Docks of New Orleans

Not that Monogram invested too much of anything in their product under the tight fisted and Philistine like regime of Sam Katzman, but they do out do themselves with Docks Of New Orleans. Roland Winters, the third and last big screen Charlie Chan had taken over and this is the second of two Mr. Wong plots that I've discovered recycled for the Chan series.

Docks Of New Orleans is remade from Mr. Wong Detective and when I wrote my review of that film I remarked that it was a truly unique and clever way that the culprit had of murdering the victims. Here the gimmick is told from the outset Taking the most important element of the previous film away.

One of the partners of a chemical firm says that he feels betrayed by his two other partners and later on winds up dead in a proverbial locked room. Having consulted Roland Winters, Charlie Chan is brought in as a consultant to the New Orleans PD in the person here of John Gallaudet.

There's both a smuggling racket and a murder plot and Winters has to solve both in order to solve either. If you saw the Mr. Wong film than you know how this ends and who was doing what.

Roland winters is chan in this much later chapter of the charlie chan mysteries. When a syndicate tries to stop a shipload of chemicals from reaching south america, there are shenanigans afoot! What are the chemicals for, and why is it so important to stop it? But when the bodies start piling up, who will benefit from the deaths? Keep an eye out for mantan moreland, as birmingham, the butler. And victor sen yun, as chan's son. The often-used gimmick of the americanized chinese son, who wants to be involved in the case, and uses the silly american teenager slang, for comic relief. It's good! And did you recognize charlie chan as elvis' father in blue hawaii? A very different role in that one! Directed by derwin abrahams. It's good clean fun.

A chemical company executive visits Charlie Chan: He's being followed, he says, and suspects a plot to intercept his company's shipments. While Chan listens politely, Birmingham Brown and Tommy Chan eavesdrop from the hall, hoping to get in on this case from the beginning.

Sure enough, the executive dies mysteriously. Charlie Chan and team investigate.

Roland Winter looks comfortable and confident in his second outing as the famous detective. The famous Chan aphorisms flow regularly--some good, some bad. ("Patience! Must harvest rice before can boil it.")

The plot is okay but there's not much to it....it's never real clear just who these suspects are or how Chan sorts them all out. The murder device is ingenious if far-fetched: a radio tube that bursts and releases poison gas at the sound of a particular musical note.

Mantan Moreland as chauffeur Birmingham and Victor Sen Yung as number three son Tommy are amusing as assistant detectives. Overall it's a minor series entry but hard to dislike too much.

One great scene: Birmingham and Tommy do a piano-and-violin boogie woogie duet.

This is a Roland Winters' Monogram made Chan flick. It is a remake of their earlier "Mr. Wong, Detective". Neither version is very exciting. Winters is a very weak Chan, at best. Only Victor Sen Young and Mantan Moreland brighten the film. This is one of the films that has Young playing "No. 2 Son Tommy"! He used to be "No. 2 Son Jimmy". Tommy was Benson Fong and No. 3 Son. It is sort of an ongoing blooper in the later Monograms.

Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) is asked by one of the owners of a chemical plant to investigate the murders of some of his co-owners. The guy is worried he's next. At least, I think that's what the plot was about as it was convoluted and the movie was so dull I stopped caring early on.

Winters is absolutely terrible as Chan. I can't stress this enough. I hate everything about his performance. I especially hate how he delivers lines ("How long you have..uh...been...uh..shaking hands with trouble?"). There is nothing likable or appealing about Roland Winters performance in any of his Chan films. Mantan Moreland is in this as Birmingham Brown. The less said about him the better. Victor Sen Yung is Tommy Chan. Why they messed with the names I don't know but for all of the Toler Chan films he appeared in, Sen Yung played "Number Two Son" Jimmy. Benson Fong played "Number Three Son" Tommy, a totally different son. But when Winters took over the role of Chan, they kept Sen Yung on but changed his name from Jimmy to Tommy, even though he's still referred to as "Number Two Son!" Just another example of the shoddy writing and production at Monogram. This is an exceptionally boring Chan film. Attractive Carol Forman is about the only thing worth recommending about this one.