is contextualised: "These magnificently absurd books, glowing with a crazed exoticism, are really far less polar, less black and white, less white and yellow, than they first seem." Virginia Berridge Virginia Berridge , FRHistS , HonFRCP , FAcSS (born 1946)
975-800: A poet, songwriter and comedy sketch writer for music hall performers before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing fiction. Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen , Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn . Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians , but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His doctor and family friend Dr R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organisations. His first published work
1040-416: A self-centered archaeologist unearths one of Islam 's holiest relics —the sacred slipper of the prophet Mohammed . Until it is returned to its rightful people, the implacable Hassan of Aleppo vows his reign of death and destruction shall not cease. Behind these inhuman outrages is a secret group of fanatics. Not even the best men of Scotland Yard seem able to apprehend them. Tales of Chinatown (1922)
1105-471: A son for Dr Petrie and Kâramanèh. Dr Fu Manchu's daughter, Fah Lo Suee , is a devious mastermind in her own right, frequently plotting to usurp her father's position in the Si-Fan and aiding his enemies both within and outside the organization. Her real name is unknown; Fah Lo Suee was a childhood term of endearment. She is introduced anonymously while still a teenager in the third book in the series and plays
1170-438: A whole. Rohmer's villain is presented as the kingpin of a plot by the "yellow races" threatening the existence of "the entire white race", and his narrator opines, "No white man, I honestly believe, appreciates the unemotional cruelty of the Chinese." The character of Dr. Fu Manchu became, for many, a stereotype embodying the " Yellow Peril ". For others, Fu Manchu became the most notorious personification of Western views of
1235-900: Is a British academic historian and public health expert. Berridge has a first degree and a PhD in history, both from the University of London, and is a Professor of History and Director of the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine . She worked in the Addiction Research Unit of the Institute of Psychiatry from 1974 to 1979 and at the Economic and Social Research Council from 1986–1987. From 1979 to 88 she
1300-467: Is a collection of 10 short stories published in hardcover by Cassell in 1922 and Doubleday, Page and Company in 1922. All of the stories first appeared in magazine format. This collection includes a story that is considered to be one of his best and also has been anthologised many times; "Tcheriapin". The story "The Hand of the Mandarin Quong" was rewritten for this book; first published as "Hand of
1365-468: Is a homage to M. R. James ' story "Lost Hearts", featuring a mad scientist who preys on children. Rohmer's work was banned in Nazi Germany , causing Rohmer to complain that he could not understand such censorship, stating "my stories are not inimical to Nazi ideals". After World War II , Rohmer and his wife moved to New York, only returning to London shortly before his death. He died in 1959 at
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#17327917836321430-517: Is an agent of a Chinese tong , known as the Si-Fan , and acts as the mastermind behind a wave of assassinations targeting Westerners living in China. In the later books (1931–1959), he has gained control of the Si-Fan , which has been changed from a mere Chinese tong into an international criminal organization under his leadership. In addition to attempting to take over the world and restore China to its former glory (Dr. Fu Manchu's main goals right from
1495-657: Is an ex-Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard . He later accepts a position with MI6 . Several books have him placed on special assignment with the FBI . Many there are, I doubt not, who will regard the Eastern girl with horror. I ask their forgiveness in that I regarded her quite differently. No man having seen her could have condemned her unheard. Many, having looked into her lovely eyes, had they found there what I found, must have forgiven her almost any crime. — The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu Prominent among Dr Fu Manchu's agents
1560-568: Is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a "long, narrow moustache whose ends taper and droop down to the chin", although Rohmer's writings described the character as wearing no such adornment. Before the creation of Fu Manchu, Chinese people were often portrayed in Western media as victims. Fu Manchu indicated a new phase in which Chinese people were portrayed as perpetrators of crime and threats to Western society as
1625-585: Is the "seductively lovely" Kâramanèh. Her real name is unknown. She was sold to the Si-Fan by Egyptian slave traders while she was still a child. Kâramanèh falls in love with Dr Petrie, the narrator of the first three books in the series, and rescues Petrie and Nayland Smith many times. Eventually the couple are united and she wins her freedom. They marry and have a daughter, Fleurette, who figures in two later novels, Fu Manchu's Bride (1933) and its sequel, The Trail of Fu Manchu (1934). Lin Carter later created
1690-566: The Boxer Rebellion had "started off rumors of a Yellow Peril which had not yet died down. The first three Fu Manchu books were published in the four years between 1913 and 1917; but it was not until 1931 (some 14 years after the third book in the series) that Rohmer returned to the series with Daughter of Fu Manchu . The reason for the long interval was that Rohmer wanted to be rid of the series after The Si-Fan Mysteries . The first three books had been successfully filmed by Stoll in
1755-542: The Limehouse Chinese were one of the most law-abiding of London's ethnic minorities. Critic Jack Adrian has written: "Rohmer's own racism was careless and casual, a mere symptom of his times". Colin Watson commented: "So vehement and repetitive were Sax Rohmer's references to Asiatic plotting against 'white' civilisation that they cannot be explained simply as the frills of melodramatic narration." Rohmer became
1820-561: The Surgeon-General . Though Republic had planned to film 78 episodes for the series, a dispute with Sax Rohmer ended the series after only 13 episodes were produced. Dr. Fu Manchu's earliest radio appearances were on The Collier Hour 1927–1931 on the Blue Network . This was a radio program designed to promote Collier's magazine and presented weekly dramatizations of the current issue's stories and serials. Dr. Fu Manchu
1885-437: The bacilli ... my black spiders" and other peculiar animals or natural chemical weapons. He has a great respect for the truth (in fact, his word is his bond), and uses torture and other gruesome tactics to dispose of his enemies. Dr. Fu Manchu is described as a mysterious villain because he seldom appears on the scene. He always sends his minions to commit crimes for him. In the novel The Insidious Dr Fu-Manchu , he sends
1950-513: The elixir of life , a formula that he has spent decades trying to perfect. Opposing Dr Fu Manchu in the stories are Sir Denis Nayland Smith and, in the first three books, Dr Petrie. Petrie narrates the first three novels. (The later novels are narrated by various other characters allied with Smith right up to the end of the series.) Smith carries on the fight, combating Dr Fu Manchu more by sheer luck and dogged determination than intellectual brilliance except in extremis . Smith and Dr Fu Manchu share
2015-425: The 1860s or 1870s. According to Cay Van Ash , Rohmer's biographer and former assistant who became the first author to continue the series after Rohmer's death, "Fu Manchu" was a title of honor, which referred to "the warlike Manchu ". Van Ash speculates that Dr. Fu Manchu was a member of the imperial family of China who backed the losing side in the Boxer Rebellion . In the early books (1913–1917), Dr. Fu Manchu
Sax Rohmer - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-453: The 1913 novel The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu . Two more series were collected into The Devil Doctor (1916) and The Si-Fan Mysteries (1917), before the character entered a 14-year absence. Following 1931's The Daughter of Fu-Manchu , Rohmer wrote nine more Fu Manchu novels before his death in 1959. Four previously published stories were posthumously collected into The Wrath of Fu-Manchu (1973). In total, Rohmer wrote 14 novels concerning
2145-502: The 1940s. The re-release of The Mask of Fu Manchu in 1972 was met with protests from the Japanese American Citizens League , which stated that "the movie was offensive and demeaning to Asian Americans ". CBS Television decided to cancel a showing of The Vengeance of Fu Manchu . Los Angeles TV station KTLA shared similar sentiments, but ultimately decided to run The Brides of Fu Manchu with
2210-534: The Chinese, and became the model for other villains in contemporary "Yellow Peril" thrillers: these villains often had characteristics consistent with xenophobic and racist stereotypes which coincided with a significant increase in Chinese emigration to Western countries . After the Second World War , the stereotype inspired by Fu Manchu increasingly became a subject of satire . Fred Fu Manchu,
2275-1064: The Mandarin , named Xu Wenwu , appears in Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , portrayed by Tony Leung Chiu-wai . The character was previously referenced in the Iron Man trilogy and All Hail the King . Xialing , Wenwu's daughter and Shang-Chi 's sister, was partially inspired by Fah Lo Suee. A half-hour pilot was produced in 1952 for NBC 's consideration starring Cedric Hardwicke as Sir Denis Nayland Smith, John Carradine as Dr. Fu Manchu, and Reed Hadley as Dr. John Petrie. NBC turned it down without broadcasting it, but it has been screened at special events. The television arm of Republic Pictures produced
2340-613: The Sumuru books (Gold Medal/Fawcett paperbacks) have texts which were frequently corrupted. Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( Chinese : 傅滿洲/福滿洲 ; pinyin : Fú Mǎnzhōu ) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 100 years, and he has also become an archetype of
2405-466: The Sumuru series. In the meantime, he tried again to focus his energies on what was first titled Fu Manchu's Daughter for Collier's in 1930, but with an older (now knighted) Denis Nayland Smith as the protagonist once more. The results were infinitely better and jump-started the series in the process. In the 28 years from 1931 to 1959, Rohmer added a further 10 books to the Fu Manchu series, meaning
2470-843: The West with lethal diseases. Dr Fu Manchu first appeared on the big screen in the British silent film series The Mystery of Dr Fu Manchu (1923) starring Harry Agar Lyons , a series of 15 short feature films, each running around 20 minutes. Lyons returned to the role in The Further Mysteries of Dr Fu Manchu (1924), which comprised eight additional short feature films. Dr Fu Manchu made his American film debut in Paramount Pictures ' early talkie The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929) starring Warner Oland , soon to be known for his portrayal of Charlie Chan . Oland repeated
2535-687: The White Sheikh", Rohmer changed the setting to a Chinatown background and published it as "The Mystery of the Shriveled Hand"; the title was then changed again for this collection. Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror , including Brood of the Witch-Queen , described by Adrian as "Rohmer's masterpiece". Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with
2600-609: The age of 76, due to an outbreak of " Asian flu ". His wife, Rose Elizabeth (Knox) Ward (1886–1979), published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black , in 1958 under the pen name Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. She and Cay Van Ash (1918–1994), her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer , published in 1972. For Rohmer's bibliography, see his full list of work . Related works: A note on texts: U.S. editions of
2665-466: The beginning), the Si-Fan now also tries to eliminate fascist dictators and halt the spread of communism around the globe, for its leader's own selfish reasons. Dr. Fu Manchu knows that both fascism and communism present major obstacles to his plans for world domination . The Si-Fan is largely funded through criminal activities, particularly the drug trade and human trafficking . Dr. Fu Manchu has extended his already considerable lifespan by use of
Sax Rohmer - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-408: The character. The image of "Orientals" invading Western nations became the foundation of Rohmer's commercial success, being able to sell 20 million copies in his lifetime. Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan , ...Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all
2795-479: The disclaimer: "This feature is presented as fictional entertainment and is not intended to reflect adversely on any race, creed or national origin." Rohmer responded to charges that his work demonized Asians in Master of Villainy , a biography co-written by his widow: Of course, not the whole Chinese population of Limehouse was criminal. But it contained a large number of persons who had left their own country for
2860-576: The evil criminal genius and mad scientist , while lending his name to the Fu Manchu moustache . According to his own account, Sax Rohmer decided to start the Dr. Fu Manchu series after his Ouija board spelled out C-H-I-N-A-M-A-N when he asked what would make his fortune. Clive Bloom argues that the portrait of Fu Manchu was based on the popular music hall magician Chung Ling Soo , "a white man in costume who had shaved off his Victorian moustache and donned
2925-406: The executor of an evil plan against African Americans is an insidious, moustache-sporting kung fu master. Science historian Fred Cooper and colleagues draws a parallel between narratives that COVID-19 was created by China , and the machinations of Fu Manchu, who is "expert in the deadly application of animal and biological agents" and who has been depicted on US television shows as threatening
2990-408: The film The Mask of Fu Manchu , however, he states proudly that "I am a doctor of philosophy from Edinburgh, a doctor of law from Christ's College , a doctor of medicine from Harvard . My friends, out of courtesy, call me 'Doctor ' ".) At the time of their first encounter (1911) Dr. Petrie believed that Dr Fu Manchu was more than 70 years old. That would mean that he studied for his first doctorate in
3055-528: The first two Dr. Fu Manchu novels and part of the third. Unlike most other illustrators, O'Mealia drew Dr. Fu Manchu as a clean-shaven man with an abnormally large cranium. The strips were copyrighted by "Sax Rohmer and The Bell Syndicate , Inc." Two of the Dr. Fu Manchu comic strip storylines were reprinted in the 1989 book Fu Manchu: Two Complete Adventures . In 1940, the Chicago Tribune published an adaptation of Drums of Fu Manchu , at first it
3120-401: The five Christopher Lee films of the 1960s. Dr Fu Manchu also makes appearances in the following non-Fu Manchu/Rohmer works: Actors who have played Dr Fu Manchu: Actors who have played Dr Petrie: Actors who have played Sir Denis Nayland Smith The style of facial hair associated with Fu Manchu in film adaptations has become known as the Fu Manchu moustache . The "Fu Manchu" moustache
3185-431: The most urgent of reasons. These people knew no way of making a living other than the criminal activities that had made China too hot for them. They brought their crimes with them. It was Rohmer's contention that he based Dr Fu Manchu and other " Yellow Peril " mysteries on real Chinese criminals he met as a newspaper reporter covering Limehouse. In May 2013, General Motors cancelled an advertisement after complaints that
3250-485: The notoriety and income the character provided — Rohmer had other interests and a markedly serious side. The departure from his expected subject matter is plainly signalled by the book's dedication: "To the slaves of the pomegranate, sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, who drink at the fountain of life, this chalice is offered as a loving-cup". In The Quest of the Sacred Slipper (1919) terror comes to Britain when
3315-814: The pronunciation of her name. Anna May Wong played Ling Moy in Daughter of the Dragon (1931). Myrna Loy portrayed the similarly named Fah Lo See in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932). Gloria Franklin had the role of Fah Lo Suee in Drums of Fu Manchu (1940). Laurette Luez played Karamaneh in The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956), but the character owed more to Fah Lo Suee than to Rohmer's depiction of Kâramanèh. Tsai Chin portrayed Dr Fu Manchu's daughter Lin Tang in
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#17327917836323380-558: The release of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 's film adaptation of The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), which featured the Chinese villain telling his followers that they must "kill the white man and take his women", the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC , issued a formal complaint against the film. Following the release of Republic Pictures ' serial adaptation of Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) the U.S. State Department requested that
3445-743: The resources of science past and present ...Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man. — The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu Supervillain Dr. Fu Manchu's murderous plots are marked by the extensive use of arcane methods; he disdains guns or explosives, preferring dacoits (armed robbers in India), Thugs (professional robbers and murderers in India) and members of other secret societies as his agents (usually armed with knives) or using " pythons and cobras ... fungi and my tiny allies,
3510-463: The role in The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930) and Daughter of the Dragon (1931) as well as in the short film Murder Will Out (part of the omnibus film Paramount on Parade ) in which Dr. Fu Manchu confronts both Philo Vance and Sherlock Holmes . The most controversial incarnation of the character was MGM 's The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) starring Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy . At
3575-515: The second of three Harry Alan Towers films based on Rohmer's Fu Manchu-like female character Sumuru . He later directed an unauthorized 1986 Spanish film featuring Dr Fu Manchu's daughter, Esclavas del Crimen . In the film Grindhouse (2007), Nicolas Cage makes an uncredited comedic cameo appearance as Dr Fu Manchu during the "trailer" for the fake film Werewolf Women of the SS , directed by Rob Zombie . A composite character of Fu Manchu and
3640-432: The series totals 13 books in all (not counting the posthumous short story collection The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories ). The Fu Manchu series was criticised by the Chinese government and Chinese communities in the U.S. for what was perceived as negative ethnic stereotyping. Sociologist Virginia Berridge has stated that Rohmer created a false image of London's Chinese community as crime-ridden, further claiming that
3705-522: The studio make no further films about the character, as China was an ally against Japan during the Second World War. Likewise, Rohmer's publisher, Doubleday , refused to publish additions to the best-selling series for the duration of the Second World War once the United States entered the conflict . BBC Radio and Broadway investors subsequently rejected Rohmer's proposals for an original Fu Manchu radio serial and stage show during
3770-485: The supposed worldwide conspiracy of the " Yellow Peril ". The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters — Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw (an occult detective ), and the Crime Magnet — made Rohmer one of the most successful and financially well-off authors of the 1920s and 1930s. Rohmer believed that conditions for launching a Chinese villain were ideal because
3835-479: The time of its first release the film was considered racist and offensive by representatives of the Chinese government . The film was suppressed for many years, but has been released on DVD uncut. Dr Fu Manchu returned to the serial format in Republic Pictures ' Drums of Fu Manchu (1940), a 15-episode serial considered to be one of the best the studio ever made. It was later edited and released as
3900-463: The twenties as a pair of serials. Rohmer's first effort at reviving the Fu Manchu property was ultimately reworked as The Emperor of America . The original intent had been for the head of the organisation to be Fu Manchu's daughter. He kept Head Centre as a female criminal mastermind to combat Drake Roscoe, but was very unhappy with the book both as it started and in its finished form. He would later return to Drake Roscoe and his female supervillain for
3965-582: Was a photo comics , but later it was illustrated by a unicredit artist. Between 1962 and 1973, the French newspaper Le Parisien Libéré published a comic strip by Juliette Benzoni (script) and Robert Bressy (art). Fu Manchu appears in the adventures Night Moves and Night Live for the role-playing game Marvel Super Heroes . The stories of Dr Fu Manchu, both in print and on screen, have sparked accusations of racism and orientalism , from his fiendish design to his nonsensical Chinese name . After
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#17327917836324030-461: Was created and performed by the comedian Spike Milligan , who used it to mock the racist attitudes which had led to the creation of the character. The character was also parodied in a later radio comedy, Round the Horne , as Dr Chu En Ginsberg MA (failed), portrayed by Kenneth Williams . Dr. Fu Manchu was parodied as the fiendish Dr. Wu in the action-comedy film Black Dynamite (2009), in which
4095-606: Was in the Peter Sellers spoof The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980), with Sellers featured as both Dr Fu Manchu and Nayland Smith. The film bore little resemblance to any earlier film or the original books. Fu Manchu claims he was known as "Fred" at public school, a reference to the character in "The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu Manchu", a 1955 episode of The Goon Show which had co-starred Sellers. Jesús Franco , who directed The Blood of Fu Manchu and The Castle of Fu Manchu , also directed The Girl from Rio ,
4160-478: Was issued in 1903, when the short story "The Mysterious Mummy" was sold to Pearson's Weekly . Rohmer's main literary influences seem to have been Edgar Allan Poe , Arthur Conan Doyle and M. P. Shiel . He gradually transitioned from writing for music hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox. He published his first book Pause! anonymously in 1910. In 1934, Sax Rohmer moved into
4225-522: Was voiced by Arthur Hughes . A self-titled show on CBS followed in 1932–33. John C. Daly, and later Harold Huber , played Dr. Fu Manchu. In 2010, Fu Manchu's connections with the University of Edinburgh where he supposedly obtained a doctorate were investigated in a mockumentary by Miles Jupp for BBC Radio 4 . Additionally, there were "pirate" broadcasts from the continent into Britain, from Radio Luxembourg and Radio Lyons in 1936 through 1937. Frank Cochrane voiced Dr. Fu Manchu. The BBC produced
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