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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:43:13 GMT -5
Charlie Chan in Reno (1939)
A woman Charlie knows goes to Reno to get a divorce. There she is teased by a socialite who will marry her ex-husband as soon as the divorce is granted. In fact,this socialite is a real bitch,no one likes her. No surprise when she's found dead, stabbed in her hotel room. Charlie comes to investigate since his acquaintance is the prime suspect
Much better than the previous film, a better mixture between the comedy and mystery. Slim Summerville shines as the sheriff,but that 4th class Lou Costello wannabee Eddie Collins is back as a cab driver. An interesting cast as well include Morgan Conway (Dick Tracy in 1940 films),Robert Lowery (Batman in the 1948 serial) and Ricardo Cortez (Sam Spade in the 1931 Maltese Falcon).As usual, the Charlie Chan movie formula holds true: Multiple people with motives, 2nd person killed halfway thru film,Charlie gathers all suspects together and explains the mystery in the end. Several suspects are usually sleezy,one person seems as the obvious killer, but usually winds up being one of the last you would suspect. Charlie even gets into a fight in this film,however its in the dark
The DVD also includes a 17 minute featurette on the Reno divorce business,a 10 minute featurette on the career of multiple Chan films actress Kay Linaker and a 7 minute featurette from a long-time Reno dude ranch worker plus a movie trailer
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:43:58 GMT -5
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939)Charlie's investigation of a phony psychic during the 1939 World Exposition on San Francisco's Treasure Island leads him to expose a suicide as murder. WOW this was really good. Creepy and for reasons I'll explain in a bit, disturbing Caesar (The Joker) Romero costars in this mystery. The psychic in this film is Dr.Zodiac a forbidding fiend who can contact the dead and knows your hidden secrets. An effective seance scene,magic acts,aerial shots of the Fair at San Francisco in 1939.The film is fast paced fun. Some Chan afficianados say it's Sidney Toler's best Chan film Disturbing because there are some parallels between this movie and the real life Zodiac case. Possible that the Zodiac killer was aware of this film. Also very strange that many years later Caesar Romero ,playing the Joker on the Batman TV show, was in an episode named The Zodiac CrimesThe DVD includes a commentary,an 18 minute featurette on the Real Treasure Island and a 9 minute featurette on the simularities between the filmed Dr.Zodiac and the real life Zodiac murder case  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:44:53 GMT -5
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)While in Paris for a reunion on the eve of World War II, Charlie finds that the murder of an hated businessman leads him to a conspiracy to smuggle arms to Germany. The title refers to Paris at night under orders of blackout to prepare for an anticipated invasion from Germany This movie is FASCINATING from a historical perspective. It was adapted from a play from 2 Austrian Jews about their experiences. It was filmed in July 1939, 2 months before Germany invaded Poland and released in December 1939, 3 months after WWII started.It begins with a newsreel summary on the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany and the rising inevitability of war from the French point of view. Gas masks being hoarded,men volunteering for the army etc. Planes in the skies lead to panic until identified as French.Some hold out hope that a peace accord can be reached but as Charlie Chan says at the movie's conclusion 'A wise man once said, Beware of spider who invites fly into his place for tea." Hollywood movies generally,steered clear of condemning Nazi Germany before WWII. The Hollywood production code in place specified that all movies should treat foreign countries or governments fairly and respectfully and studio heads for the most part agreed and by doing so they would have no trouble marketing their films in Europe. And in many ways this movie breaks the Charlie Chan formula. No son helps him in this film. The suspects are gathered together with Charlie explaining the murder case as usual, but in this story it doesn't happen at the end.The fate of the actual killer is also something never seen before in a Chan film, or in just about any other murder mystery I've ever seen. Charlie is choked into unconsciousness,bound to a chair and threatened with nitric acid poured down his throat. Well all rightee. Unknown Chan territory here You get the return of actor Harold Huber, seen in the Broadway and Monte Carlo films. I liked him in those but in this one he plays an over-the-top imbecilic inspector.In fact it sometimes seems its Harold's film and Charlie is his side kick. You also get Leo G. Carroll(Mr. Waverly from The Man From UNCLE) and a brief bit from Lon Chaney Jr. The DVD also includes a 15 minute Making Of featurette, a 5 minute look at the writing team of Ellis and Logan and a trailer %202.jpg)
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:45:38 GMT -5
Charlie Chan in Panama (1940)Charlie impersonates a shop owner to foil an espionage plot which would destroy part of the Panama Canal, trapping a Navy fleet on its way to the Pacific after maneuvers in the Atlantic. Cilieto Lindo plays constantly as background music. One of the suspects is a crazy looking mad scientist who has a pet monkey (of course-always an excuse for a monkey in a Chan film) and keeps a cage of rats who carry the bubonic plague.Yowser.Watch out for cigarettes laced with fast acting poison Decent Chan offering. I can't help but think that the same ships Chan is trying to save from sabotage in crossing safely thru the Panama Canal to get to the Pacific coast will wind up getting sunk at Pearl Harbor . The 26th of 47 Charlie Chan films. never thought I'd get this far but still enjoying them This movie is part of Volume 5 of the DVD box sets. The discs have changed to 2 movies on a double-sided disc. Featurettes have for the most part seem to be discontinued. However you get the theatrical trailer and a slew of photo galleries  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:46:26 GMT -5
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940)Charlie tries to discover the identity of a strangler who strikes multiple times on a cruise ship bound from Honolulu to California. The story begins with an inspector from Scotland Yard visiting Charlie in Hawaii to tell him about the strangler case he's working on and believes the murderer is amongst the passengers on the cruise ship. Charlie excuses himself for a moment to see his boss, and the inspector gets strangled IN CHARLIE'S OWN OFFICE. After that the bodies begin to pile up The story is adapted from an Erle Derr Biggers novel and was the basis for an early Warner Oland film,Charlie Chan Carries On. Seeing how that movie is one of the 4 lost films, its a pleasure to be able to see it here. They did make some changes to the original film since,according to a NY Times review of the 1931 version, Charlie Chan didn't appear until halfway into the film. Leo G Carroll (Man From UNCLE's Mr Waverly) is back again . You even get son #7 joining son #2 early in the film Another enjoyable entry. I'll always perfer Oland and Luke's portrayal of the characters, but to this point the Charlie Chan series remains a delight The DVD includes a theatrical trailers and a large photo gallery  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:47:15 GMT -5
Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum (1940)A murderer Charlie helped get convicted escapes right after the trial and hides out inside a New York City wax museum. The owner of the museum is also is an old partner of the murderer, and also performs facial surgery for the underworld. Together they lure Charlie to the museum where they plan to execute him in an electric chair. Ironic,is it not? Another top-of -the -line Chan adventure. The whole movie takes place in the wax museum,dark,creepy,instruments of torture abounding,creaking doors,shadows,poison darts,everything you'd expect in a 1940s fright film. The murderer gets his surgery and hides in the shadows, his face wrapped in bandages. See Charlie Chan get a daggar in his back. See #2 son kick his father's ass. Really I kid you not This is now the 18th film in the Chan daily marathon and I have not missed a beat yet. But I regard everyone I meet now with a sense of suspicion. The great dialogue continues Young Woman: [Exits wax museum screaming] You've got an awful nerve - asking me to marry you in that chamber of horrors. Young Man: [Chuckles] What do you think marriage is anyway? Inspector O'Matthews: Why won't he talk? Charlie Chan: Fear is a cruel padlock. The DVD includes a theatrical trailer and photo gallery  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:47:49 GMT -5
Murder Over New York (1940)When Charlie's old friend from Scotland Yard is murdered when they attend a police convention in New York, Chan picks up the case he was working on, a saboteur targeting America's newest fighter planes This ones a bit of a let down, pretty much run of the mill. Again, nothing in the film speaks of New York,no novel twists or characters. The finale though, was pretty good, Charlie and the suspects trapped on a plane with a cannister of deadly gas. And then there is this particular unPC but very funny bit. The cops are searching for a Hindu man as a possible suspect. The NYC police inspecter orders every Hindu in the city to be brought to the police station and be put in a lineup. Let me repeat that:EVERY HINDU IN NEW YORK CITY. And amongst them is this fellow you might recognize This is the first movie without the Charlie Chan name as part of the title. One explanation I read was that with the films coming out every 3-4 months they begin to sound the same and customers might believe they already saw the film.I'm wondering that if,after all these years that is now a concern,does it mean attendence for Chan films is beginning to go down? The DVD includes a theatrical trailer and stills galleries. No Hindus included  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:48:50 GMT -5
Dead Men Tell (1941)A treasure map in four pieces, the ghost of a hanged pirate, a talking parrot, and a ship full of red herrings complicate Charlie's search for a murderer on board a docked ship. Attention,Attention-the cast for this movie includes George (Superman) Reeves looking young,handsome and.most oddly,his character has a secret identity but covers it up by pretending to be a mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper. Between the movie taking place onboard a ship and the Reeves part,I rate this film as one of the better Chan's. And a talking parrot never hurts. Too bad there's no monkey The DVD includes a trailer and photo gallery  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:49:42 GMT -5
Charlie Chan in Rio (1941)Charlie Chan and son Jimmy visit the exotic city of Rio de Janeiro in order to arrest nightclub singer Lola Dean for a murder committed a year earlier in Honolulu. Later, they find the singer has been stabbed to death in her home. Her jewels have been stolen and a number of clues have been seemingly planted at the crime scene. The suspects are numerous, and Chan must sift through the evidence to unmask the killer. Of course,like all Chan movies filmed in the Hollywood studios of Fox, no locations in Rio are to be seen. The film opens at a niteclub ,some Carmen Miranda-type dancers on the floor and the characters are introduced. The rest takes place at Lola Deans apartment. pretty routine as Chan films go, always a scene where someone shuts off the lights in a room full of suspects and either a key piece of evidence disappears or a suspect bites the dust. You would think by now that Charlie would have armed guards stationed by the lightswitches.Interesting parts include: The longest elapsed time until the first murder,21 minutes out of the 61 minutes go by harmlessly A psychic puts a herbal drug into a cigarette and when someone smokes it and drinks coffee together,they instantly fall into an hypnotic state and compelled to tell the truth. Never did catch the name of the herb,alas A favorite Chan regular,Harold Huber, is here as a Rio investigator as well as actress Kay Linaker who must have been in at least a dozen Chan flicks Another piece of evidence that Fox studios is beginning to withdraw from the Chan franchise is that its 6 months since the last Chan release instead of the customary 3. And a surprise announcement at the end of the film where its revealed #2 son has been drafted by the United States The DVD includes theatrical trailer and stills galleries  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:50:42 GMT -5
Castle in the Desert (1942)A guest is murdered at Manderley Castle, a medieval reconstruction located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, which is owned by wealthy historian Paul Manderley and his wife, Lucy, who is a descendent of the notorious Borgia family. Charlie Chan, who was summoned to the castle earlier, and Number Two Son, Jimmy, away on leave from the U.S. Army, quickly get to work trying to unravel the mystery. The final Charlie Chan film from 20th Century Fox is a fine mystery thriller with an excellent setting including a dungeon, suits of armour and medievel tools of torture. Paul Manderlay hides half his face due to a disfiguring scar-so he claims.Poisons a-plenty,arrows shot from mystery hands and even a pigeon trained by the US Army As surmised,with Pearl Harbor and the US entry into a war with Japan, the people at Fox Studios believed it was no longer the time to have a franchise with an Asian hero. Again Charlie Chan was not in the title, in fact in the opening credits for the 1st time Charlie Chan was not named as well.This film was already in production when Pearl Harbor occurred and released with hardly any fanfare Back tomorrow with the next phase of the honorable detective The DVD includes a 34 minute featurette on an overview of the Fox Studio Chan movies,a trailer and stills gallery  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:52:01 GMT -5
Charlie Chan at the Crossroads (1942/1943)Not a movie but a transistional phase for Charlie. World War II obviously killed the European market for American films. that was a very profitable source of income for American film studios and with it gone budgets had to get tightened. 20th Century Fox discountinued almost all of their low budget B movie franchises in 1942 including Jane Withers,The Cisco Kid and Michael Shayne. Only Laurel and Hardy remained. Charly Chan was problematic as it featured an Asian hero and that was not going to work in the early years of the war.However Sidney Toler still thought it could be profitable Sidney negotiated with Erle Derr Bigger's widow for the film rights. He partnered with poverty-row Monogram Pictures to continue the film series. It took 2 years to work thru the financing but by 1944 Toler and Monogram were ready to resume Chan . There would be changes. Production values would come in at about 40% of what Fox would typically spend on a movie.Sen Yung's Jimmy Chan would be replaced by Benson Fong,number 3 son Tommy, and actor Mantan Moreland was brought in as Birmingham Brown for comic relief and to attract a black audience. Charlie Chan refuses to die. There were 6 novels originally by the author Erle Derr Biggers.But from that spun off 47 movies,4 radio plays,a newspaper comic strip,a stageplay,4 different comic book series from 4 different publishers,a live action TV show and a Saturday morning animation show.Numerous charactors were parodied or copied Chan's style.There was Peter Wang (Peter Sellers) from Murder by Death,Harry Hoo who teamed with Maxwell Smart a few times in Get Smart,Joe Jitsu in the Dick Tracy animated show. Peter Falk's mannerisms in Columbo were modeled after Chan. And lets not leave out Hawaii Five-0's debt as well So its on to 1944 and phase 4 of the Chan franchise.I have no idea of its quality and if I want to see it thru its completion but I'm willing to give it a try  Forgot to mention this particular trivia item in my last Chan writeup In 1963, ABC TV had Lorenzo Semple produce a pilot episode for a prime time Charlie Chan TV series that would have starred Keye Luke. The production was almost completed when Lorenzo was told to halt. It was explained to him that the higher-ups decided no TV show should star an ethnic character. They loved what Lorenzo had done but it was not to be finished and they owed him one for his good work. 2 years later they came back to him and said they have the rights now for Batman and since they owed Lorenzo, they would give him first crack at it. That anecdote was told on a Charlie Chan DVD featurette by Mr.Semple himself .
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:52:42 GMT -5
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)A scientist, George Melton, is working on an important new invention which will protect Allied shipping from German U-boat attacks. Although he has been assigned Secret Service security protection he is murdered in his Washington, D.C. home. Charlie Chan, now working for the Secret Service in Washington, is assigned to the case. Chan is soon joined by two of his children, Number Three Son, Tommy, second daughter, Iris, as well as Birmingham Brown, the chauffeur of one of the guests. When the autopsy reveals the Melton was electrocuted, Chan must determine who among the numerous suspects is the guilty party. This was the first Charlie Chan film that Sidney Toler made at Monogram Pictures after leaving Twentieth Century-Fox following the cancellation of the Charlie Chan film series at that studio. Toler, who had starred as Chan in many of the Fox films, bought the screen rights to the character from the widow of writer Earl Derr Biggers and continued to star as Chan for Monogram until his death in 1947, after which time Roland Winters assumed the role. This film also marked the beginning of Charlie Chan's work with the U.S. Secret Service for the remainder of the war. Mantan Moreland also made his debut as Birmingham Brown, a character who would become a mainstay of the series for the remainder of its run. Benson Fong appeared for the first time as Number Three Son Tommy, while his sister Iris, portrayed by Marianne Quon, made her sole series appearance in Charlie Chan in the Secret Service. Big differences from the prior films at Fox. IMDB says the budget for this film was $75,000 and it looks it. Before the Chans sets had plenty of props,knick-knacks. These sets are pretty bare. Background music is louder and script seems dumber.Early in the film is an unintentionally histerical sequence. The music is loud and dramatical as Charlie takes an elevator to the lobby,walks out the building,hails a cab,left off on a front yard and walks on the grass leisurely. The suspense of the music makes you think something spectacular will happen-and dosn't There's no action at all in the film-at most Charlie throws a book at someone In the old Chan films you'd have killers hiding behind secret panels in the wall.Here they are behind drapes I really liked Keye Luke.I was getting to like Sen Yung,now this Benson Fong guy has a long way to go And Mantan Moreland-it would seem to be a painful experience watching this guy Here's hoping for a bit of improvement  And here is part of that ridiculous scene I mentioned earlier ending with some ridiculous expository dialogue
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:53:53 GMT -5
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (1944)Leah Manning enlists Charlie Chan's help in solving the murder of her stepfather, Thomas, who was found slain in his study. With no concrete leads, the police have given up and only Chan's deducing can refute a scandalous book that blames Mrs. Manning, Leah's mother, for the crime. Number Three Son, Tommy and Birmingham Brown assist the detective as the trail to the identity of Manning's killer leads to a ruthless diamond smuggling gang. I guess I'm going to have to ignore a few things to enjoy the Monogram Chan films. First is the intrusive background music.Second is the dialogue which no longer is as intelligent or as witty as the Fox version.Third is Mantan Moreland's scared black man routine . And since he's so scared at the slightest provocation,why the hell is he hanging around Charlie Chan who's constantly surrounded by fresh corpses This movie was decent enough 2/3s through. Then came the finale in a carnival fun house. Charlie is captured by the diamond smuggling gang and refuses to reveal the whereabouts of some diamonds. So one of the guys slugs him in the face.That never happened to Charlie before and was a bit startling. But then Charlie's son arrives,also captured and the gang begins to work him over since Charlie refuses to co-operate. They beat the son,they strangle the son and Charlie stays silent. Some fucking father he's turning out to be. Mantan arrives,everyone begins to run around in dark funhouse corridors and the movie takes on a cartoon-like atmosphere.I can picture little kiddies in the theater squeeling in delight at the chases,fun house mirrors,fake skeletons etc.Good God I'd give the movie a 6 for the first 2/3s and a 2 for the finale.Something tells me the going might get tough for the balance of this series  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:55:09 GMT -5
Black Magic AKA Meeting At Midnight (1944)A murder occurs during a séance conducted by a fraudulent medium. Birmingham Brown, who happens to be on the premises when the killing occurs as is Charlie Chan's daughter, Frances. Chan finds himself entangled in a dangerous web as he follows the killer's trail of death in a case that has its origins a decade in the past. This movie is notable as being the only Chan film that utilizes one of his daughters as the sole assistant. Not counting Mantan who basically wishes throughout the movie he wasn't there. And I don't know why he is .The daughter is played by actress Francess Chan and thats her name in the film. Born to play the part. OK now I mentioned the only thing notable about the movie When the rights were sold to TV,the name of the movie was changed to Meeting At Midnight.A more distinct name I guess. This is the 3rd Chan film so far that utilizes a seance scene.This is the 3rd Monogram Chan film so far that sucks.The killer in the film has a drug that puts the victim in such a suggestible state of mind that they are willing to fall off a roof. If you watch this movie twice in a row, you'd be willing to do the same The big mystery reveal at the end of the movie was a farce.The viewer has no chance to guess who the killer might be or what their motivation was because there were no clues given earlier and we just have to take Charlie's word for it. And the skeleton used in the previous film is used again here. Thats Monogram for you.My mind begins to wander halfway in the movie,asking why any of the able-bodied men are not in the army defending our country instead of participating in this turkey. Maybe the film is a nazi plot to demoralize the homefront Oh wait-one other notable mention. A bullet made of frozen blood that leaves no trace I'm sounding so crabby reviewing this movie. Imagine how I'd feel if I paid money for it instead of a free YouTube viewing  
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 1, 2014 8:56:46 GMT -5
The Jade Mask (1945)Charlie Chan is assigned by the government to investigate the murder of Harper, an eccentric scientist who had been experimenting with a formula that could turn wood into a substance as hard as steel. Chan, with Number Four Son, Edward and Birmingham Brown in tow finds himself in a strange manor that is teeming with an odd assortment of suspects, virtually all having a possible motive to do away with Harper. Several additional murders occur as the detective closes in on his quarry. Number 4 son is introduced and he's the smart one. We know this because he wears glasses and occasionally uses a three syllable word. Birmingham is here as well and I don't know why since he always wants to run away. I found the film boring. Another house with mystery panels. A bunch of actors and actresses willing to work for minimum wage and giving you what they're paid for. A room with lots of steam and deadly if you stay in it for over an hour. Yawn. Folks die via a deadly dart through their mouths. Sounds good but visually it does nothing. On IMDB the message board for this movie is empty. I don't want to be a bad guy here. Would I have enjoyed these Monogram films if I saw them when I was young?Maybe.If I watched them first and then the far superior Fox Studio selections? Possibly.Is it me? I got about 10 more to go to figure it out  
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