Singapore's first detective trilogy: mud, tigers, and boxing gloves.
Produced by Cathay-Keris, this omnibus of three stories (with different directors) was adapted from mystery tales featuring Detective Inspector Latiff (S. Roomai Noor), a character created Pelham Groom, a former British officer and genre writer who settled in Singapore. Latiff’s ‘Watson’ is a female Chinese forensic doctor (Mary Lim), and the first story 'Mud on Her Shoes' hinges on the romance between an English expat and a Malay woman. The second story is the titular 'Hantu Rimau'. The third tale ’Double Knock Out’, heralded as the first depiction of a local boxing match, was shot in Happy World (later renamed Gay World), one of the night-life amusement parks known as the ‘Worlds’. 'Mud on Her Shoes' directed by L. Krishnan, 'Hantu Rimau' directed by B.N. Rao, 'Double Knock Out' directed by S. Roomai Noor
Production
Amusement park 'Worlds' preserved in celluloid time capsule.
Costume
1950s Singapore fashion across three social strata.
Acting
Mary Lim breaking gender norms as forensic 'Watson'.
Director
L. Krishnan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Happy World (later Gay World) was one of three 'World' amusement parks that defined Singapore nightlife until the 1960s.
S. Roomai Noor directed himself as Latiff in the third segment while also starring in the other two—true triple-threat energy.
MY
SG
