La casa de la muerte

I can't help loving Charlie Chan movies, despite the fact that they're as politically incorrect as all get out. People were just not sensitive to certain things then, so for me, it's important to watch a film not with modern eyes, but with the eyes of the time.

This was Sidney Toler's last foray as Charlie Chan, and the last film of the series. Toler was suffering from cancer when he made this movie, and he's to be admired for continuing to work.

Warner Oland, the previous Chan, was more cheerful and energetic, but I love Toler's dry delivery and exasperation with Jimmy.

This is a pretty routine plot - Charlie investigates the deaths of two showgirls in Malibu. Jimmy Chan (Sen Young) and Birmingham (Mantan Moreland) are on the scene. I think Mantan Moreland was supremely talented, and I love him as Birmingham. And I love seeing Sen Yung as Jimmy, since I remember him as an older actor in Bonanza.

There's nothing like the B serials: Chan, Mr. Moto, The Falcon, Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, The Saint, The Lone Wolf, Boston Blackie, The Lone Wolf, Boston Blackie, etc. - all wonderful.

An acting troupe rents an oceanfront mansion to stay in while they get ready for the show. Before you know it, the star of the show has disappeared and a fellow actress is found murdered. The situation seems grim.

Luckily, one of the cast members named San Toy has an idea: "I met a detective. The world's greatest detective. His name is Jimmy Chan. Great Chinese detective. He'll protect his countrywoman."

Soon Jimmy Chan is on the case, accompanied by associate Birmingham Brown, and you know that Charlie Chan himself cannot be far behind. Sidney Toler moves a little slowly but is wise as ever in his final appearance as the great detective. Sen Yung and Mantan Moreland are energetic if not exactly inspired as Jimmy and Birmingham.

The supporting cast is pretty standard and features an assortment of young women who seem to be designated by type (the French one, the hysterical one, the cute flirty sarcastic one). The suspects, of course, all accuse each other of murder and lesser crimes, and it's up to Mr. Chan eventually to sort it all out.

The whole thing appears to have been put together pretty quickly, and I'm not at all sure the plot makes any sense...but it's undeniably fast moving and contains a bit of humor. There are also some great shots of oceanfront highway and beach in the picture's opening moments. For those who are not sticklers for tight plot or strong production values, this picture is actually a lot of fun.

Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates showgirl murders with the help of "Number Two Son" Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) and chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland). There's a decent supporting cast for Monogram that includes Minerva Urecal, future Superman Kirk Alyn, and beauties Rita Quigley and Anne Nagel. Victor Sen Yung is, as usual since returning to the series, the best part of the movie. For some reason, the name Marcia is pronounced several different ways, depending on who is saying it. This is pretty annoying.

The last Sidney Toler Chan film and many would say the last real Chan film. The series would continue on with Roland Winters but all of those movies were terrible. This one's nothing to write home about, either. As others have discussed, Sidney Toler was sick with cancer during the filming of this and sleepwalks through the movie. It's a sad thing to watch, particularly for fans of the series and the actor. Worst, or maybe second worst, of the Toler series.

Sadly, this is one of the weakest Charlie Chan movies (though even at that, it provides good, average B movie entertainment) - and even much more sadly, it was the last film that Sidney Toler could finish before he died. There are moments where it's obvious that he struggles with his fatal disease; which makes the whole thing even more sad, but also increases enormously our respect for this great actor who gave everything literally until the end.

The story is somewhat confused, the movie seems like it's been done hastily (perhaps because Sidney Toler didn't have much time left?); and the hysterical crowd of 'bathing beauties' certainly tends to go on the audience's nerves, even though they display the latest and most daring bikini fashion of the time. There's a variety troupe on holiday at the seaside, and it becomes clear very soon that the 'star' of the group is SO unsympathetic that sooner or later she WILL be killed... But first it's one of the other girls' turn, whom shrew Marcia blackmails into stealing papers from another girl's trunk (threatening that she'll reveal that the girl is under age), so that she can blackmail the other one, too, whose husband seems to have a dark past. The little girl is strangled, and her Chinese colleague San Toy (one of the few nice girls of the troupe) calls on her friend Jimmy Chan for help - in somewhat of a confusion, so that Birmingham, who picks up the phone, is under the impression that Jimmy has been murdered!

So he and Charlie haste to the beach house, where they soon catch an intruder: Jimmy, who found the paper with the address on Birmingham's desk! No need to say that Charlie is immensely relieved; but now he's in the middle of a murder case, of course - and, as was to be expected, the next day on the beach the body of hated Marcia is found... Now everybody starts accusing each other, some of the girls get fits of hysteria - and Charlie, together with his two assistants, tries to make head or tail of the whole muddled case.

As I said before, this movie certainly isn't among the better Charlie Chans - but it's our last opportunity to see our beloved trio Sidney Toler - Sen Yung - Mantan Moreland together; so let's just enjoy the jokes and the suspense, and laugh and let's be entertained by them once more...

Can we agree that Sidney Toler was ill at the time of this movie, and stop talking about it. This isn't' film class - you don't have to tell us all you know about the back-story of the series. Toler does a perfectly good job in this episode of the series - Charlie Chan wasn't exactly Shakespeare, and didn't require great acting. Having several female characters in a Chan mystery was rare, and it's a nice change to me. The son role isn't overplayed in this movie, and while it's not Mantan Moreland's best role, he gives just enough comic relief to the film. Based on the reviews here, you'd think that a prize was being given for nastiest review. Lighten up - the Chan series was meant as light entertainment - not film school criticism fodder. You get action, suspense, comedy, and even a bit of romance all in an hour. Over the years, I saw this 3-4 times before I knew anything about the making of the Chan films, and I always thought it was every bit as good as most of the others in the series. IF you can't just sit back and enjoy this Chan, that's a YOU problem, not a problem with the movie.