What makes this Charlie Chan movie the best of the Monogram series? Well, there's a decent cast for a change, some nice atmosphere and supernatural elements to the story, and the lovable Frances Chan as Charlie's daughter of the same name. The plot is about a murder at a séance that Frances is present at. Charlie is reluctant to investigate but the police force him to by holding his daughter as a witness until the case is solved.
Frances Chan is such a breath of fresh air for this series, which has been stagnant since it left Fox. She's a welcome relief from Benson Fong's Tommy Chan, who was a lackluster replacement for Jimmy Chan. Like Jimmy (and Lee before him), Frances has lots of charisma and an enthusiasm that is missing from the dull Benson Fong. In addition to this, she's very pretty and has a smile that brightens every scene. She really is a treat to watch. Sadly, this was her only Chan film, proving that Monogram didn't know what the hell it was doing.
It's not all good in this one, however. We still have bug-eyed Mantan Moreland with his double takes and "feets don't fail me now" nonsense. The plot here involves séances and ghosts so, of course, this means lots of stereotypical cowardly black man stuff from Moreland. If you're easily offended, this will probably give you conniptions. Personally, I don't care for Moreland's routine even beyond the dated offensive aspects of it. He's very much a walking cartoon with no subtlety or range. He seems like a nice guy but he just doesn't make me laugh. One thing I will say, though, is that in some scenes Frances Chan is clearly amused by Moreland and her smile is so infectious it actually made me enjoy some of his scenes.
Like I said, this is the best of the Monogram Chans. If they had kept Frances around, perhaps the series would have been better overall. Of course, getting rid of Moreland would help a lot too. As it is, it's a good B picture that fans will enjoy. If you're new to Charlie Chan, though, please start with the Fox movies first. Preferably the ones with Warner Oland.
Frances Chan is such a breath of fresh air for this series, which has been stagnant since it left Fox. She's a welcome relief from Benson Fong's Tommy Chan, who was a lackluster replacement for Jimmy Chan. Like Jimmy (and Lee before him), Frances has lots of charisma and an enthusiasm that is missing from the dull Benson Fong. In addition to this, she's very pretty and has a smile that brightens every scene. She really is a treat to watch. Sadly, this was her only Chan film, proving that Monogram didn't know what the hell it was doing.
It's not all good in this one, however. We still have bug-eyed Mantan Moreland with his double takes and "feets don't fail me now" nonsense. The plot here involves séances and ghosts so, of course, this means lots of stereotypical cowardly black man stuff from Moreland. If you're easily offended, this will probably give you conniptions. Personally, I don't care for Moreland's routine even beyond the dated offensive aspects of it. He's very much a walking cartoon with no subtlety or range. He seems like a nice guy but he just doesn't make me laugh. One thing I will say, though, is that in some scenes Frances Chan is clearly amused by Moreland and her smile is so infectious it actually made me enjoy some of his scenes.
Like I said, this is the best of the Monogram Chans. If they had kept Frances around, perhaps the series would have been better overall. Of course, getting rid of Moreland would help a lot too. As it is, it's a good B picture that fans will enjoy. If you're new to Charlie Chan, though, please start with the Fox movies first. Preferably the ones with Warner Oland.