By today’s standards, the depiction of the Japanese detective Mr. MOTO by the Austrian actor Peter Lorre in the 1937-39 series of films is considered racist, and an example — like the “Charlie Chan” movies — of early Hollywood’s use of “yellowface” and racial stereotypes. There are still instances in which a white actor might be cast over an Asian actor for an Asian role today, but in early 20th-century Hollywood this was not considered unusual.

The “Mr. MOTO” movies, based on the novels by the American author J.P. Marquand, bear only a loose connection to the books. However, while Kentaro Moto is depicted in the books as a man who speaks English and dresses in Western clothing, in the novels, he is still an agent of Imperial Japan and the Asian characters within are stereotyped as “inscrutable.” It has also been noted that the surname “Moto” is not really a proper Japanese family name, but only part of the name. For example, the family name Yamamoto means “Mountain” (Yama) + “origin” (moto).

The entry MOTO has appeared in the New York Times Crossword a total of 103 times. Three-quarters of those entries appeared before 1993, when Will Shortz became crossword editor. According to Sam Ezersky, associate puzzles editor for The New York Times, “Answers that appear in puzzles are never meant to be endorsements of anything, but rather to acknowledge their existence. That said, we try to avoid publishing any answer that can cause a visceral reaction among our audience upon seeing it in a puzzle.”

How It Might Be Clued

“Mr. of detective fiction,” “Mr. ___ (Peter Lorre role),” “Marquand’s Mr.,” “Japanese sleuth Mr. ___,” “‘Right You Are, Mr. ___’ (1957 novel),” “Repeated role for Lorre”



The entry MOTO may also be clued as the musical term “Con MOTO” or as a lead-in to the word (cross), as in “MOTOcross.”