Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise

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.

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!!

A little more than ten years ago, I read the novel "Charlie Chan Carries On" when I was also watching various Charlie Chan movies and reviewing them here on IMDb. Because it's been so long since then, all I really remember from the book was that Chan didn't appear in it until it was in the middle of it. So while watching this movie version (the second, after the previous filmed version which was the first time Warner Oland played the role. That version is lost), I didn't remember the characters that were now depicted from that novel. Anyway, this was another enjoyable film in the series with Sidney Toler doing fine in the role of the famous detective. Ditto Victor Sen Yung as his son Jimmy who's always in over his head but also always well meaning. So that's a recommendation for Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise.

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.

Producer John Stone and Director Eugene Forde's last Chan films. By now Stone had done over a dozen and Forde had directed four. Sidney Toler (who appears to be ill in portions of the movie) is supported by #2 son Jimmy and #7 son Willie (Layne Tom, Jr. who was once cast in `Charlie Chan at the Circus' as #2 son Charlie Jr. and in `Charlie Chan in Honolulu' as #5 son Tommy). Lionel Atwill and Leo G. Carroll both add to the drama but Charles Middleton is best remembered in the Flash Gordon films as the Emperor Ming. Cora Witherspoon provides great comic relief. Don Beddoe is credited as playing `James' Ross but introduces himself to Chan as `Frederick' Ross, weight 168 lbs, 5'10', and he will admit to being 35.

Fast-paced who-done-it set primarily aboard a ship bound between Honolulu and San Francisco. A 'round the world cruise by ten travelers has been beset by a series of deaths by strangulation. It is clear from the beginning of the film that the guilty party is a man dressed in a dark hat and raincoat with dark classes and a full beard. But none of the passengers look like that.

Scotland Yard Inspector Duff is sent to investigate only to die as the film opens. Interesting subterfuge will keep the viewer off balance and probably unable to keep up with Chan until all is revealed at the end. `Man can more safely search for gold if world think he dig ditch.' Recommended.