Le Secret de Charlie Chan

From 20th Century-Fox and director Gordon Wiles. Chan (Oland) heads to the mainland from his home turf in Hawaii to help solve the mystery of a missing heir, and he gets wrapped up in the backstabbing of an eccentric, wealthy family involved in seances and other trappings of the paranormal.

Seances, ouija boards, voices from the beyond...it seems if a series goes on long enough, they have to do a spooky/horror entry, and Charlie Chan is no exception. He's dropped into a standard "old dark house" style mystery, with a big spooky house riddled with hidden passages, and a murderer on the loose. The supporting cast is capable if unmemorable. The mystery has enough twists to keep viewers guessing.

A murder is revealed at a seance. All in attendance had motive and opportunity. There are a lots of nice tricks employed at the seance that Charlie has to figure out. Even after a plethora of red herrings, it still could be anyone when all are assembled in a typical ending in which Charlie pulls a surprise to reveal the criminal. There is no #1 or #2 son here, and Herbert Mundin, as the butler, who stands in for #1 and #2 to provide the laughs, is really annoyingly silly, more in the mode of Mantan Moreland in the later bad Chan films only minus the racism. However, he gives the crusty matriarch of the family a chance to deliver some rib-tickling lines at his expense. Listen for them. Oland is the best of the Chans and performs the role with dignity and some humor. You get the feeling that, although he isn't a Chinese actor, he respects the character. No "Confucius Say" here. I enjoy watching this film now and again and think anyone into old-style mysteries will too.

Filmed in 1935 and released in 1936, CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET is the 10th film in the Fox series. It is also a film about which I have changed my opinion over several viewings. I originally felt it was among the weaker Chan films starring Warner Oland; today, however, I would describe it as a truly solid entry.

Several years earlier Alan Colby, heir to a major fortune, disappeared and was presumed dead--and elderly aunt Alice Lowell (Rosina Lawrence) inherited the estate. Now, however, it seems that Colby may be alive, and although his resurrection will cost her the family fortune Mrs. Lowell dutifully enlists Chan to investigate the matter. But with a great fortune at stake, murder cannot be far behind.

Such earlier Chan films as THE BLACK CAMEL and CHARLIE CHAN IN Egypt introduced an occult edge to the Chan films, and CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET plays upon this theme to a degree not previously seen in any other Chan film: Mrs. Lowell is a spiritualist who is given to everything from séances to nightly sessions with the Ouija board, and both elements play into the story in a significant way. Although the plot itself is nonsense, the "spooky" elements fill the holes, and the cast--most particularly Rosina Lawrence as Mrs. Lowell and Herbert Mundin as the bumbling butler Baxter--deliver solid and quite often charming performances.

Chan films are often accused of being racist, and critics often complain that the actors playing Chan wore "yellowface" make up. The films, however, must be seen within the context of their era. In the 1930s, Hollywood presented most Asian characters as either servile or as Fu Manchu-like entities; Chan was actually just about the only positive Asian character going, and as such the films were tremendously popular with Asian-American audiences of the era.

True enough, Chan is inevitably played by an occidental actor, but this was typical of the era, in which star status was considered more important than racial accuracy. Whatever the case, neither Warner Oland or the later Sidney Toler wore significant make-up for the role, and Oland--although a Swede by birth--actually had a strong strain of Asian ancestry in his family tree. But most significantly, while Chan often allows his suspects to dismiss him through their own prejudices, as a character he is always presented in a positive light--and this is particularly true of CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET, in which Chan is the only Asian character in the film.

While I would not rank it along such knock-out Chan films as CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA or CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND, CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET grows upon you with each viewing. As noted the plot is weak, but the film is long on charm. It is also one of the few Chan films available to the home market. Most Chan fans should enjoy it.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Warner Oland in classic mystery set in old house with secret passages. Lots of clues and comic relief done extremely well by Herbert Mundin as butler Baxter. Story has sufficient twists and turns to keep interest and keep ending unpredictable. Chan brings multitude of suspects together in room at end: `Motive for recent murders like tangle of many strings, ends of which held by persons in this room.' Like in most Chan films, the missing clue that cinches the case is not revealed until the guilty party is in custody. Good lighting makes the séance scenes even spookier.' Recommended.

I've just seen Charlie Chan's Secret for the first time and think it is one of the better Chan movies.

In this one, Charlie Chan is sent to Colby Mansion to investigate a murder of one of the Colby family. This place is very spooky with hidden doorways, secret passages and séances. There are quite a few suspects on who the murderer is. Charlie is not helped by any of his sons in this.

This movie is quite spooky throughout and reminds me of The House On Haunted Hill in some parts, though we haven't got Vincent Price in this.

The cast includes Warner Oland as Charlie, who plays the part well as always.

Have a good fright with Charlie Chan's Secret. Excellent.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.