Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (1944)

Charlie Chan investigates the locked-room murder of a chess expert.

Director:

Phil Rosen

Writers:

George Callahan (original screenplay), Earl Derr Biggers (character)

Stars:

Sidney Toler, Joan Woodbury, Mantan Moreland

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sidney Toler	...	Charlie Chan
Joan Woodbury	...	Leah Manning
Mantan Moreland	...	Birmingham Brown, Taxi Driver
Benson Fong	...	Tommy Chan, #3 Son
Ian Keith	...	Dr. Paul Recknik
Sam Flint	...	Thomas P. Manning
Cy Kendall	...	George Webster Deacon
Weldon Heyburn	...	Detective Lt. Harvey Dennis
Anthony Warde	...	Catlen
John Davidson	...	Carl Karzoff / Kurt Karzoff
Dewey Robinson	...	Salos
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Gannet (as Stan Jolley)
Betty Blythe	...	Mrs. Manning
Jack Norton	...	Hotel Desk Clerk
Luke Chan	...	Wu Song

Storyline

Thomas P. Manning, businessman and chess expert mysteriously shot in a locked room, dies clutching some chess pieces. Police are baffled, and finally abandon the case. Six months later, victim's daughter Leah Manning, stung by a scurrilous book about the case, enlists the aid of Charlie Chan and Number 3 Son. Additional murders follow, leading to a climactic confrontation in a seemingly deserted "Fun House."

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Plot Keywords:

chess | murder | locked room | police | book | 

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Taglines:

"MUST CONFESS. HONORABLE SON...This Is My Most Baffling Case!"

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murder in the Fun House

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The thirty-second of forty-seven Charlie Chan movies.

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Goofs

The character played by Cy Kendall is identified as Webster Deacon in dialogue, but George Deacon in a newspaper insert.

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Quotes

Charlie Chan: [to Tommy] Next time you try this, you experience sudden collision in rear end of pants.

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Connections

Follows Charlie Chan Carries On (1931)

User Reviews

Another well-done Chan

Son Tommy replaces his brother Jimmy, and for the better. Jimmy's bug-eyed, constantly interrupting persona was somewhat over the top, and Benson Fong's Tommy plays the role of sidekick just straight enough to take the cringe out of the character. Much of the comic relief is transferred to Mantan Moreland's Birmingham Brown, and Moreland was the man to carry it off. Unlike most of the Chan comic relief characters, Birmingham's antics are generally set apart from Charlie's detective work, and don't interfere so much with the unfolding of the mystery. And Moreland himself was just a better actor than the Chan sons or the various other characters who played the role.

The fun house is a classic crime setting, and its use here - though done on the cheap - fits right in to the series. The plot doesn't play out like many Chan movies - a good guy isn't revealed to be a bad guy, As a result, the end is less a reveal than a long action/danger scene. Nice change-up from the usual Chan. And while many prefer Warner Oland, Sidney Toler is Chan to me in this episode - one step ahead, as always.