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   563 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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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:
Surprisingly timely but also disappointing entry into the series 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:
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. 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:
Charlie Chan: Birds never divide worm until safe in roost. more
Movie Connections:
Followed by Dangerous Money (1946) more

FAQ

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Surprisingly timely but also disappointing entry into the series, 11 July 2008
6/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

By his fourth film in the series, Sidney Toler had settled into the Charlie Chan role quite nicely. In many ways, this is a fascinating film to watch because of its historical value--as it talks about the events leading up to WWII as well as the assumption that the Munich Agreement would avert war. As a history teacher, this is great stuff--a real insight into Europe on the eve of war.

However, despite the interesting backdrop of Paris as it prepares for war, the film ultimately is destroyed by one man--Harold Huber. This was Huber's third Chan film--having played a French inspector in Monte Carlo as well as a New York inspector. The problem in this film wasn't his accent (here and in the previous film, Huber was fine with his fake French accent), but how incredibly obnoxious and stupid his character was. This film did not feature a Chan child but most of the blundering was done by Huber. This might have worked had they not made Huber five times stupider than any of the Chan children. Plus, Huber came on so strong and was so dominant in the film that you really wanted him to die, as he completely over-shadowed Toler. Because of this, this might just be the worst Chan film that Fox Studios made. Watchable but annoying.

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