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'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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Michael Shayne

MICHAEL SHAYNE, PRIVATE DETECTIVE-Lloyd Nolan plays the title role, a wisecracking down on his luck PI who's hired by a rich client (Clarence Klob) to watch over his gambling obsessed daughter Phyllis (Marjorie Weaver) while he's away. A police chief (Edward MacBride) tries to pin the murder of Harry Grange (George Meeker) on Shayne as he was shot with the detective's own gun. Later after pretending to be a doctor Shayne and Phyllis team up with her old aunt Olivia (Elizabeth Patterson) to solve the murder. A horse racing fix and the disappearance of the daughter of a casino owner (Douglas Dumbrille) figure into it. This murder mystery (based on the novel “The Private Practice of Michael Shayne” by Brett Halliday) with comic overtones is a little too routine and talky but the characters and acting make it enjoyable. It's the first of seven 20^th Century Fox productions all starring Lloyd Nolan as the flippant gumshoe. Four more lower budgeted entries were later produced by PRC (with Hugh Beaumont in the lead). The Shayne character was on radio and later in a short lived TV series (starring Richard Denning).

Director Eugene Forde had directed several Warner Oland/Charlie Chan mysteries.

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Chan's Back!

CHARLIE CHAN AT MONTE CARLO-1937-In the famed gambling mecca the famous detective (non-Asian Warner Oland) and his number one son Lee (Keye Luke) stumble across a murder, some stolen bonds and a battle between two industrialists. Of course suspects abound: a bartender, a lackey assistant, a wife, a mistress. This is a pretty good Chan mystery despite too much number one son comedy. The final scene is kind of like the ending of an Abbott & Costello movie! 

With Virginia Field (also in several MR. MOTO entries) and Sidney Blackmer. Director Eugene Forde's career went back to the silent era. This was one of five Charlie Chan mysteries he directed.

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