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

The Chinese Cat

CHARLIE CHAN IN THE CHINESE CAT-1944-The intrepid detective (Sidney Toler) and number 3 son Tommy (Benson Fong) investigate the murder of Thomas Manning at the request of his step-daughter Leah (Joan Woodbury). 6 months previously he was shot to death in a locked room. A famous doctor Paul Recknik (Ian Keith) has written a book about the case that implicates the girl’s mother (Betty Blythe). They are joined by taxi driver Birmingham Brown (the great Mantan Moreland) who says “Freedom of speech is gonna get me in trouble yet” and a police detective (Wendel Heyburn) who investigated the murder. Manning's business partner wants Chan off the case. It has to do with smugglers and stolen diamonds. The bad dudes hide out in a fun house so this provides several reasons for Birmingham to get scared. However he helps save Chan and Tommy when they are roughed up by the brutal thugs.

 This was director Phil Rosen's second Chan mystery in a row. Among his over 140 credits (!) are the underrated PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN, SPOOKS RUN WILD and two more Chan/Toler entries.

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Charlie Chan returns in BLACK MAGIC aka MEETING AT MIDNIGHT. 

Chan In Secret

CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE- 1944-A rocket scientist is killed in his home and his plans for a secret torpedo invention are stolen. As usual he has a whole houseful of guests as suspects (including the unbilled Gene Roth). Against his wishes Charlie (Sidney Toler) is assisted by son Tommy (Benson Fong) and daughter Iris (Marianne Quon), It's also the debut of Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland), Chan’s future chauffeur who says “Just ain't no future for a man in this house”. This Phil Rosen directed whodunit wasn't that interesting to me.

Next: CHARLIE CHAN IN THE CHINESE CAT. Thanks for reading!

Chan In The Desert

CASTLE IN THE DESERT-1942-After a murder at Manderley castle, a mysterious place in the desert with no electricity or telephone, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is contacted by a letter from Lucy Manderley (Lenita Lane) to investigate. A guest was poisoned and since she is a descendant of the infamous Lucretia Borgia  everyone thinks she did it. In the pest hole town he meets the locals who are all loonies. The stupid hotel owner (Oliver Blake) says Mrs. Manderley is a witch. When a castle car picks him up Charlie is joined by the snobbish Watson King (Henry Daniell). Once there he meets Mr. Manderley (Douglass Dumbrille), a historian with half a disfigured face he keeps covered, doing research on The Borgias. Manderley gets mad at his doctor Retling (Steve Geray) who says Manderley is perfectly fine. Still he does act rather nutty. Chan also meets Prof. Detheridge (Richard Derr) who once helped him on a case. Also present are Mr & Mrs Hartford (Edmund MacDonald and Arleen Whelan).

When Chan meets Mrs. M she says she never called for his services and the letter he received is a joke. Charlie is ready to depart but the castle car breaks down. Jimmy comes out to the place with an old town psychic (Ethel Griffies).  Before that though a private investigator Fletcher (Milton Parsons) shows up to ask about the poisoned victim. After he's poisoned, everyone tries to convince Manderley that Lucy is an insane murderer. Of course Chan thinks otherwise and later proves that when it seems three murders have been committed it's actually only one! Jimmy spends some time in a suit of armor. 

Harry Lachman directed this one. Thanks for reading!

Next up: CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE

Chan Can Solve It!

CHARLIE CHAN IN RIO-1941-Detective Chan (Sidney Toler) and number 2 son Jimmy (Sen Yung) with the help of local police chief Souto (Harold Huber) plan to arrest singer Lola Dean for the murder of a man in Honolulu after tracking her to a club in Rio De Janeiro. Lola (Jacqueline Dalya) plans to elope with her fiance Carlos but first she visits a Hindu swami (Victor Jory) where she is kind of drugged and reveals that she did in fact kill a man in a jealous rage. I say kind of drugged as the swami only uses a herbal cigarette and a cup of coffee to achieve this. Anyway, her guests start to arrive when she returns to her place. When Chan arrives to make the arrest he finds Lola stabbed to death. Naturally all her party goers are suspects. They include jilted alcoholic (Mary Beth Hughes from I ACCUSE MY PARENTS), (future TV's Science Fiction Theater host Truman Bradley), the singer's secretary Grace (Cobina Wright), another disgruntled woman and a armchair detective. Jimmy actually has a fist fight with the butler who's trying to steal some jewels and comes  out on top! He even gets a love interest in the form of the singer's Asian maid Lili (Iris Wong). Fun outing but Jimmy is just a little to dumb at times... 

One of four Chan entries Harry Lachman directed. He also made OUR RELATIONS with Laurel and Hardy, DANTE'S INFERNO with Spencer Tracy and THE LOVES OF EDGAR ALLEN POE before retiring after 1942 to devote his life to being a full time artist.

Followed by CASTLE IN THE DESERT. Thanks for reading!

Charlie In The Big Apple

MURDER OVER NEW YORK-1940-On a plane en route to NYC for a police convention, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) meets his old friend Inspector Drake of Scotland Yard (Frederick Worlock). Drake is on the trial of a saboteur named Narda and his Hindu servant Ramullah (Lal Chand Mehra) who seem to have vanished so he’s been following Narda’s wife. Drake seems like a future victim especially after being invited to a party given by the smarmy and suspicious George Kirby (Ricardo Cortez). Then when Chan is met by Inspector Vance (Donald MacBride), No. 2 son Jimmy (Sen Yung) shows up! Sure enough, Drake is murdered in Kirby's study, killed by a odorless gas. There are many suspects of course including June Preston (Joan Valerie), an actress, chemist David Elliot (Robert Lowery) , Ralph Percy (Kane Richmond), a guy named Richard Jeffery (John Sutton), a pompous Englishman Herbert Fenton (Melville Cooper) and Patricia West (Mariorie Weaver)and Narda’s wife who turns out not to be a collaborator.

 An hysterical but politically incorrect scene involves a police lineup of local Hindi men where a phony mystic is played by Shemp Howard! They find Narda’s servant but he’s killed. His curio shop turns out to be a front for making poison gas! This method seems similar to the M. O. of the the kiiler in MR. WONG DETECTIVE (1938). Eventually Charlie gets all the suspects on a moving plane and reveals the real killer (Narda with plastic surgery). Jimmy is really a pest in this. Clarence Muse has one scene as stereotypical scared suspect. 

Director Harry Lachman directed DEAD MEN TELL the next year.

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2015/07/chan-returns.html

Mr. Wong: https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2017/07/mr-wong.html

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Chan The Man

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE WAX MUSEUM-1940-Gangster Steve McBirney (Marc Lawrence) is convicted of murder  thanks to the work of famous Chinese detective Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler). McBirney manages to get a gun and “shoot his way out”. He and his buddy hide in a wax museum run by Dr. Cream (C. Henry Gordon) and his female assistant Lily (Joan Valerie). He wants Cream to give him a new face (Cream used to be a surgeon). Later while Charlie confers with police inspector O’Matthews (Joe King), son Jimmy (Sen Yung) comes by. With him are Dr. Cream and reporter Mary Boland (Marguerite Chapman) who want Chan to be on a radio show where he and the pompous Dr. Von Brom (Michael Visaroff) will  try to determine if an innocent man Joe Rock was executed for a crime he didn't commit. It’s really just a trap set by Cream and McBirney to kill Chan. They gather for the broadcast but  unbeknownst to the rest, Joe’s widow is there too. McBirney and his friend convince the crazy caretaker to help electrocute Chan but Von Brom insists on sitting in Chan’s chair and seems to be electrocuted but Charlie deduces that he was shot with a poisoned dart and it is the work of Butcher Deegan, a criminal thought to be dead! 

This is a nice little whodunit with a cool wax museum backdrop but Jimmy's dumb antics (he faints twice) get a little annoying. Funny, unexpected final scene though. Director Lynn Shores was a little bit of a mystery man. He directed several short subjects and an early talkie THE JAZZ AGE (1929) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and also THE SHADOW STRIKES (1937) but not too much else. He died in 1949.

Next installment: MURDER OVER NEW YORK

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Chan On The Sea

 CHARLIE CHAN’S MURDER CRUISE-1940-Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is ready to spank no.7 son Willie (Layne Tom Jr.) for going through Pop’s mail to find a bad report card but is interrupted by a visit from his old friend Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard (Montague Shaw). He’s on the trial of an international killer known only as “The Strangler” and has narrowed the search down to 10 people all on an around the world cruise ship. Unfortunately before they can act Duff is strangled to death in Chan’s own office! Charlie meets archaeologist Prof. Gordon (Leo G. Carroll), tour director Dr. Suderman (Lionel Atwill), Richard Kenyon (Robert Lowery), a murdered passenger’s nephew, the hypochondriac Pendelton (Leonard Mudie) and the smug Mr. Ross (Don Beddoe). Also thrown in is a quick to hysterics socialite Suzie (Cora Witherspoon) and her secretary Paula (Marjorie Weaver), who Kenyon is sweet on. Then there's the Amish looking Mr.& Mrs. Walters (Charles Middleton and Claire Du Brey). She’s psychic and implicates Kenyon in the murder of his uncle. Meanwhile a mysterious bearded beggar hangs around. The killer leaves a bag of 30 silver dimes with each of his victims. A weird hobby horse race figures into the plot. Jimmy (Sen Yung) hangs around as a steward and gets into trouble. 

Eugene Forde directed this easy to take mystery with a good cast.

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN IN THE WAX MUSEUM.

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Chan Goes Everywhere

CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA1940--A suspicious bunch gather in Panama. Jolly author Cliveden Compton (Lionel Atwill), school teacher Jennie Finch (Mary Nash), local club owner Manolo (Jack La Rue), Godley (Addison Richards), Dr. Grosser (Lionel Royce), a grouchy, fez wearing German Halide (Frank Puglia) and a guy named Cabot (Kane Richmond) that Manolo has one of his employees Kathie (Jean Rogers) spy on.

In Panama City Godley visits a hat maker who happens to be Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) undercover. Godley has secret info on a saboteur/assassin named Reinhardt (no one knows what he looks like) but he smokes a poisoned cigarette and dies before revealing his info. Chan must stop Reinhardt from harming the Navy fleet before it uses the canal. No. 2 son Jimmy (Sen Yung) is kind of a pain but the identity of the killer is a lulu! Norman Foster directed this enjoyable installment, no doubt enhanced by the presence of the always entertaining Lionel Atwill.

 Next up: CHARLIE CHAN'S MURDER CRUISE.

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Chan In Darkness

CHARLIE CHAN IN THE CITY OF DARKNESS-1939-In France during a WW2 blackout Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates the murder of a shady industrialist Petroff (Douglass Dumbrille). Chan is actually helping the chief inspector's bumbling assistant Spivak (Harold Huber) .The story involves a counterfeiter (Leo G Carroll), a couple fleeing a blackmail charge (Lynn Bari & Richard Clarke) and the dead man’s Butler (Pedro De Cordoba). An illegal munitions shipment is at the bottom of it all. This is one of the few movies where Chan is really roughed up when he's taken prisoner by the counterfeiter and his henchman (Lon Chaney Jr). The real spies are killed and the one who murdered Petroff is hailed as a hero. It ends with the police chief receiving a telegram declaring “There will be no war!”. But Chan isn't optimistic saying before  the fade out “Beware of spider who invite fly into parlor”. 

This entry had too much of the idiotic Spivak.. It was almost like a try out for his own series and made me long for Jimmy! Like a few other directors, this is Herbert Leeds only foray in Chan country but he “geared” up for it making MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND the same year. He also made a few “Cisco Kid” films and the WW2 propaganda film MANILA CALLING.

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The Magic of Chan

CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND-1939-While flying from Hawaii to San Francisco the intrepid phony Asian detective (Sidney Toler) and number 2 son Jimmy (Sen Yung) investigate the murder of Chan's friend, a writer who just completed his new novel. A suspicious insurance agent (Douglass Dumbrille) steals the manuscript. After breaking the bad news to the writer's wife, CC is “kidnapped” by the SF police because their chief (Donald MacBride) is an old friend of his. He meets another old friend Pete Lewis (Douglas Fowley), a reporter who introduces Chan to The Great Rhadini (Cesar Romero), a famous magician/illusionist who's mind reading assistant is Lewis' girlfriend Eve Cairo (Pauline Moore). Through them Chan learns about Dr. Zodiac, a magician/guru who seems to be involved in some recent murders (including the writer who received a mysterious radiogram that mentioned Scorpio). The trio decide visit the doc at his headquarters. After a seance like demonstration he threatens them with a gun and they leave. Zodiac talks in a deep voice (Gerald Mohr) and looks like someone in disguise. Later Eve gives an exhibition of her psychic powers and kind of convinces Chan they are real. After investigating and the discovery that Dr. Z is wearing a disguise, Rhadini challenges Dr. Z to a contest which he accepts. An elaborate stage show is performed and eventually after another murder the real identity of  Dr. Zodiac is revealed. He'd gathered much info on people who came to him for a reading and was using blackmail. 

One of three Chan mysteries Norman Foster directed. He also made 5 in the MR. MOTO series. In 1943 he'd work with Orson Welles on JOURNEY INTO FEAR and IT'S ALL TRUE. 

The one up: CHARLIE CHAN IN THE CITY OF DARKNESS.

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Back to Chan

CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO-1939- In “the biggest little city in the world” Mrs. Russell (Kay Linaker) runs a hotel for couples getting divorce. “This 1939. We're modern.”, says one character. The obnoxious Mrs. Bentley (Louise Henry) insults everyone and is asked by the owner to leave. She's killed instead and Mary Whitman (Pauline Moore; in CC IN HONOLULU the year before) is found over the body with blood on her hands. It just so happened Bentley was going to marry Mary's almost ex-husband Curtis (Kane Richmond; later in CC IN PANAMA). When Mary is arrested for the murder Curtis asks Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) for help. Rather dumbly, especially for him Chan wires son Jimmy (Sen Yung) in LA that he will visit him on his return trip. Naturally Jimmy sees this as an opportunity to help “Pop”. He borrows a friend's car and drives there. However on the way he falls victim to two phony hitchhikers who steal the car and Jimmy's clothes! He winds up in a police line up that Chan, the police chief (Charles Brown) and a dopey sheriff (Slim Summerville) are looking at. Chan investigates all the suspects including the owner Mrs. Russell, her hostess (Phyllis Brooks), an oily doctor (Ricardo Cortez; also in MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING the same year), Birk (Robert Lowery; also in MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND the same year)), a broke young man and Mr. Bentley (Morgan Conway; future Dick Tracy). An Asian maid (Iris Wong) (and Jimmy's love interest) helps out too. This was one of four Chan mysteries directed by Norman Foster who also found time to direct 6 “Mr. Moto” entries.

Next in the series: CHARLIE CHAN ON TREASURE ISLAND.

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Chan's Great White Way

CHARLIE CHAN ON BROADWAY-1937-While in the Big Apple being honored with a police escort, brass band and a banquet, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) and son Lee (Keye Luke) become involved with the usual cast of characters. While on board an NYC bound ship, a woman named Billie Bronson (Louise Henry) has a package many people seem to want. She hides it in Chan’s trunk to get it passed customs. She can't get to it but instead goes to a club and kind of threatens the owner Johnny Berk (Douglas Fowley) after being warned to leave town by gangster Buzz Moran (Leon Ames). Billie winds up shot to death (last seen struggling with Berk over a gun) and Lee is held as a suspect. Charlie and the police Inspector Nelson (Harold Huber) are called away from the banquet. It turns out the hot item Billie possessed was her diary which contained a lot of dirt on the underworld. After some investigating, Charlie gathers everyone together at the Hottentot Club. Besides Berk suspects include his dancer/girlfriend Maria (Joan Woodbury), a newspaper publisher (J. Edward Bromberg) and mobster Moran.  A fast talking reporter Speed (Donald Woods) who’s always trying to scoop a female photographer (Joan Marsh) finds the body. Marc Lawrence is a mysterious early victim and Lon Chaney Jr has an un-billed cameo.

Director Eugene Forde would go on to direct more of the (pretend) Asian detective's cases.

The next Chan adventure would be CHARLIE CHAN IN MONTE CARLO which I reviewed years ago!

It's here: https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2015/12/chans-back.html

That's followed by CHARLIE CHAN IN HONOLULU

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2009/05/aloha-charlie.html



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Olympic Chan

 CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS-1937- While Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) and little son Charlie Jr. (Layne Tom Jr.) get ready for a fishing trip someone steals an experimental robot plane the US government was testing. As luck would have it both Chans discover the plane on the beach where they were going to fish. Inventor Hopkins (Jonathan Hale) thinks former employee Arthur Hughes (C. Henry Gordon) stole it. Hopkins and his assistant Cartwright (John Eldredge) accompany Chan on a steamer to Berlin. Meanwhile Chan’s son Lee (Keye Luke), on his way to The Olympics as a swimmer, investigates the link between his friend Dick (Allan Lane) and a mysterious woman Miss Roland (Katherine DeMille) who seems to have a connection to the missing device. Captain Strasser (Frederick Vogeding; pompously self assured German stereotype) helps out. They find the missing device in the luggage of Olympian Betty Adams (Pauline Moore), also a friend of Lee’s and Dick’s girlfriend, but it's obvious Betty wasn't in on it. Later Lee is kidnapped. Chan figures it all out in the end (and so will you) and Lee wins a gold medal! 

Although it takes place in Nazi Germany (a film of Jesse Owens winning his gold metal race is shown) there's really no reference to it. This was the third in a row CC feature H. Bruce Humberstone directed. The next year he'd direct CHARLIE CHAN IN HONOLULU and go on to make I WAKE UP SCREAMING and some Tarzan films before going into TV. The next Chan installment would be CHARLIE CHAN ON BROADWAY.

Useless Note: Frederick Vogeding's character's last name is Strasser. The same name Conrad Veidt's character had in CASABLANCA (1942).

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Oland vs. Karloff

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA-1936-As it says above the title “It's Warner Oland vs. Boris Karloff”! An amnesiac opera singing piano playing maniac (Boris Karloff) escapes from an insane asylum and threatens the life of opera diva Lilli Rochelle (Margret Irving). The police inspector calls in Charlie Chan who happens to be on the mainland. Rochelle is accompanied by a pompous demanding baritone Barelli (Gregory Gaye) The stage manager (Maurice Cass) says “This opera is going on tonight even if Frankenstein walks in”! The maniac turns out to be named Gravelle and he was once the lead baritone with the company but was deliberately locked in a room while a building was on fire. He’s also the father of Lilli’s secret daughter Kitty (Charlotte Henry) who came to the opera with her fiance Phil (Thomas Beck) to get mom's blessing on their marriage. . Although it seems Gravelle kills Berelli and takes his place as Mephisto in the opera and kills Lilli on stage while performing, this is a Charlie Chan mystery and things aren't as clear cut as they seem. 

Racist Sgt. Kelly (William Demarest) disagrees with everything CC does or says and refers to him as “Egg Fu” and “chop suey” and says “No Chinese cop’s gonna show me up”. Unfortunately for him he's wrong but he gives props to the famed detective when the mystery is solve.  Meanwhile No. 1 son Lee (keye Luke) digs up several clues while in disguise. 

This is a classy if far-fetched murder mystery with Karloff as a sympathetic nut the highlight. The music for the fake opera is by Oscar Levant. The lip syncing is very good. 

 2 years before this film co-star Charlotte Henry played Bo-Peep in THE MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS with Laurel & Hardy. Director H. Bruce Humberstone directed this in between CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACETRACK and CHARLIE AT THE OLYMPICS.]

The same year as this Karloff was the piano playing John Ellman brought back to life in THE WALKING DEAD. He and Lugosi made THE INVISIBLE RAY tooFollowed by CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS.

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Race Track Chan

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK-1936-In Hawaii when sure winning racehorse Avalanche is disqualified for a foul by his hockey (Frankie Darro), its owner Major Kent (George Irving) hires the Honolulu based (fake) Chinese detective (Warner Oland) to investigate. Unfortunately Kent is kicked to death by his own horse before Chan can get to work. On board an ocean liner bound for US (Hawaii wasn't a state yet) everyone receives threatening letters regarding not using Avalanche in anymore races. Chan is even shot in the leg. It's all a plot by a group of gamblers to make a big score. Lee (Keye Luke) disguises himself as a laundry boy and causes a distraction so “Pop” can switch the horses back.

Doping also figures in the plot and there are lots of the usual suspects. Director H. Bruce Humberstone made the next entry into the series CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA (with Boris Karloff) the same year.

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Big Top Chan

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS-1936-This entry begins with Charlie (Warner Oland) and his wife (Annie Mar) and 12 children visiting the circus and talking to 2 little people, Col. Tim (George Brasno) and Lady Tiny (Olive Brasno) both dancers. One of the owners Kinney (Paul Stanton) approaches Chan and says he’s received some threatening letters. Chan agrees to meet him later during the show. We also learn Kinney's partner John Gaines (Francis Ford) owes him a lot of money and if he can't pay he’ll lose his half of the circus. He also has a problem with Cesar the gorilla (Charles Gemora) who he whips and then fires its trainer. Later with the help of Col. Tim and a giant (John Aasen) Chan discovers Kinney dead in a locked room inside his wagon. Then it’s found that the abused ape has escaped its cage! A phony mystic John Holt (J.Carrol Naish) helps subdue Cesar when he attacks Chan. No.1 son Lee (Keye Luke) and police chief Macy (Wade Boteler) try to figure things out (Lee also pursues a Asian contortionist). Lady Tiny visits the Chan Clan at their hotel to try and convince Charlie to help find Kinney's killer but he declines as he’s on vacation with his family. However Mrs. Chan and their kids convince him to help. Charlie and Jimmy join the circus to investigate. The first night a cobra slithers into the elder Chan's bed but Jimmy shoots it, It seems Kinney was engaged to the star trapeze artist Marie Norman but was married to Nellie (Drue Layton),who works in the costume dept. To trail her Lee  dresses as a woman with Tim as his cigar smoking baby! Later when Nellie proclaims that she will inherit half the circus trapeze artist Norman claims she can prove that Kinney and Nellie we're not legally married but first she has to perform. Bad decision. Someone fires a rifle cutting one of the ropes. She falls but doesn't die. Charlie sets a trap and discovers the real culprit. They can't make a monkey out of Charlie Chan!

 Director Harry Lachman made OUR RELATIONS with Laurel & Hardy the same year. He later made more in the Chan series. George and Olive Brasno were a real life brother/sister singing act who were very popular and successful in their day. 

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK.

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Shhh! It's Chan Secret....

CHARLIE CHAN’S SECRET-1936-Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) searches for a guy named Alan Colby who may have perished in the sinking of a ship but since his body was never found he could still be alive. This could pose a problem to people like Mrs. Lowell’s daughter Janice (Astrid Allwyn) and her grouchy husband Fred (Edward Trevor) who have been living off the fortune for years.   Mrs. Lowell (Henrietta Crosman) has hired Chan because Colby is the rightful heir to her husband's estate. It turns out Colby is alive but he's killed before he makes his presence known. Mrs. Lowell believes in psychic phenomena and plans to hold a seance in “the old house” with her other daughter Alice (Rosina Lawrence) and her beau reporter Dick (Charles Quigley). The professor (Arthur Edmund Carewe) and Carotta (Gloria Roy) perform a seance where Colby's corpse shows up. The family lawyer (Jonathan Hale) hangs around suspiciously. Without any son, comedy relief is provided by the family butler (Herbert Mundin). Later after the killer strikes again but unsuccessfully Charlie is nearly electrocuted by the professor. Even though he was almost killed, the police blame Chan for letting the murderer get away! Later while Mrs. Lowell and the butler use a Ouija board she is shot! Charlie uses another seance to expose the guilty party.

 Director Gordon Wiles was also an art director. Of the eleven films he directed only this Charlie Chan entry stands out. It was also the last role for Arthur Edmund Carwe who committed suicide in 1937 after suffering a stroke.

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS...

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