Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939)

Charlie's investigation of a phony psychic during the 1939 World Exposition on San Francisco's Treasure Island leads him to expose a suicide as murder.

Director:

Norman Foster

Writers:

John Larkin (original story and screen play by), Earl Derr Biggers (based on: the character "Charlie Chan" created by)

Stars:

Sidney Toler, Cesar Romero, Pauline Moore

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sidney Toler	...	Charlie Chan
Cesar Romero	...	Rhadini
Pauline Moore	...	Eve
Victor Sen Yung	...	Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
Douglas Fowley	...	Pete Lewis
June Gale	...	Myra Rhadini
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Thomas Gregory (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Sally Blane	...	Stella Essex
Billie Seward	...	Bessie Sibley
Wally Vernon	...	Elmer Kelner
Donald MacBride	...	Chief J.J. Kilvaine
Charles Halton	...	Redley
Trevor Bardette	...	Abdul
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Paul Essex

Storyline

A novelist friend of Charlie's appears to have committed suicide. At the international Exposition held on San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island Charlie shows that Zodiac, a phony mystic who blackmails clients, is the culprit.

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Plot Keywords:

novelist | psychic | zodiac | murder | san francisco bay | 

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Taglines:

The strange case of murder by magic!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie Chan na Ilha do Tesouro

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$120,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is believed that this film may have partially inspired the "Zodiac Killer" in San Francisco during the late 1960s.

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Goofs

As Chan's airplane approaches San Francisco, we briefly see a stock shot of the uncompleted eastern span of the Bay Bridge. The bridge opened more than two years before the Golden Gate International Exposition, the film's setting.

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Quotes

Charlie Chan: Criminal egotist finds pleasure in laughing at police.

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Connections

Followed by Dark Alibi (1946)

User Reviews

a nice gem

found in this "treasure island" starring Sydney Toler.It is a 20th Century production, which makes it all worthwhile.The spirit world and seances are the backdrop for this mystery.There is a cast of some familiar faces including Cesar Romero.This film is certainly one of the better ones with a surprise ending as to the identity of the killer/blackmailer,Dr.Zodiac. Worth watching.