Mortos que Matam

There is murder on board a ship that is taking its customers to an island where there is a 60,000,000 dollar treasure (or so we're told). The map has been divided into fourths to be distributed once they reach the island. Jimmy Chan stows away (what else is new) and while there an old lady is murdered (she has one of the pieces) by someone dressed as a pirate. Meanwhile, Charlie Chan comes aboard, looking for his number two son. As it turns out there are all sorts of people who could be responsible, including the captain of the ship who hates people and would rather have nothing to do with them. Jimmy, who is in this episode too much, starts investigating. He ends up dropping the water on at least four occasions. He muddles up the case again. This is fun because of the locale. There are numerous misleading clues. By the way, George Reeves appears in this one. He is the one who starred in "The Adventures of Superman" back in the fifties. This is a decent mystery.

An agreeable entry in the Charlie Chan series, this is an extremely well-made little movie, directed by Harry Lachman, and featuring some striking shots of an old pirate vessel in port and a tough waterfront dive. It's all cliches, nicely cobbled together, and served up with good humor by actors who don't seem to be taking themselves too seriously. Sidney Toler makes an agreeably phlegmatic and dignified Chan; while Sen Yung's Number Two Son gets into his usual hot water,--in this case actually sea water--as he tries to bail his old man out. Ethel Griffies is splendid as the haunted (and hunted) Mrs. Nodbury, Truman Bradley sinister as a pipe-smoking captain, George Reeves breezy as a suspect. I especially liked the quietly neurasethenic performance of Milton Parsons as a Boston Brahmin on vacation, trying to overcome a recent nervous breakdown. He picked one hell of a vacation spot! Highly recommended for fans of maritime mysteries, treasure maps, talking parrots and nocturnal strolls around creaking, fogbound wharves.

Patience Nodbury has a treasure map worth $60,000,000 that has been handed down from her pirate ancestor `Black Hook.' Someone has already tried to steal it and she cuts it into four, sending three pieces to other members of the Cocoas Island Treasure Hunt Cruise. As Charlie Chan arrives on the sailing ship Suva Star, Patience meets her long-departed ancestor (complete with peg leg and hook for a hand) and she succumbs from a weak heart. `Trouble like first love, teach many lessons.'

Most of the rest of the film is set aboard the Suva Star (in port) where Charlie and his `favorite son' Jimmy set about to discover who would frighten a little old lady to death. The set is well constructed and presents an eerie location. Good camera work with lots of spooky shadows.

A good array of possible suspects includes George Reeves (later Superman on TV) and since the old sailing ship used to be a pirate museum, it provides an interesting array of props. Jimmy Chan provides good comic relief and spends a good deal of the film in the harbor having even walked the plank. When Jimmy offers to help guard and wants Charlie's gun, Pop responds with `Bullet from killer much easier to take than bullet from #2 son.' Milton Parsons skulks around as an interesting character that is trying to over come psychoses. A talking parrot `Gerdy' helps Chan unravel part of the mystery.

There are plenty of clues and they come fast, but this is the first Chan film that I have seen where the detective does not neatly wrap it up at the end and tell you what you should have seen or at least what he knew that you did not know. Unless the version I saw was cut (it might have been), Chan does not reveal how he knew the identity of the killer at the summation. But, there is one good clue and you might catch it. Fair but I liked this one better when I saw it as a kid.

Very nice cinematography in this installment of the Chan series - beautiful lighting that really does the most with black and white film. The story is a nice one, but for me there's just too much of son Jimmy playing the fool. This is one of those Chans where the son is really a co-star in the film, with a resulting comic-relief drag on the mystery. I know the sons were very popular back in the day when the formula was a little drama, a little comedy, a little action, a little romance and maybe a little music, but for me the bug-eyed, bumbling Jimmy just stops the story in its tracks over and over. Watching the DVD on my laptop, I find myself pausing the film every time Jimmy jumps to the front of the scene and surfing the web for a while.

If Jimmy doesn't bother you like he does me, then I'd give it a 7. For me, it's a 5 in the world of Chan.

"Number Two Son" Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) sneaks aboard a ship about to embark on a treasure hunt. Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) comes looking for him and finds a murder to investigate with a boatload of suspects.

Exemplary entry in the Toler Chan series. Eerie, moody atmosphere with some of the best cinematography and direction of any of the Chan films. Lots of close-ups. Nice cast includes George Reeves, Milton Parsons, and pretty Kay Aldridge. Jimmy Chan is on screen a lot in this one, so if you're not a fan be prepared. I happen to like Jimmy and I didn't think his comic relief here was too much, as some have said. Treasure maps, pirates, talking parrots, and even a future Superman -- what's not to love?