Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Herbert I. Leeds

Writers:

Robert Ellis (writer)
Ladislas Fodor (play)

Release Date:

15 November 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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.

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Peace Conference | Eiffel Tower Paris | Blackout | Funny Policemen

Cast

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	...	Landlady

Also Known As:

City in Darkness (UK)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Chan's prescient aphorism at the film's conclusion, expressing pessimism about the upcoming Munich Conference was filmed months prior to the start of World War II.

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.

Quotes:

Charlie Chan: Birds never divide worm until safe in roost.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)

They Had The Wrong Guy In The Lead

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.