Charlie Chan no Circo

Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) shows up to the circus with his rather large family. He got complimentary tickets from co-owner of the circus, Joe Kinney who wants to talk to Charlie about some threatening letters he has received.

Before Kinney can talk to to Charlie more about it, he is found strangled and the circus gorilla is blamed.

Kinney was not popular with the circus performers and was abusive to the animals. So there are lots of other potential suspects apart from the frenzied ape.

'Number One Son' Lee (Keye Luke) seems to be more enchanted with the contortionist Su Toy.

Charlie Chan has to take a break from the family and his holiday to help solve the case. The two performing midgets and a trapeze artist gives this a circus feel.

The mystery is deepened as Kinney was unlikeable, he was in a dispute with his co-owner and might also be secretly married. So his widowed wife might inherit his half of the circus.

Entertaining and also humorously silly. The solution to the mystery makes a monkey out of the whole audience.

All 14 Chans go to the circus and the fun starts from the very beginning. But you know Charlie must find a case there, too. Charlie sleuths while enjoying the circus and number one son Lee (Keye Luke) gets into everything in a vigorous way, including some romance with a cute contortionist.

This film has more entertainment value than most other Chan films in my opinion. Featured are the talented Brasno dance team, trapeze action, a lot of circus animals and loads of circus atmosphere.

You also get several crooked subplots, an ape on the loose, good Chan aphorisms and a briskly directed, fast-moving film in general. Its great to see all 14 Chans in an outing with a fun atmosphere- you can't help but enjoy "Charlie Chan at the Circus".

Warner Oland is Charlie Chan in "Charlie Chan at the Circus," a 1936 entry into the series. This time Charlie brings his wife and 12 kids to the circus and runs into murder.

While Lee Chan (Keye Luke) is off trying to romance the pretty contortionist, the co-owner of the circus asks Charlie to look into some threatening letters he's gotten. Then the man is murdered, and it turns out that even though he gave Charlie 14 free passes to the circus, he's not beloved. The man had enemies including his own partner, a snake charmer, and a gorilla!

Very entertaining, and one of the things neat about the film is the presence of the Brasnos, a brother and sister midget team, who play Colonel Tim and Lady Tiny. The Brasnos were vaudevillians and successful enough that Olive Brasno could turn down the role of a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz because she was too busy with their act. They bring a lot of charm to the film. As a bit of trivia, Olive lived to age 80 and died within two days of her husband of 38 years.

Warner Oland is a terrific Chan, much livelier and more cheerful than Sidney Toler and less sarcastic (though I like Toler's characterization and lots of those episodes). Keye Luke as Lee is always delightful. The circus atmosphere made for a fun atmosphere. This is one of the better films in the series.

Thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable Chan vehicle with the ever- adroit Warner Oland carrying off the Chan role this time in a circus venue. Charlie and his large family are out with a free pass enjoying the circus when(to use a cliché) death strikes under the big top. One of the partners and it seems a man virtually no ones likes dies from what appears to be by a rampaging fake -looking ape(sorry, this is even early for George Barrows!). Charlie must determine what could have taken place in this locked box car that might have a different explanation. Along the way we are treated to intriguing circus types - in particular two "midgets" wonderfully played by the brother/sister team of George and Olive Brasno. Some interesting red herrings are delivered as well as the light comedy touches that are customary with a good Chan film: pithy sayings laced with much wisdom, Charlie and his son Keye Luke's wonderful chemistry and humor, and Oland's general pleasant/pleasing portrayal of a man who has twelve children. Charlie Chan at the Circus isn't a great Chan film but it is a very good one and a fun one to be sure. Join the circus!

Rousing entry in the Charlie Chan series is one of the best. Charlie (Warner Oland) takes his sizable family to the circus at the invitation of one of the circus owners, who has been receiving threatening letters and wants Charlie to investigate. When the owner is murdered, all clues point to an escaped gorilla the man was abusive to. But Charlie's not so sure and gets to work investigating the murder, with help from "Number One Son" Lee (Keye Luke).

It's great to see Charlie's wife and all of the Chan kids. They're so adorable. Keye Luke is charming as ever, especially when he flirts with a contortionist. The circus performers are fun to watch. The two midgets, George and Olive Brasno, receive prominent billing right after Keye Luke. I assume they were well-known at the time. They're both good actors and I liked their dance number. J. Carrol Naish also appears and is enjoyable to watch, as always.

This is a very entertaining movie. Fast pace, interesting setting, and nice doses of humor make it a real treat. Probably my second favorite in the whole series. Oh, and pay attention to the scene where the characters Blake and Kinney fight. Blake punches like a girl! It's hilarious! This one's also got a guy in a gorilla suit, which is always a win.