I found this to be one of the duller of the entries in the Chan series, though there are many I haven't seen yet.
First of all, there is Charlie Chan himself, Warner Oland, with his pinched English, fake epicanthic folds, and slouching figure. He doesn't even get to wear a Panama hat in this one. I wish he had something more going for him, like Sherlock Holmes' ability to read what Charles Sanders Peirce called an "index" -- the residue left by history on an object or a kind of behavior. Holmes could glance at somebody's tattoo and say something like, "That particular shade of pink is used only on Hotel Street," or tell from a man's walk that he was a retired sergeant of Marines. Can Charlie Chan do any of that? No. No, he can't. He can't do anything but shuffle around. If you're going to be limited to shuffling around and piping up with inscrutable proverbs, Sidney Toler did it better.
There is a notable absence here of Chan's usual sidekicks -- either an Enumerated Son or a frightened African-American or both. They might have folded a lighter element into this plot.
And the plot is pretty dreary. An innocent man is to be hanged for a murder and Charlie Chan has some sixty-five hours to visit the estate where the crime took place, interview the half-dozen suspects, and come up with the identity of the real criminal. There follows an additional murder and an attempt on Chan's life. Otherwise this is nothing more than a B murder mystery that might keep children entertained. No reflection on fans of Chan, but I think that was the audience they had in mind. If adults find this enjoyable, that's fine. Humble reviewer make no value judgment on adult viewer discernment.
Among the recognizable faces in the cast are those of Alan Mowbray and Ray Milland. Milland is hardly recognizable. I think he was actually to grow more handsome over the next five or ten years.
First of all, there is Charlie Chan himself, Warner Oland, with his pinched English, fake epicanthic folds, and slouching figure. He doesn't even get to wear a Panama hat in this one. I wish he had something more going for him, like Sherlock Holmes' ability to read what Charles Sanders Peirce called an "index" -- the residue left by history on an object or a kind of behavior. Holmes could glance at somebody's tattoo and say something like, "That particular shade of pink is used only on Hotel Street," or tell from a man's walk that he was a retired sergeant of Marines. Can Charlie Chan do any of that? No. No, he can't. He can't do anything but shuffle around. If you're going to be limited to shuffling around and piping up with inscrutable proverbs, Sidney Toler did it better.
There is a notable absence here of Chan's usual sidekicks -- either an Enumerated Son or a frightened African-American or both. They might have folded a lighter element into this plot.
And the plot is pretty dreary. An innocent man is to be hanged for a murder and Charlie Chan has some sixty-five hours to visit the estate where the crime took place, interview the half-dozen suspects, and come up with the identity of the real criminal. There follows an additional murder and an attempt on Chan's life. Otherwise this is nothing more than a B murder mystery that might keep children entertained. No reflection on fans of Chan, but I think that was the audience they had in mind. If adults find this enjoyable, that's fine. Humble reviewer make no value judgment on adult viewer discernment.
Among the recognizable faces in the cast are those of Alan Mowbray and Ray Milland. Milland is hardly recognizable. I think he was actually to grow more handsome over the next five or ten years.