Loosely adapted from the fifth Charlie Chan novel, "Charlie Chan Carries On". In the novel, Charlie joins the case almost two-thirds of the way through the story, after Inspector Duff has investigated for many weeks. This adaptation picks up at the point Charlie becomes involved, so most of the action and clues are shifted from Duff's to Chan's part of the investigation.
Layne Tom Jr., who plays Willie Chan, previously played Charlie's son as Tommy Chan two years earlier in Charlie Chan à Honolulu (1938). A year before that he appeared as Charlie Chan Jr. in Charlie Chan aux jeux olympiques (1937).
The 24th of 47 Charlie Chan movies.
Final of two film collaborations between Victor Sen Yung and Layne Tom Jr., who both played some of Charlie Chan's sons.
This film's earliest documented telecast took place in Johnstown (PA) on 10/20/53 on WJAC (Channel 6); it first aired in Philadelphia on 11/26/53 on WPTZ (Channel 3), in Dayton (OH) on 12/9/53 on WLW-D (Channel 2), in Cincinnati on 12/15/53 on WLW-T (Channel 5), in Phoenix on 12/30/53 on KOOL (Channel 10), in Detroit on 1/4/54 on WXYZ (Channel 7), in Indianapolis on 4/30/54 on WFBM (Channel 6), in New York City on 5/8/54 on WCBS (Channel 2), in Los Angeles on 6/12/54 on KNBH (Channel 4), and in San Francisco on 7/7/55 on KRON (Channel 4) (previously scheduled but not shown on 7/1/55).