Shadows Over Chinatown

Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates insurance fraud and a series of murders. Another Monogram Chan film that is helped by the return of "Number Two Son" Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung), last seen in the 1942 Fox film Castle in the Desert. Up until this point at Monogram, Charlie had been saddled with dull-as-dirt Tommy Chan, played by bland Benson Fong. Victor Sen Yung is a breath of fresh air for this stale series. That being said, he can only do so much. It's still Monogram so it's still cheap. Also, there's still obtrusive comic relief Birmingham Brown, played by bug-eyed Mantan Moreland. The good news is that Moreland doesn't overpower Sen Yung like he did Fong. So it's a watchable effort but nothing special. But when it comes to the Monogram series, watchable is about as much as you can hope for.

"Confucious say sleep is only escape from yesterday"- one of several good Confucius sayings that Charlie comes up with in this movie. In fact, you might notice a number of things in this movie that are worthwhile. Personally, I first noticed the intriguing title, one of the best mystery titles ever- "Shadows Over Chinatown"- a title loaded with mystery.

The blonde actress who plays "Mary Conover" is very poised and is way above average in the looks department, and she does a commendable acting job. And don't you always love the "venerable old lady" (Charlie's words), the dear Mary Gordon. Look for some of the other supporting actors- there are many- and you will notice John Hamilton, a perennial in grade b and c films, obscure here before being immortalized in the "Superman" series on television. He only has a couple of lines and wears a mustache but is another example of what you can find here. Mantan Morland's comedy bits seem thrown together and rushed, but nevertheless he is entertaining as always.

Sidney Toler manages a strong enough and effective starring performance, but he is not very physically active and would die just months after the film's release. It is interesting to see how he is able to summon the screen presence to still be the star while sitting down through scene after scene.

While suffering from a low budget and possibly shooting schedule difficulties related to Toler's failing health, there is worth in this film if you look for it. Especially if you are a fan of the old black and white mystery movie style.

This CHAN entry is a little different from the opening. First, there is a sequence in the Missing Persons Bureau with an off-screen narrator explaining the goings on. Then the "torso killings"--shades of the Black Dahlia. I don't recall such gruesome deaths in the earlier Chans, although here they are only spoken of. The plot is pure Monogram Chan for better or worse(a scorecard would come in handy with this outing as well as most of the others). The interaction between Toler, Sen Yung and Mantan Moreland is as always fun to watch. Much has been made of Moreland's parts in these films and their supposed "racist" overtones. Maybe so, but IMNTBHO him playing a scared bumbler is no different than Lou Costello playing a scared bumbler in one of the A&C flicks---and they are both super at it. If all else fails there is beautiful Tanis Chandler to ogle! Why she never became a true star is beyond me--she's a sight.

This episode is a bit edgier. First of all, the murder being investigated is much more vicious than others. Charlie is working for an insurance company and is investigating this death but also is working on a personal interest missing persons case. We have here the reappearance of the Charlie's Number Two Son, Jimmy, who has much more personality than son Tommy. Mantan is there again to provide zaniness. That aside, there are several twists and turns in this plot that make it pretty entertaining. Charlie seems to take more of a personal interest in the results of this case because of the brutality of everything. As is always the case, there are some excellent suspects and a love story to boot

I really liked this Chan, it kept my interest all the way through. I found the plot complex, not hard to follow. I think that is why I really enjoyed it, there is a lot going on with lots of characters coming and going. Some people on here claimed the plot didn't make sense but let us be fair, a mystery isn't a mystery if you know what is going to happen from one scene to the next. I really have no complaints, this is one I want to watch again very soon. One thing I appreciate about the Chan movies is the fact that the producers tried to give you something a bit different from one film to the next. Sure, they recycle themselves after a while but some Chans really stand out...like this one. I just relax and watch all the events as they occur and let Charlie explain it all at the end! I guess some folks just like predictable films and turn up their noses at anything that doesn't follow the herd.