Charlie Chan a Chinatown

Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates insurance fraud and a series of murders. Another Monogram Chan film that is helped by the return of "Number Two Son" Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung), last seen in the 1942 Fox film Castle in the Desert. Up until this point at Monogram, Charlie had been saddled with dull-as-dirt Tommy Chan, played by bland Benson Fong. Victor Sen Yung is a breath of fresh air for this stale series. That being said, he can only do so much. It's still Monogram so it's still cheap. Also, there's still obtrusive comic relief Birmingham Brown, played by bug-eyed Mantan Moreland. The good news is that Moreland doesn't overpower Sen Yung like he did Fong. So it's a watchable effort but nothing special. But when it comes to the Monogram series, watchable is about as much as you can hope for.

Charlie Chan takes a bus trip with number two son Jimmy Chan and chauffeur Birmingham Brown. They stop at a bus station where a passenger notices he's been robbed. The station door is slightly ajar and a mysterious hand pokes a revolver through and shoots Charlie Chan. Luckily, the bullet hits his watch and he is uninjured. Could the robbery and shooting be connected?

It doesn't always make perfect sense but there's plenty going on in this lightweight Charlie Chan entry. As the picture starts, Chan is already expressing interest in a gruesome murder case ("Torso Victim Unidentified," says the newspaper headline) and is soon also investigating a phony bus driver, a Marine straggler, and a pickpocket, as well as promising little old lady Mary Gordon to help find her missing granddaughter.

Mantan Moreland is consistently funny as Birmingham Brown, and Victor Sen Yung returns to the series as Jimmy Chan (replacing number three son Benson Fong). Yung is brash and earnest as always; Jimmy and Birmingham provide Pop Chan with approximately equal amounts of assistance on the case and comic relief.

The plot's a little convoluted but I suppose there's a chance it would all add up correctly if one set out to understand it....however, if anything holds the picture together it's not the great plot but rather Sidney Toler's usual steady presence as the great detective.

Favorite scene: Father and son sit in a restaurant and Jimmy Chan orders chop suey. Charlie Chan: "I shudder to think what Confucius say to that." Jimmy Chan: "Aw, it's good stuff, Pop. You oughta try it sometime."

You'll find all sorts of gems by noodling around in films of the 30s and 40s. Some absolute treasures await you in unlikely places. One of these is in various experiments in the detective story that were being conducted at the time.

And sometimes a series in this period yields riches in how it evolves. But I can tell you that except in one respect this film is so poor in content and interest, you should avoid it. I'm not talking about production values here or even questions about the sense of the mystery.

We've never let them get in the way before if there is a core that rewards.

Everyone seems tired here (except for that one element I'll mention below). Toler was in his seventies and can merely grimace. The Confucianisms that were clever in a few Chan movies are rote and childish here. The plot bumps about until it tumbles down all the stairs allotted to it.

The one bright light is Mantan Mooreland. The series is, after all, about how one race, the Chinese, have gifts — inscrutable insight and some wisdom. Its always been peppered by the caveat of race by the comical black man. Mantan plays this man, the childish chauffeur (usually called a driver).

He's terrified, a coward. And he's ignorant. Combining these two with minstrel characteristics and you get a stuttering, bug eyed foil that easily is well over the line in offensive.

And yet. He is such an artist. His timing is so sublime, that you have to just watch him in awe. He's a star, a great actor. If we don't burden Brando by thinking that he is actually his characters, why should we do so here?

He's in more watchable films, and just as appealing in how he connects. But if you happen to accidentally be watching this, he'll give some relief.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

I was generally a fan of the "Charlie Chan" movies with Sidney Toler and this is one of the better ones. To San Francisco he and fairly hapless No. 2 son "Jimmy" (Victor Sen Yung) travel to assist their police with a mysterious murder investigation. That's not all, though. There's a missing person to be found too. "Mary" (Tanis Chandler) has gone awol and her doting mother (Mary Gordon) and her rather drippy fiancé "Jeff" (Bruce Kellogg) are at their wits end. It doesn't help that our sleuthing genius quickly discovers that this absentee once worked with his original victim. The plot thickens and the pair - assisted ably by the cowardy custard, and only sparingly used, "Birmingham Brown" (Mantan Moreland) - must get to the bottom of things before "Mary" comes a cropper. The plot here is a bit more internecine and sophisticated than with many of these adventures. That said, there is a maybe just a little too much coincidence as the thing progresses but I'm sure "Charlie" would have a profound ancestral adage for there being no such thing as luck! There's the tinies of twists at the end and en route it moves along well for an hour. It's always nice to see the original and best Holmesian "Mrs. Hudson" in a film, too!

"Confucious say sleep is only escape from yesterday"- one of several good Confucius sayings that Charlie comes up with in this movie. In fact, you might notice a number of things in this movie that are worthwhile. Personally, I first noticed the intriguing title, one of the best mystery titles ever- "Shadows Over Chinatown"- a title loaded with mystery.

The blonde actress who plays "Mary Conover" is very poised and is way above average in the looks department, and she does a commendable acting job. And don't you always love the "venerable old lady" (Charlie's words), the dear Mary Gordon. Look for some of the other supporting actors- there are many- and you will notice John Hamilton, a perennial in grade b and c films, obscure here before being immortalized in the "Superman" series on television. He only has a couple of lines and wears a mustache but is another example of what you can find here. Mantan Morland's comedy bits seem thrown together and rushed, but nevertheless he is entertaining as always.

Sidney Toler manages a strong enough and effective starring performance, but he is not very physically active and would die just months after the film's release. It is interesting to see how he is able to summon the screen presence to still be the star while sitting down through scene after scene.

While suffering from a low budget and possibly shooting schedule difficulties related to Toler's failing health, there is worth in this film if you look for it. Especially if you are a fan of the old black and white mystery movie style.