Mixing murder-mystery thrills with spiritualism, astrology and hocus-pocus is nothing new. Mystical gurus and ESP experts were a staple of dime novels long before being brought in to help solve crimes in real life. In the 1920s, superstitious content was used as a tease, perhaps to add an interesting red herring to a haunted house story. 1938's When Were You Born takes the subject of astrology seriously. It features the fascinating Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong as Mary Lee Ling, a soothsayer who uses the help of the stars to both solve and predict crimes. After she foretells the death of a business tycoon (James Stephenson), Mary is allowed to conduct a full investigation of the crime. The interviews she conducts of the possible suspects are actually astrological consultations. Mary uses her cards to clear some suspects, while learning everyone's hidden secrets; she eventually finds the murderer hidden in a web of crooked intrigues, false identities and romantic jealousy. The storyline is more than a little awkward, with the victim's sweetheart (Lola Lane) figuring importantly in early reels, only to be dropped somewhere in act 2. Even with the competent players Margaret Lindsay and Jeffrey Lynn involved, critics felt that the astrological minutiae slowed the film down. Not helping is an extended lecture by astrological expert Manley P. Hall (also author of the original story) that comes off as padding plain and simple. The show is so horoscope-happy that each character is also identified by his or her sign of the zodiac. Critics were not charmed by this overall endorsement of astrology as hard fact. Variety not-so-generously suggested that, "with all due respect to Anna May Wong, we wish she'd leave the solving of murder mysteries to Mr. Moto and Charlie Chan." Once a glamorous star as well-known as Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong eventually retreated to character parts, mostly as mysterious China Dolls. When Were You Born gives her a major role, but still as an outsider, an exotic mystery woman.

By Glenn Erickson