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IMDb > Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)

Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   568 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Robert Ellis (writer)
Ladislas Fodor (play)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Charlie Chan in City in Darkness on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 November 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
PARIS! BLACKOUT!...but there's no blackout for crime...and the great detective is commandeered!
Plot:
While in Paris for a reunion on the eve of World War II, Charlie finds that the murder of an hated businessman leads him to a conspiracy to smuggle arms to Germany. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
They Had The Wrong Guy In The Lead more (10 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Sidney Toler ... Charlie Chan
Lynn Bari ... Marie Dubon
Richard Clarke ... Tony Madero (as Richard Clark)
Harold Huber ... Police Inspector Marcel Spivak
Pedro de Cordoba ... Antoine
Dorothy Tree ... Charlotte Ronnell
C. Henry Gordon ... Prefect of Police J. Romaine
Douglass Dumbrille ... B. Petroff (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Noel Madison ... Belescu
Leo G. Carroll ... Louis Santelle

Lon Chaney Jr. ... Pierre
Louis Mercier ... Gentleman Max
George Davis ... Alex
Barbara Leonard ... Lola
Adrienne D'Ambricourt ... Hotel Proprietress
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
City in Darkness (UK)
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Runtime:
75 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The twenty-third of forty-seven Charlie Chan movies. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Harold Huber is thrown from the raised doorway of the hotel steps by the bouncer, the mattress on the cobblestones can be seen in the shot. more
Quotes:
[last lines]
Charlie Chan: A wise man once said, "Beware of spider who invites fly into his place for tea."
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Movie Connections:
Followed by Black Magic (1944) more

FAQ

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10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful.
They Had The Wrong Guy In The Lead, 9 April 2008
2/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This is the only Charlie Chan film I never finished. I usually love his films, whether Sidney Toler or Warner Oland starred in them and/or which of Charlie's kids were in the film.

However, in this movie the French police "Inspector Spivak," played by Harold Huber, was hogging all the scenes and was difficult to understand. He made me lose interest. This guy was just plain super annoying and had the top role in the story. I am glad a few other reviewers here had the same reaction as I did.

Perhaps with a DVD treatment and English subtitles available, I could give this a second chance and enjoy it, but I doubt it. I watch Chan films to see Charlie, not some idiot in the starring role.

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