Sidney Toler had been diagnosed with terminal cancer just before filming on this movie started, but insisted on continuing his commitment to the Charlie Chan film series. The studio accommodated him by granting him prolonged breaks for rest, and staging the scenes so as not to tax his strength. By having the Chan character wounded at the beginning of this film, the studio could conserve Toler's energy and spare him from extended movement. Although Toler remains the central actor, much of the action is diverted to Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland).
Victor Sen Yung debuts in the Monogram series, his last CHAN being 1941's "Castle in the Desert," the final entry at Fox.
The thirty-eighth of forty-seven Charlie Chan movies.
Charlie refers to Jimmy and Birmingham as his "Sitting Assistants" throughout the movie.