The Trap

Apparently, Sidney Toler was in the latter stages of cancer. So he didn't seem to have much spark, even when he abuses his son. This particular episode is about a troupe of showgirls, taking some time off at a beach house. There is hostility from the start from within the group and from the housekeeper. The men running the show have agendas themselves. There apparently are some secrets being kept. A quiet young woman is murdered as she tried to cater to the wishes of a powerful actress (who ends up dead herself). Charlie is almost like a shepherd, trying to round up the suspects and keep them in order while he investigates. Of course, we have Jimmy and Birmingham getting in the way and ignoring orders. Birmingham seems cursed to be afraid of all animate and inanimate objects. When asked to be quiet, he creates incredible chaos. Jimmy pushes the envelope at every turn. I think the biggest failing of this is that there is no suspense because we really don't have any idea what the dramatic forces are.

"The Trap" has an OK mystery plot and an unusual Chan locale- the beach, literally on the beach itself. And there is some fine photography of the California coast.

Toler is noticeably tired in this, his last film. In fact at least one scene is performed by Mr. Toler while sitting down, most likely due to fatigue and illness; otherwise he is almost entirely stationary and standing. However, he somehow manages to carry his acting weight in his scenes.

I believe that this is one of the best of Sen Yung's efforts in Chan films, most likely because he is allowed to just act for the most part except for one extended (but plot enhancing) sequence of buffoonery. Tanis Chandler is very French and very attractive, and her performance is competent. Barbara Jean Wong is cute and gives a good performance. But Rita Quigley's performance is...well...the best word to describe it is "terrible". Ms. Quigley gives a career-destroying bad performance that hurts the film, but you could regard it as laughable and maybe find it endurable on that basis.

Since we get a little gem of a Minerva Urecal performance, fine seacoast photography and a decent mystery plot I will give this a "6" rating but you certainly should not expect a classic, traditional Chan film.

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.

When one of the showgirls in a troupe staying at a beach house is killed, novice showgirl Barbara Jean Wong, calls on that famous detective, Jimmy Chan. Fortunately, his father, Charlie Chan, shows up in the person of Sidney Toler.

Under the direction of Howard Bretherton, this is the strongest of of the Monogram Charlie Chans, due a good mystery script and Bretherton's superior ability to direct the comedy sequences on which the series now relied. Mantan Moreland, as Oland's other assistant, gets a lot more and better comedy in his role, and Victor Sen Yung flourishes. The ladies in the troupe include Rita Quigley and Anne Nagel, and Kirk Nagel, Minerva Urecal, and Larry Blake perform their more serious roles well.

Alas, it was the end for Toler. He had been playing the role for almost a decade by this point, but he was dying of cancer. He would died on February 12, 1947 at the age of 72, after sixty-five years in show business.

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.