CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI (director: James Tinling; screenwriters: Gerald Fairlie/Robert Ellis; cinematographer: Barney "Chick" McGill; editor: Nick De Maggio; cast: Warner Oland (Charlie Chan), Russell Hicks (James Andrews), Keye Luke (Lee Chan), Charles Locher (Philip Nash), Irene Hervey (Diana Woodland), Halliwell Hobbes (Chief of Police, Colonel Watkins), Fredrik Vogeding (Burke), Neil Fitzgerald (Dakin), Max Wagner (Taxi Driver), David Torrence (Sir Stanley Woodland), Harry Strang (Chauffeur); Runtime: 70; 20th Century Fox; 1935)
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Charlie Chan returns by ship with his children to his hometown for a working vacation because he received a letter from Sir Stanley Woodland (David Torrence) asking for help, but he did not spell out what that help is he wanted. On the boat, he receives a threatening letter telling him not to stay in Shanghai.
Charlie is welcomed to Shanghai by Sir Stanley's attractive niece Diana Woodland (Herve) and her boyfriend, Sir Stanley's secretary, Philip Nash (Charles Locher-he later changed his name to Jon Hall).
Unfortunately at a banquet welcoming Charlie back to China, Sir Stanley opens up a case to present a scroll to Charlie and an explosion from a gun-like device occurs killing him.
It turns out that Sir Stanley was a British agent investigating opium smugglers. Charlie does not even trust the police chief, Colonel Watkins (Hobbes), when he asks to help, as Charlie tells him as of now he prefers to work alone. He is only helped by his overeager but mostly inept Number One Son, Lee (Luke). In their hotel room someone tries to kill Charlie, but Charlie had pillows stuffed in his bed and slept in another room.
A chauffeur comes with a message to Charlie that it's urgent for the police chief to see him immediately, he smells something fishy and calls the police chief. But the hotel switchboard operator tells her boss Marloff that Chan is still alive, as she puts Charlie's call through to him. Marloff acts as the police chief confirming the meeting. When the real police call, Lee follows Chan but is knocked out by the taxi driver and brought to where they are questioning his father. But Lee makes up for his carelessness by telling them the place is surrounded by police and uses kung-fu to overtake the captors as they go to look.
James Andrews (Russell Hicks) arrives and tells Charlie he's an American agent who was working with Sir Stanley on the opium smuggling case and that they shouldn't confide in anyone else, as that's the way he worked with Sir Stanley. A messenger gives Andrews a note marked very important, but when opened it is of trivial concern. But when Nash is caught stealing that note and then is suspected of trying to take a shot at Charlie while he was conferring with Andrews, he is arrested by Watkins as his fingerprints are found on the weapon. When Charlie takes Andrew's note back to the hotel, he recognizes the important message written in invisible ink and becomes suspicious that Andrews didn't know the code. But Andrews comes by Charlie's hotel and figures out the code.
When Philip escapes from Watkin's office with the help of Diana, Charlie doesn't seem too concerned. And when Lee tells him he spotted the taxi driver who kidnapped him and that he is at a waterfront club, Charlie whispers instructions into Lee's ear and goes with Andrews to make the arrests there of the opium smugglers. It concludes with an action-packed finale, which is not usually the case for the more cerebral way Charlie solves his cases. But there's the usual twist in plot to catch you by surprise as to who the gang leader is.
It made for a very entertaining film, a solid Charlie Chan vehicle even though there's less detective work done in this Chan episode than in others. But the film had plenty of energy, and Oland was just terrific as the persistent detective getting shot at, being abducted, and keeping his head at all times as he tracked down the gang and their leader.
REVIEWED ON 9/11/2001 GRADE: B
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
ozus@sover.net
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ
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