Charlie Chan auf Kreuzfahrt

This is a tight little entry in the Charlie Chan series concerning the tracking down of a serial killer on a cruise ship. Sidney Toler and Sen Yung are in good form as Charlie and his impetuous son, Jimmy. The supporting cast would be outstanding for an A film. With Lionel Atwill on-board as (I kid you not) cruise director you know you're in for a good, scary time. The Chan series was at its peak when this one got made. Warner Oland, whose dour presence had put Charlie on the map, so to speak, was but a memory by 1940. Toler was a more jovial Chan, and his good humor set the tone for the rest of the series. The actors in the film, which include Charles Middleton and Claire Du Brey, as a stuffy religious couple, do their deadpan best to keep the story afloat and suspenseful, adding just a touch of the diabolical. There's a festive air in this one, and a neat game of shuffleboard with Don Beddoe.

An old Scotland Yard Inspector friend Montague Shaw drops in on Charlie Chan in Honolulu asking for his help in catching a murderer whom he believes is on a cruise bound for San Francisco. Shortly afterward Shaw is strangled and Sidney Toler now has a personal reason for taking over Shaw's investigation.

Also coming along is Number 2 son Victor Sen Yung as usual providing his unwanted assistance to Pop. Number 2 son as a stowaway earns his passage as a steward's assistant, but does prove useful in being able to search cabins of cruise passengers.

With such worthy villainous types as Lionel Atwill, Leo G. Carroll, Charles Middleton, and Leonard Mudie in the cast it's going to be difficult to tell who the perpetrator can be. All have been cast as villains in many films. Jewelry salesman Don Beddoe also winds up dead before the cruise is over.

With a really good cast to provide believable red herrings Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise is a top drawer feature of the Charlie Chan series. Captain Stubing never saw things like this going on with the Love Boat.

Plenty of people would vote Treasure Island the best, but for my money, this one takes the prize. The film is 76 minutes long and gives us good plot turns, lots of the humor fans like, and a standout cast. Lionel Atwill and Leo G. Carroll in particular, are excellent, but all the players are good. And, much of the story is set on an ocean liner, going from Honolulu to San Francisco! I really like the old mysteries that are set on a train or an ocean liner. Sidney Toler is simply masterful in his role as Charlie Chan. He's the equal of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, which is the highest praise I can give. He gives the character tremendous intelligence, moral force, and a quiet humor, that are most appealing. The plot is very clever and involving, and that helps to elevate the movie. This is a classic that you can enjoy seeing more than once. You get to see Charlie in a real battle of wits with the killer. Plus, our hero looks great in a dinner jacket! Highly recommended.

Investigating the murder of an old friend puts Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) on the trail of a strangler, which leads to a cruise ship where he encounters more murders. Well, the title's accurate. It's kind of amusing that several people get knocked off before Charlie can solve the case. Doesn't exactly look good on a detective's résumé.

Toler's fine but his yellowface makeup seems especially exaggerated in this one. Maybe it's me but it just looks different. Always fun to see Victor Sen Yung as Jimmy Chan. Layne Tom, Jr. appears here but not as Charlie Chan, Jr. as in his previous appearances. This time he's "Number Seven Son" Willie. Cora Witherspoon is terrific comic relief as Susie Watson. Great supporting cast that includes Lionel Atwill and Leo G. Carroll, among other familiar faces.

This one's a remake of an earlier Charlie Chan film, Charlie Chan Carries On. Unfortunately that's one of the lost Warner Oland Chan films from the early '30s so I can't really compare this to that. But this one's good, with a solid cast and healthy doses of humor.

This film is a very good and has a hilarious performance by the great Cora Witherspoon!! She must be from the Edna Mae Oliver school of acting--one of those ladies that can steal every scene that she is in. All the Charlie Chan films are very enjoyable to watch, at least the ones with Sidney Toler in them, as he was the best actor to portray Charlie Chan. All around good fun film to watch!!