Chan On The Air

THE SCARLET CLUE-1945-This time Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is on the trail of spies who want to steal radar plans. While he and a local police Capt. Flynn (Robert Homans) find a spy they were tailing dead, it seems the murderer drove off in a stolen car belonging to radio actress Diana Hall (Helen Deveareaux) and her friend Gloria (Janet Shaw). A footprint leads Charlie to believe that the killer works at the radio station. He’s right! The manager Bret (I. Stanford Jolley) is the killer but he takes his orders from someone who communicates by a telegram machine. When Gloria tries to blackmail Bret she dies from poisoning. When Chan connects Bret to the murder the manager falls to his death from a trapdoor in an elevator! There's also a scientific contraption that simulates different types of weather. On an “experimental” TV program Jack Norton does a drunk routine but is poisoned before he can give Charlie any info. This story features a lot of science tech and talk about TV. 

THE SCARLET CLUE also features no. 3 son Tommy (Benson Fong) who messes up several times and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) who does 2 routines with his real life vaudeville partner Ben Carter. (They also do this in DARK ALIBI). Phil Rosen was once again in the director's chair. Followed by THE SHANGHAI COBRA.

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More Chan!

THE JADE MASK-1945-A scientist named Harper (Frank Reicher) has a gas that can turn wood into metal. Naturally the US government is interested in it. So are its enemies. Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is called in by a local police chief (Henry Hall) to investigate when Harper goes missing. There's enough suspects. A loyal but abused butler Roth (Cyril Delevanti), Harper's assistant Meeker (Hardie Albright), sister Louise (Edith Evanson), housemaid Jean Kent (Janet Warren), Stella Graham (Dorothy Granger) who was assisting Harper on another project and mute handyman/chauffeur Michael Strong (Lester Dorr). Charlie's later joined by number 4 son Eddie (Edwin Luke; the real life brother of Keye) and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland),who actually stops the murderer from escaping. 

Phil Rosen was back as director and keeps it moving. THE SCARLET CLUE followed.

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Chan's Magic

BLACK MAGIC aka MEETING AT MIDNIGHT-1944-With his boss Charlie Chan going back to Hawaii, Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) gets a job as a domestic servant at the home of a medium named William Bonnar (Richard Gordon). During a seance in which Chan's daughter Frances (Frances Chan) is attending Bonnar is shot and killed after a mysterious voice asks him where he was on Oct. 5 1935. Police Sgt. Matthews (Joseph Crehan) arrives on the scene and soon the great detective (Sidney Toler) is involved. No gun can be found and there's no bullet in the body! While Charlie does his investigation, Frances and Birmingham do their own. 

Suspects include Nancy Wood (Helen Beverley) who's father was driven to suicide by Bonnar, his jealous wife Justine (Jacqueline deWit) who's in cahoots with a couple who provide effects for the seance, Edwards (Harry Depp) a guy who makes magic props, Hamlin (Paul Jacquet) also being blackmailed by Bonnar and jilted mistress Harriet Greene (Geraldine Wall). 

After Mrs. Bonnar in a trace state jumps off a building to her death Chan discovers she was under the influence of a powerful drug and hypnotized. Later he's drugged and hypnotized and almost commits suicide. Matthews more competent assistant Rafferty (Ralph Petters) helps out. Chan reveals the murderer and murder weapon at his own seance. 

A not bad mystery that again can't help but throw in some racist humor with Moreland but uses Chan's daughter to good effect and should have used her in future stories. Director Phil Rosen directed many more in the series. For it's re-release the title was changed to MEETING AT MIDNIGHT to avoid confusion with another film called “Black Magic” starring Orson Welles.

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Next in the series: THE JADE MASK

More Jungle Bungle

THE BEAST OF BORNEO-1934-On an expedition in Borneo to find the elusive “orang-utan”, explorer Bob Ward (John Preston) finds and adopts a baby ape. Back in London, “celebrated Anglo Russian” scientist Dr. Boris Borodoff (Eugene Sigaloff) needs an orange ape for an experiment. When he learns the expedition can't secure one, he goes himself with assistant Alma Thorne (Mae Stuart). In Borneo Borodoff meets Ward and wants to hire him to catch an “orang” but Ward refuses (he doesn't capture animals for science). Somehow he changes his mind and the three venture into hostile territory with a bunch of natives. Borndoff professes his love for Alma and is jealous when she and Ward become close.

 After 3 weeks they trap a huge orang in a tree. They lure him out with fruit spiked with Gordon's Gin (the label is prominently displayed). But one of the crew is killed and the natives desert the white people. When Ward learns the professor wants to cut open the ape’s brain (although he promised not to) he decides to free it so Borondoff knocks him out. The orang escapes and takes Ward. Borondoff tells Alma Ward is dead but she doesn't believe him. Her efforts to find him fail and she and her boss prepare to leave. But then Borondoff decides to do his operation on Ward's baby monkey Joe which Alma will have none of. She flees into the jungle, finds Ward alive and the evil professor is mauled to death by the adult orang. 

Later jungle drums say a rescue party is coming for the survivors. This thing moves at a snail's pace, could be missing a scene or two and the acting is pretty stiff. Especially annoying is actor Sigloff's heavy accent. Stock footage was left over from EAST OF BORNEO. The orang makes some weird noises. Director Harry Garson made many films in the silent era and continued into sound but developed heart trouble and died in 1938 making only one more film after THE BEAST OF BORNEO.

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In The Big Year Of 1931

EAST OF BORNEO-1931-In this early Carl Laemmle produced “talking picture”, a young woman Linda Randolph (Rose Hobart) comes to Borneo looking for her husband Dr. Allen Randolph (Charles Bickford). It turns out Randolph is now using a new name and 300 miles away. Since she's his wife she needs to make the journey despite the warnings that it's no trip for a white woman alone. Nevertheless she sets out with a kind of huge crew led by Hrang (Testu Komai) and sees stock footage of crocodiles, lions, hyena and an orangutan family. At night a giant python visits but does no harm. Then a leopard attacks and mauls one of the white crew. Hubby Dr. Randolph is a drunk chess playing companion to Hashim, the prince of Naruda. Randolph seems to be down on women and doesn't know his better half is searching for him. When Hashim (Georges Rentavent) learns a white woman is soon to arrive he decides to greet her even though Randolph asks him not to. Hashim welcomes Mrs. Randolph and invites her to dinner where she meets hubby who's plastered. 

Later the couple talk. Randolph doesn't want his wife because he believes she left him for another man, although she denies this saying that her relationship with this other man was merely platonic and only happened because of her husband's workaholic ways. Randolph has none of it and sends her away. Things don't go too well for the Mrs. after she sees a man eaten by crocodiles and a baby monkey killed by a tiger and she wants to leave. Then she accidentally ruins Randolph's experiment. He’s looking for an antitoxin for yellow fever. The prince seems desirous of the white woman and won't let her leave but in a fit of sober allegiance to his wife Randolph tries to help her escape. Of course they are recaptured and Randolph is set to become croc food but when the prince puts his moves on Linda she shoots him! He doesn't die and Randolph operates on him but the volcano erupts and Hashim is killed. The Randolphs get away. 

EAST OF BORNEO was made by Universal pictures the same year as the horror classics FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA but is forgotten today. There is a tenuous connection between this jungle romance and Dracula as Randolph's slave is played by Luptia Tovar (who died in 2016 at the age of 106!) who would play Mina in the Spanish language version of Dracula that was shot at night after Tod Browning’s version wrapped up for the day.

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Infra-Man!

THE SUPER INFRA-MAN-1975-In the future, a demonic princess Elzebub returns to wreak havoc on the Earth (particularly China; this is after all a Shaw Brothers production). After burning a few cities, she summons up some crazy monsters to do her bidding. She’s also assisted by some scantily clad cuties who have long fingers and eyeballs on their palms! Meanwhile a professor and his team find out about the invasion. The evil princess sends two strutting laughing monsters to capture one of the professor's men. The professor turns one of his guys into “Infra-Man” (Danny Lee), an “Ultra-Man” like superhero who arrives just in time to defeat a tentacled monster attacking the lab. The captured team member is turned into a green eyed human zombie who steals the Infra-Man plans. He has a fight with Bruce Le and then battle some monsters single-handedly. A crazy orange monster shoots cocoons. When it grows gigantic so does Infra Man! 

This is one crazy enjoyable live action superhero vs. monsters movie (whether you see it dubbed, sub-titled or even un-dubbed without subtitles, as I saw it recently) that delivers with cheesy anything goes effects. I wish they were still making movies like this. And why didn't The Shaw Bros. make a sequel?

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Pulgasari

PULGASARI-1985-In feudal Korea, a cruel governor makes all his subjects give up their iron so he can make weapons. An old metal worker is imprisoned and beaten for not cooperating. His future son in law Inde and his group of bandits fight back but are also imprisoned. Before he dies the old man creates a small statue of a creature and prays to the gods. After his death, his daughter Ami takes the figure home. While sewing she pricks her finger and some blood drops on the creature which immediately comes to life! It likes to eat metal and grows bigger as it does. It saves Inde from getting his head chopped off. Later after Inde’s mom and little bro are killed, he and bandits attack the governor's fortress. They win so the king orders General Fuan to crush them. 

The farmers flee to the hills for their last big encounter but Ami brings Pulgasari to help. The farmers give all their iron to it and it starts growing to Godzilla size. But Fuah has Ami captured and forces Pulgasari into a cage that's set a fire (it seems like an elaborate set up that they put together in no time). Pulgasari seems to die but reappears as a red hot monster that sends the army fleeing in terror. Later the farmers decide to attack first. The general comes up with another plan. Lure the monster into a giant hole (which the army dug again in no time!) and have an old priestess exorcise the monster (because the blacksmith’s spirit is in it). The exorcism features some colorfully dressed women dancers. Pulgasari falls into the hole and is buried under a hail of rocks. Inde is captured and hanged. However you can't keep a good monster down and Pulgasari escapes its rock prison to lead the farmers in an attack on the capital city. Despite making new weapons, Pulgasari destroys the enemy stronghold and crushes the king. Literally! 

With that out of the way, it turns its hunger for iron toward the farmers. “Our savior has become our enemy”. Ami seems to sacrifice her life to destroy the giant but in the end the spirit of the mini Pulgasari enters her body, though she doesn't appear to be alive. Fun giant monster film from Korea.

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