| Black Dragons | |
|---|---|
 Promotional lobby card | |
| Directed by | William Nigh |
| Written by | Robert Kehoe Harvey Gates |
| Produced by | Jack Dietz Sam Katzman associate Barney A. Sarecky |
| Starring | Bela Lugosi Joan Barclay George Pembroke |
| Cinematography | Arthur Reed |
| Edited by | Carl Pierson |
| Music by | Johnny Lange Lew Porter Heinz Roemheld |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Monogram Pictures Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Black Dragons is a 1942 American film directed byWilliam Nigh and starringBela Lugosi,Joan Barclay, and George Pembroke. The cast includesClayton Moore, who plays a handsome detective. TheBlack Dragon Society also appears inLet's Get Tough! a 1942East Side Kids film made by the same team of writerHarvey Gates and producerSam Katzman.
It is prior to the American entry into World War II, and Japan's fiendishBlack Dragon Society is hatching an evil plot with theNazis. They instruct a brilliant scientist, Dr. Melcher, to travel to Japan on a secret mission. There he operates on six Japanese conspirators, transforming them to resemble six American leaders. The actual leaders are murdered and replaced with their likenesses. Dr. Melcher is condemned to a lifetime of imprisonment so the secret may die with him.
The film was rushed into production following theattack on Pearl Harbor. It was to begin filming on 17 January 1942 but this was pushed back until 21 January. The original working title wasThe Yellow Menace.[1]
The film was released in Los Angeles on the double bill with the Australian filmPituri (also known asUncivilised).[2]
TheLos Angeles Times said that "those who love their mystery and their Lugosi will find this film unusually sinister."[3]
The film was colorized in the 1990s.[1]
