Murder Over New York (1940)

When Charlie's old friend from Scotland Yard is murdered when they attend a police convention in New York, Chan picks up the case he was working on.

Director:

Harry Lachman

Writers:

Lester Ziffren (original screen play), Earl Derr Biggers (based on: the character "Charlie Chan" created by)

Stars:

Sidney Toler, Marjorie Weaver, Robert Lowery

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sidney Toler	...	Charlie Chan
Marjorie Weaver	...	Patricia Shaw
Robert Lowery	...	David Elliott
Ricardo Cortez	...	George Kirby
Donald MacBride	...	Inspector Vance
Melville Cooper	...	Herbert Fenton
Joan Valerie	...	June Preston
Kane Richmond	...	Ralph Percy
Victor Sen Yung	...	Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
John Sutton	...	Richard Jeffery
Leyland Hodgson	...	Boggs
Clarence Muse	...	Butler
Frederick Worlock	...	Hugh Drake
Lal Chand Mehra	...	Ramullah

Storyline

Coincidence like ancient egg, leave unpleasant odour. Canary unlike faithful dog, do not die from sympathy. Number 2 son very promising detective, promise very much, deliver very little. Nut easy to crack if nut empty. Number 2 son like interest on mortgage, impossible to escape. Fresh weed better than wilted rose. Happy solution never see light if truth kept in dark. One man with gun have more authority than whole army with no ammunition. Door of opportunity swing both ways. Wishful thinking sometimes lead to blind alley. Same leopard can hide beneath different spots. Confidence of son like courage of small boy at dentist, most evident after tooth extracted.

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Plot Keywords:

convention | detective | telegram | father son relationship | airport | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie Chan in Murder Over New York

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The method of murder in this film, poison gas contained inside a thin a glass globe, was previously used in one of the Mr. Wong films, 'Mr. Wong, Detective', two years earlier; and three years before that in the 1935 Chan-series film "Charlie Chan in Egypt."

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Goofs

Seemingly an hour or so after Drake's body is discovered in his apartment, Charlie gets a toxicology report over the telephone from the city morgue naming the specific poison that was in his body.

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Quotes

Insp. Vance: [Exasperated at the size of the lineup] I never knew there were so many Hindus in New York!

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Connections

Followed by Dark Alibi (1946)

User Reviews

Enjoyable Charlie Chan mystery

Murder Over New York is one of the better Chan mysteries and I've just seen this for the first time.

In this one, Charlie Chan is visiting New York to attend a police convention. At the same time, people who are involved with aircraft plants are being murdered and he decides to help with the investigation, along with his Number 2 son. These murders turn out to be the results of sabotage at the aircraft plants and Chan helps to identify the murderer...

Charlie Chan is played well by Sidney Toler and the rest of the cast includes Sen Yung as his Number 2 son and Marjorie Weaver.

I rather liked this mystery and is worth having if you like this sort of thing.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.