Black Magic

This late-entry Charlie Chan movie gets marks simply for the entertainment, not for a deep-thinking suspenseful "whodunnit." It's just fun to watch with an always-smiling daughter (played by Frances Chen) replacing number-whatever-son and the eyes-popping-out-of-the-head Mantan Moreland adding humor, although of his humor is a bit stupid (and insulting to black folks, I'm sure). However, Moreland is a likable guy so it's hard to get annoyed at his silliness.

The story is a familiar one of the day, about the occult (seances) and, thankfully, another that exposes the mediums as crooks.

These Sidney Toler-Mantan Moreland collaborations, as opposed to the early Warner Oland/Charlie Chan movies, replied more on comedy and gimmicks rather than brains, and once you accept that, you just go along with an entertaining hour of lamebrain fun, especially when Chan starts to put people down with his sarcasm.

Nervous and bug-eyed Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) "assists" Charlie Chan and his daughter at the murder investigation in the home of a woman who has a séance business. During one of her sessions, a man is killed, and one of six people at the séance table appears to be the murderer.

Moreland was a great comic actor with tons of talent, and he is one of two reasons to watch this film. The other reason is the high-contrast B&W lighting, that reminds me of some 1940's noir films.

Other than Moreland and the film's lighting, "Black Magic" has little to offer. With a runtime of just 67 minutes the story is razor thin and poorly developed, suggestive of a sketchy, hastily written screenplay. There are several plot holes, and the killer's modus operandi is rather far-fetched.

As in many Chan movies, production design is minimal. And the sets here are a little too familiar. The entry hall in the séance house looks exactly like the entry hall used in the Chan movie "The Jade Mask". And the elevator set here looks like the elevator set used in the Chan movie "The Scarlet Clue". But Monogram Studios had the reputation for being cheap. And in this film ... it shows.

Even so, I can see how this film might have appealed to viewers in the 1940s, particularly as a Saturday afternoon matinée feature. In its time it probably was delightfully entertaining and a welcome diversion from the grim business of WWII.

In a break from the typical Chan pattern Charlie is aide by his daughter this time. Interestingly he treats much better than he he ever did any of his boys.

This concerns a murder at a seance and more following. Its far from the best of the Chans, but at the same time its far from the worst, especially in light of there not being a son to get into mischief. Its the atypical nature that lifts it up from being a purely run of the mill story. Granted if you've not seen a good number of the Chan films the small differences may not seem like much, but for those of us who've seen every appearance its the little things that count.

7 out of 10 for those looking for a break in the Chan formula, 6 out of 10 for everyone else.

Not one of the best in the Charlie Chan series, but still good. Charlie is now seen with is daughter, played by Frances Chan. Unfortunately, she doesn't knows how to act. Her character is not too inspiring either. But Birmingham Brown, played by Mantan Moreland, brings fun to the screen! He sees spooks all around and never wants to be involved... but always is: "this is strictly a private murder to which I wasn't invited". Once again, he makes us laugh with his gimmicks.

74/100 (**½)

Seen at home, in Welland, November 24th, 2001. And again at home, in Toronto, on February 14th, 2007.

The newer films were filled with more silliness. Mantan Moreland became more and more a part of the series. While he was a very funny man, he really only played one note. In this one, a psychic is shot while performing a phony séance. Chan's daughter happens to be at the event and that's how Charlie ends up on the case. The police actually extort him into staying and solving the murder. Mantan, Birmingham Jones, and the daughter are the real investigators. There is a kind of hypnotic drug used and once again we must put aside our beliefs and accept this. Part of the fun is the chicanery that goes on behind the scenes as the credibility of the medium comes tumbling down. I have to admit that our detective has numerous close calls but seems to land on his feet. If you've seen the movie, you'll know how important this is in this film. About average as Chan movies go.