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.

During all the time I was watching The Chinese Ring I kept thinking I saw it before and then I learn that this was indeed the plot of an old Mr. Wong film also put out by Monogram. As the Wong series was before World War II started in Europe only the politics were changed and they got a little vague in this one.

Barbara Jean Wong, a Chinese princess who is in America to purchase war airplanes for what I presume is the Kuomintang air force against the Communists is shot and killed by a dart fired from an air rifle almost immediately after entering Charlie Chan's home. With a murder right in his own home Roland Winters in his first film as Charlie Chan is kind of forced to help the authorities who in this case are represented by homicide detective Warren Douglas. Tagging along is Louise Currie who is a reporter looking to scoop her rivals on who killed the princess.

The Occidentals who the princess had to deal with are one scurvy lot who saw a cash cow and were milking it for all it was worth. But one of them is scurvier than the rest that one murders the princes, her maid and a small mute Chinese boy who's only crime was that he was a witness.

The story did not translate that good to a post World War II political situation. Still the players do their best with it and Roland Winters slips nicely into the tradition of Warner Oland and Sidney Toler as our fortune cookie aphorism speaking Charlie Chan.

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.

This is exactly the kind of movie that used to get shown late at night on local TV stations, or on weekend afternoons, in the 1970's. I watched all the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies that way. This was the first time that Roland Winters played Chan. I think he was probably trying to decide how to play the character, and didn't want to come off as attempting to Imitate Sidney Toler. He underplays the humor, but it is still there. I think he was trying to be a bit more subtle and low-key about it than Toler was. Mantan Moreland is in this one; he's in all the Roland Winter Chan movies, and he's in 9 of the 11 Toler-Monogram films. He's a fine comic actor and his presence is always an asset. There were so many B-movies of the late 1940's that tried and failed to mix in humor successfully. This is a relaxing way to spend an hour. Nice period clothes, and at one point, I think I saw a beautiful Pierce Arrow sedan, pre-WWII. The movie is well worth seeing. Monogram gets a bad rap from viewers who are always pining for the higher-budget Fox film period. Charlie Chan is always worth watching.

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.