The Chinese Ring

As Charlie Chan, Roland Winters seems to be struggling to get a handle on the character. His delivery of the Pidgin English seems really forced, even more so when most the Chinese actors in the movie speak English fluently.

As others on here have said, this movie is basically a cookie cutter version of "Mr. Wong in Chinatown", a better movie, in my opinion. All in all it's an OK Charlie Chan movie. It doesn't compare well with some of the early Chan movies.....but it's still Charlie Chan and therefore definitely worth watching.

Blow darts and air rifles seem to abound in the Charlie Chan series. It seems that those most vulnerable are not protected very well. So often, someone dies with a cop standing guard outside the door. People are able to shoot through windows or off balconies without any trouble. They then escape without a trace. Even if they are caught, the person lies dead. In this one, a Chinese princess has come to see Charlie with what appears to be important information. Birmingham goes to get Charlie and while they are putzing around, the unfortunate lady gets shot with a dart. It turns out that there is some big money involved with airplane contracts. A Chinese ship and some banking mishaps are at the center. Enter another of those dull 1940's policemen and an overly aggressive female beat reporter who has the hots for him and Chan is left having to handle the situation. As usual, Mantan Moreland and Tommy Chan get in the way for the most part. Roland Winters has replaced the late Sidney Toler and doesn't seem to have any chemistry with the secondary characters. Several people die as a result of carelessness. One thing I have noted before is the general insensitivity of Charlie and the gang. But then it's not Shakespeare.

This is exactly the kind of movie that used to get shown late at night on local TV stations, or on weekend afternoons, in the 1970's. I watched all the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies that way. This was the first time that Roland Winters played Chan. I think he was probably trying to decide how to play the character, and didn't want to come off as attempting to Imitate Sidney Toler. He underplays the humor, but it is still there. I think he was trying to be a bit more subtle and low-key about it than Toler was. Mantan Moreland is in this one; he's in all the Roland Winter Chan movies, and he's in 9 of the 11 Toler-Monogram films. He's a fine comic actor and his presence is always an asset. There were so many B-movies of the late 1940's that tried and failed to mix in humor successfully. This is a relaxing way to spend an hour. Nice period clothes, and at one point, I think I saw a beautiful Pierce Arrow sedan, pre-WWII. The movie is well worth seeing. Monogram gets a bad rap from viewers who are always pining for the higher-budget Fox film period. Charlie Chan is always worth watching.

Okay entry for Winters in his debut as Chan, following Sidney Toler's death. Plot is almost line-for-line copy of MR WONG IN CHINATOWN. Byron Foulger nearly steals show as nervous banker, and Louise Currie is gorgeous, but material and pedestrian direction sink production. Watchable, but the nap monster will probably get you.

I cannot say that "The Chinese Ring" is a bad mystery movie, because it isn't. The production values are good enough, especially considering the studio that made it. Although the story and some of the dialog is literally a remake of an older Monogram "Mr. Wong" film, the producers seem to be trying to put forth a dignified continuation of the established Chan series; I do not believe that this is a "take the money and run" fast-buck ripoff (like say Jaws 4,5, 9 etc). It is a legit effort and William Beaudine was probably as fine and established a director as Monogram could afford to hire.

Roland Winters was a good actor who had a long and distinguished career. He was the studio's choice to continue the Chan character and probably wasn't the best choice but I guess he is adequate. Winters seems tentative here but has the thankless task of following up his two beloved and deceased predecessors in the ongoing role of Charlie Chan. His acting approach here is too careful and very deliberate but doesn't lack skill, and he manages to avoid what could have been career suicide. He does become a little more forceful and lively in his subsequent Chan films.

Moreland and Sen Yung are capable in support and manage to avoid the outright buffoonery that was required of them in previous Chan outings. Phillip Ahn is a very recognizable actor in a villain role. He does a good job and he is another example of the studio's commitment to the Chan project, since they could have used a much cheaper unknown actor if so inclined.

This is an OK mystery story (after all, its a tried-and-true story from a good prior film). It works as a mystery and moves along at a brisk enough clip for the most part. Overall not a great film, but not a bad one.