CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE

US, 1944, 61 minutes, Black-and-white.
Sidney Toler, Manton Moreland, Arthur Loft, Gwen Kenyon, Sarah Edwards, George J.Lewis, Marianne Quon, Benson Fong, Muni Seroff, Lelah Tyler.
Directed by Phil Rosen.

This Charlie Chan mystery has a wartime setting, Charlie himself working for the government and secondment to investigate the death of a scientist who works in experimenting with bombs to destroy U-boats and Japanese Navy. The scientist is seen in his laboratory, guarded by two Secret Service men, putting his plans in his pocket, going down to drinks with guests and then mysteriously killed.

All the action except for the government offices and the scene where Charlie Chan’s daughter and son arrive is in the scientist’s mansion, his laboratory, the downstairs reception where everybody is gathered.

The context is international espionage and suspicions about a German agent.

There are quite a number of suspicious characters including some Latin Americans, one of them a politician in a wheelchair, his sister and an associate. There is also a businessman who looks very obviously suspicious and acts like this. There is also a flighty society woman, getting things mixed up – and the introduction of Birmingham Brown, Manton Moreland, who works for her and, as we know, went to work for Charlie Chan and appeared in many films over the coming two years. His performance, always fearful, bug-eyed, seem to be popular at the time but now would seem to be rather politically incorrect.

Tommy Chan is present again, getting into all kinds of trouble, as does his sister. He also gets into trouble with Birmingham Brown – a sign of future films as well.

The method of killing is rather ingenious, electric current through a light switch, leaving few clues. There is also a gun, hidden, triggered by a magnet. These are both used twice to try to kill Charlie Chan himself.

The businessman is revealed as an associate of the International spy and is short so that he will not reveal anything. Charlie Chan does a setup to reveal the true criminal – and, as in some of the previous films, the irritating ditzy female character turns out to be the master spy.

Quite interesting and entertaining – and a joke at the end where Birmingham Brown is trying to get more employment but requires a letter of commendation from his previous employer!




CHARLIE CHAN FILMS

Charlie Chan was the creation of novelist Earl Deer Biggers, creator of the popular novel Seven Keys to Baldpate (adapted for the stage in the early 20th century and the plot of many films of the same name and variations). Biggers saw the beginning of the popularity of the films of Charlie Chan in the silent era but died at the age of 48 in 1933, just as the series with Warner Land was becoming more popular.

20th Century Fox was responsible for the early Charlie Chan films with Warner Oland and gave them more prestigious production values than many of the short supporting features of the time. After Oland’s death, Fox sold the franchise to Monogram Pictures with Sidney Toler in the central role. They were less impactful than the early films. There were some films later in the 1940s with Roland Winters in the central role.

The films generally ran for about 71 minutes, and similarities in plots, often a warning to Charlie Chan to leave a location, his staying when murders are committed, displaying his expertise in thinking through situations and clues. He generally collaborates with the local police who, sometimes seem, characters, but ultimately are on side.

Warner Oland was a Swedish actor who came with his family to the United States when he was a child. Some have commented that for his Chinese appearance he merely had to adjust his eyebrows and moustache to pass for Chinese – even in China where he was spoken to in Chinese. And the name, Charlie Chan, became a common place for reference to a Chinese. In retrospect there may have been some racial stereotype in his presentation but he is always respectful, honouring Chinese ancestors and traditions. Charlie Chan came from Honolulu.

Quite a number of the film is Keye Luke appeared as his son, very American, brash in intervening, make mistakes, full of American slang (and in Charlie Chan in Paris mangling French). Luke had an extensive career in Hollywood, his last film was in 1990 been Woody Allen’s Alice and the second Gremlins film.

Quite a number of character actors in Hollywood had roles in the Charlie Chan films, and there was a range of directors.

Oland had a portly figure and the screenplay makes reference to this. His diction is precise and much of the screenplay is in wise sayings, aphorisms, which are especially enhanced by the omission of “the� and “a� in delivery which makes them sound more telling and exotic.

There was a Charlie Chan film the late 1970s, Charlie Chan and the Dragon Queen with Peter Ustinov in the central role.