Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo

Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) and Chief of Police Jules Joubert (Harold Huber) track down theft of metallurgic bonds and murder in Monaco. Huber has a great deal of time on screen and he plays his character with the comedy that mars his department. Supporting character actor Louise Mercier does a great job as a taxi driver whose conveyance gets the best of him and son Lee Chan's misuse of French gets him into trouble.

Early theme in movie is repeated use of number `25.' Lee points out that their hotel room is 125, he is 25 years old, this is the 25th of August, this is the Chinese Year 9325 - and therefore the number 25 will be lucky at the roulette wheel. Chan point out that Lee had borrowed $25 the week before. Later we learn that the value of the missing bonds is $25,000, one of the suspects borrows an amount equal to $25,000, and heretofore there had not been a murder in Monaco for 25 years. Poor writing fails to capitalize on this theme and the storyline sounds better in movie reviews than as portrayed on the screen.

Lots of misdirection and suspicion but in the end, Chan and the police trap (`Questions are keys to door of truth') the guilty party using knowledge that was known only to police and not the viewer. One clue might have been picked up on by an observant viewer, but the other part of the explanation at the end goes beyond what we could have known. When confronted, the guilty party makes a final error in revealing yet another fact known only to police and murderer (again not to viewer). Not one the best of the Chan series.

This is the final appearance of Oland live in a produced film - he died the following year. In this movie, as Chan, he says: `Humble presence of no more importance than one drop of rain in cloudburst.' On the contrary - although the Chan series is not high art, this viewer thinks that we are better for Oland having played the role.

Contrary to many of the reviews, I think this is one of the best Charlie Chan movies and one of my my personal favorites. It's wonderfully escapist, taking place as it does, in a fabled location over 70 years ago.

The plot is a bit more sophisticated than many of the Chan films - no cigarettes that cause one to drop dead after one puff or poison gasses fabricated by Hollywood writers. The plot remains true to reality as valuable bonds pass from one set of slippery hands to another causing the murder of two people.

The production is stylish and most of the actors do a great job. The hyperactive, super energetic #1 son is only minimally so in this film, however Harold Huber as the chief of police overdoes himself in his brash and noisy performance. He is on camera almost as much as Chan and quickly becomes an irritant. His French accented English is almost as bad as his Brooklyn accented French.

Interestingly, all of the French characters speak French in the film - something one might expect in an art house film, but hardly in a B-movie. It certainly lends an air of authenticity but might be detracting to those who have not studied French.

Automobiles of the era play a big part in the film, the star vehicle being the gorgeous Rolls convertible that is featured in several scenes. There are many scenes of various cars - from beat-up taxis to limos fit for a king. (Watch the limo that pulls up to Karnoff's villa to pick up the bank messenger.) Also it seems that the police ride around in convertibles in Monaco!

Charlie and Lee once again find themselves in foreign territory (he doesn't seem to spend much time with the rest of his family). The get a look at one of the gambling hot spots of the world. Soon they are wrapped up in the intrigue between two very rich men who hate each other. There is a murder on a country road as they walk to their hotel (the taxi they have take breaks down). A woman in a fancy car is seen driving away. The two men and two women, along with a bartender, become embroiled in the transfer of a million dollars in metallurgical bonds. As is usually the case in these episodes, there are multiple efforts at coverups by the principles. It would seem that the more playing with the facts these guys attempt, the more Chan becomes suspicious. There are also the scenes where loudmouthed number one son is always a half step behind his honorable father. There is also some great stuff as Junior tries to speak French. At one point he confesses to murder with his poor use of the language. Charlie asks him at breakfast if he can order something without getting them thrown in jail. It is my understanding that Oland died shortly after the completion of this movie. That is why Sidney Toler took over the role. I saw all the Chan movies as a boy and am rediscovering them now. I hope that the remainder of the canon is as entertaining.

Another fun Charlie Chan Movie! This time, he's in Monte Carlo, and yes, another poor soul is murdered. He's assisted by the great Harold Huber as Monte Carlo's chief of police while they try to solve the murder. I liked this one more than others, because at least they TRIED for my authenticity this time, a lot of people speak French, which IS what they do in French- Language speaking countries right? Not like his adventure in Shanghai, where everyone Chan encountered spoke perfect English. So there was a bit of fun language barrier comedy. The mystery is pretty easy to guess, all in all, a great addition to the Orland Chan series.

As usual, Charlie and Number One Son are visiting when coincidentally there are murders. This time they seem to have something to do with stolen securities which seem to vanish and re-appear like magic. Unlike many of the films, though, Chan and Son seem to be caught up more in the action instead of passively investigating after the fact.

Many of the reviews seem to feel this is one of the weakest of the Warner Oland Charlie Chan films, though I liked it quite a bit and felt it stacked up well with the earlier films from the series. Why did I like it? Well, the stolen bonds angle seemed pretty interesting, Harold Huber (who had just played a New York police inspector in CHARLIE CHAN ON Broadway) was pretty good as a French cop and the film certainly kept my attention. It's not great, but still is a very competent part of a series of excellent and enjoyable detective films and a cut above similar series.