The Chinese Ring

Blow darts and air rifles seem to abound in the Charlie Chan series. It seems that those most vulnerable are not protected very well. So often, someone dies with a cop standing guard outside the door. People are able to shoot through windows or off balconies without any trouble. They then escape without a trace. Even if they are caught, the person lies dead. In this one, a Chinese princess has come to see Charlie with what appears to be important information. Birmingham goes to get Charlie and while they are putzing around, the unfortunate lady gets shot with a dart. It turns out that there is some big money involved with airplane contracts. A Chinese ship and some banking mishaps are at the center. Enter another of those dull 1940's policemen and an overly aggressive female beat reporter who has the hots for him and Chan is left having to handle the situation. As usual, Mantan Moreland and Tommy Chan get in the way for the most part. Roland Winters has replaced the late Sidney Toler and doesn't seem to have any chemistry with the secondary characters. Several people die as a result of carelessness. One thing I have noted before is the general insensitivity of Charlie and the gang. But then it's not Shakespeare.

A Chinese princess (Barbara Jean Wong) visits Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) on a matter of urgency where she says her life is in danger. She is then murdered by a blow dart.

Screenwriter Scott Darling re-cycles his own script from MR WONG IN CHINATOWN (1939) here. This was Winters first of five outings as the famous Chinese detective and is an okay end of franchise addition.

After the death of Sidney Toler, Monogram kept going with the Charlie Chan series, and Roland Winters became the third Chan, Warner Oland being the first.

The Charlie I am most familiar with is Toler, with his dry delivery and his annoyance with Jimmy. Oland was much more energetic and cheerful. Both brought something to the role.

"The Chinese Ring" is actually a do-over of a Mr. Wong script, and here, Sen Yung is not Jimmy Chan but Tommy for some reason. Mantan Moreland is on hand as Birmingham.

The story concerns a Chinese princess who comes to the US to purchase planes for her brother's army. She has a one million dollar check to deliver to a ban. Unfortunately, she is murdered by a poison dart that comes through the open window of Charlie Chan's home as she waits for him. She is able to write a partial message before she dies. Amazing that this Chinese woman, in the throes of death, writes in English.

This is an okay entry into the series. Winters is a serious but charming Charlie. Since this is a Wong story, "Tommy" and Birmingham, usually good for some humor, don't have much to do.

Winters made six Chan films in all. The Charlie Chan films are the absolute opposite of politically correct, but they were made in a different time and enjoyable for what they are.

Winters' debut as Chan is okay, but film is a near line-by-line remake of MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN, and the story wasn't great then. Foulger has meaty part as nervous banker, Ahn looks inscrutable, Moreland rolls his eyes, and Louise Currie is gorgeous, but pedestrian direction and cheapo production sink this for all but Chan fans.

As Charlie Chan, Roland Winters seems to be struggling to get a handle on the character. His delivery of the Pidgin English seems really forced, even more so when most the Chinese actors in the movie speak English fluently.

As others on here have said, this movie is basically a cookie cutter version of "Mr. Wong in Chinatown", a better movie, in my opinion. All in all it's an OK Charlie Chan movie. It doesn't compare well with some of the early Chan movies.....but it's still Charlie Chan and therefore definitely worth watching.